Raven Development Closes Menards
Deal at Northwest Plaza Site
By Steve Erdelen, August 21, 2013
According to a top St. Ann city official, Raven Development will complete its' long pending agreement with Menards in the next two days, to build a mega store on the northeast section of the Northwest Plaza site, which is now being marketed as The Crossings at Northwest. The store will be built in the vicinity of the recently demolished Sears Automotive Center, near the intersection of St. Charles Rock Road and Adie Road and will encompass 17 acres of the 120 acre site.
The official cited numerous delays in getting the deal closed, including economic conditions, sewer trunk relocations and old-fashioned hard bargaining. “A lot of people have worked very hard to make this deal happen and we couldn’t be happier that it’s about to wrap up.”
Raven Development was approved by the St. Louis County TIF Commission in July of 2012, to receive $33 million in tax increment financing for remediation and redevelopment funding for the Northwest Plaza site. According to www.thecrossingsatnorthwest.com the project is “a $106 million mixed use redevelopment of the former Northwest Plaza mall. This exciting redevelopment project will transform the site into a premiere destination for a variety of businesses, including restaurants, retailers, professional office firms, high-tech high-density users, call centers, educational users, medical and government entities.”
Eau Claire, Wisconsin based Menards, was recently ranked by Forbes as the 43rd largest privately held firm in the U.S., with annual sales estimated at nearly $8 billion. The firm employs more than 40,000 workers at over 270 stores across the country. A source familiar with the operations of the recently opened Menards store in St. Peters, reported that the store is doing extremely well and is performing 54% ahead of company sales projections. Raven Development is based in St. Louis and has developed a number of retail properties in the area. The firm is owned by brothers Bob and David Glarner.
Demolition continues at Northwest Plaza and Raven Development is expected to announce a new agreements with retailers and other entities in the weeks and months ahead. According to the developer, the 12 story bank building, the Macy’s building and the J.C. Penney’s, will remain, while the Dillards, Sears and theater buildings will be demolished to make way for new development.
Ritenour Announces 2012 Teacher, Employee of the Year
April 4, 2012 – The Ritenour School District has selected Lisa Watkins of Ritenour Middle School as the district Diamond Circle Teacher of the Year and Harlon Williams from Iveland Elementary School as the Diamond Circle Employee of the Year. The district also named nine other teachers as Diamond Circle recipients for their respective schools. Diamond Circle Awards are given to teachers and staff that best exemplify the district’s commitment to quality education and service. Awardees are chosen each year by colleagues at their buildings.
Watkins is a reading specialist at Ritenour Middle. Now in her fifth year with the district, Watkins is known as a highly-skilled teacher, committed to helping every student she works with succeed every day.
“Lisa is a dedicated, student centered teacher,” said Ritenour Middle Principal Ken Roumpos. “She has an incredible desire to see all of her students be successful. She is committed to student growth academically and socially. Every one of her students knows that Mrs. Watkins cares about them and their success. She is one of the most gifted educators I have ever known.”
Williams joined the Ritenour School District in 1997 and serves as lead custodian at Iveland Elementary. Honored for his dependability, enthusiasm and positive attitude, Williams is known as a staff member who is always there when needed. “Harlon always has a bright smile on his face and does his work with enthusiasm,” said Iveland Principal Dr. Sandy Wiley. “He has a positive attitude and a tremendous work ethic. He greets students with a smile every day and always makes sure students and staff have what they need to do their best work. Harlon is a wonderful ambassador for Iveland and an integral part of our school family.”
The following teachers are honored as their school’s 2012 Diamond Circle Awardees:
- Janice DiLorenzo, School for Early Childood Education
- Aaron Winkler, Buder Elementary
- Tracy Raphael, Iveland Elementary
- Genevieve Erker, Kratz Elementary
- Marcy McDowell, Marion Elementary
- Shiela Youngblood, Marvin Elementary
- Laura Lewis, Wyland Elementary
- Wilma Higgins, Hoech Middle
- Lisa Watkins, Ritenour Middle*
- Ashley Gregory, Ritenour High School
The Ritenour School District is also recognizing two teachers with special awards:
Gisela Macias, a kindergarten teacher at Kratz Elementary, was selected for the First Class Teacher Award. This award recognizes the district’s most outstanding first-year elementary or secondary educator.
Jennifer Love, a Special School District school psychologist, was selected for the Make A Difference Award. This award acknowledges a staff member for their excellence in working with Ritenour students with diverse needs.
All awardees will be recognized during the district’s annual Honors Dinner on April 25, 2012 at the new Auditorium at Ritenour High School, 9100 St. Charles Rock Road.
Two teams from the Pattonville High School robotics club advanced to the state competition after finishing in second and third place during the St. Louis qualifying tournament. Pattonville team 2866 took second place in the competition. The students involved in the team are seniors Aaron Gershman and Mitchell Hale; sophomores Kyle Hall, Daniel Jack, Brianna Johnson, Leah Perry and Donovan Yard; and freshmen Daniel Herzberg, Craig Lasserre and Mark Raymond. Pattonville team 2867 took third place in the competition and won the PTC Design Award. The team was also a finalist for the Think and Inspire Awards and is comprised of seniors Mike Brown and Joey Hakanson; juniors Nik Frier and Doan Trieu; sophomores Brandon Mazzola, Jed Menard, Aidan O’Donnell and Khoa Trieu; and freshmen Katie Harris, Warren Li and Grant Matthews. The teams are sponsored by teacher Lori Cole with the help of mentors Jonathan Cole and Brian Bateman.
Dedication of New Ritenour Auditorium
Scheduled for Feb. 18
Feb. 2, 2012 – Join the Ritenour School District to celebrate the dedication of the new Auditorium and Classroom Addition at Ritenour High School. The official dedication ceremony and celebration is scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 18, 2012, from 1:30 – 4 p.m.
A ribbon cutting ceremony takes place at 1:30 p.m. in the lobby. Immediately following, all are invited inside the theater for the community dedication ceremony at 2 p.m. An open house will follow. The Ritenour community is invited to attend. We hope to see you there!
The new addition is located on the west side of Ritenour High School, 9100 St. Charles Rock Road. The 81,000 square foot addition features a 791-seat auditorium; classrooms for band, choir, drama and orchestra use; a student art exhibit area; and much more.
Construction of the new Auditorium and Classroom Addition at Ritenour High School is funded by Proposition K, a $50 million bond issue Ritenour voters approved in November of 2008.
Latest News From Pattonville School District (Published January 30, 2012)
Highlights:
• Board honored during School Board Recognition Week
• Rachel's Challenge comes to Pattonville High School
• PHS teacher earns Peabody Leader in Education Award
• Information on upcoming events: All Night Graduation Party benefit dance, Pattonville Idol and Pattonville Education Foundation Dinner Dance Auction
• How to nominate someone for Teacher or Support Staff of the Year
• Pattonville to award honorary diplomas to veterans
• Dozens of students and staff recognized for recent honors
• And more...
Click below to read the latest "Pattonville at Work," newsletter:
Nearly 200 gather at The Sarah Community’s in Bridgeton, at Jan. 15 groundbreaking ceremony
Representatives from the founding congregations – Franciscan Sisters of Mary, Daughters of Charity, Religious of the Sacred Heart, Sisters of Loretto, and School Sisters of Notre Dame – grabbed shovels and hard hats to complete the groundbreaking ceremony. The $17 million construction project being handled by BSI Constructors, Hercules Construction, The Lawrence Group and St. Andrew’s Management Services, is expected to be completed by next winter.
In January 1996, the dream of the founding congregations was to create a quality of life for their sisters and lay persons from the St. Louis community where holistic life would include physical, intellectual and spiritual care in a home-like setting. The Sarah Community offers retirement living, assisted living and skilled nursing and with the new construction the campus will all be under one roof. The addition of a new chapel will also allow all on the campus to pray and worship together.
The new skilled nursing care facility, Anna House will feature small households with home-like appeal, including more privacy, larger bedrooms, kitchens and hearth rooms in each household and greater offerings of The Sarah Community’s unique, person-centered care.
“As we celebrate the founding of The Sarah Community, we can also look forward to these enhancements. The new Anna House being built on this lot means that all three facilities of The Sarah Community will be connected in one location. We believe that this will strengthen the community spirit of caring that exists today,” said Sr. Susan Scholl, FSM, Board President of The Sarah Community Board of Directors. Updates on the new Anna House construction can be seen at http://TheSarahCommunity.org/
The Sarah Community also celebrated its Mission Alive Person of the Year for 2011, giving the award to Linda Beard of Overland, an employee who has worked at Anna House for nearly a decade, showing love and compassion to residents while sharing joy and happiness. “I love taking care of the residents. They’re always saying thank you and praying for you,” said Beard. “I love the faith-based aspect of working at The Sarah Community. I have enjoyed every minute of working here and taking care of the sisters.”
From Pattonville School District News (Published January 11, 2012)
• Pattonville board approves refinancing bonds to save nearly $750,000
• Board approves calendars for 2012-2013 and 2013-2014
• Three board candidates file for office
• PEF announced nearly $9,800 in grant awards
• Board awards contracts for summer bond work
• Briar Crest reaches out to parents
• Nutrition class sends TLC to soldier in Afghanistan
• And more...
Click below to read the latest "Pattonville at Work," newsletter:
Ritenour Board Approves Sale, Refinancing of Bonds
Jan. 13, 2012 – Ritenour School District Board of Education gave approval to the sale and refinancing of $13.9 million in bonds during its regular meeting on Jan. 12, 2012. The board authorized Stifel Nicolaus & Company to sell the $10.8 million in remaining new bonds Ritenour voters approved as part of the Proposition K bond issue in Nov. 2008 and to refinance $3.1 million in bonds sold in 2005.
Ritenour taxpayers will save about $192,000 as a result of refinancing the remaining 2005 bonds at today’s lower interest rates. Interest rates on the new and refinanced bonds range from one percent to 3.28 percent beginning in 2012 through 2031.
According to Ritenour Chief Financial Officer Doug Baum, Ritenour continues to seek ways to be financially responsible to its community.
“We monitor the market and look for opportunities to eliminate debt and save money whenever possible,” Baum said. “This continues to be a very good time for Ritenour to sell bonds. Today’s rates are still some of the lowest rates in recent history.”
http://www.psdr3.org/NewsInfo/pdf/PAW12-14-11.pdf
City and County Team Up on Foreign Trade
On Monday, December 5th, St. Louis County and the City of St. Louis announced a new program that will provide local manufacturing and distribution companies with greater opportunity to compete globally.
"We must provide our businesses every opportunity to succeed locally and globally," said St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay. "The expanded Foreign-Trade Zone program gives our business community a competitive edge and positions the region as a business-friendly place to locate and expand."
The program, which is an enhanced version of the Foreign-Trade Zone (FTZ), expands the zone from 800 acres around Lambert-St. Louis International Airport to include all of St. Louis City and County. It allows companies quicker and easier access to the benefits of a Foreign-Trade Zone and reduces the time it takes to secure or expand FTZ status to as little as one month.
"Global trade is one of the best ways the city and the county collaborate," said County Executive Charlie A. Dooley. "Economic development tools like the new Alternative Site Framework directly impact the companies growing our economy and adding new jobs to the region."
A Foreign-Trade Zone is an area where entering cargo is not subject to regular customs duties. Under the new guidelines, a company located in the City or County, but outside the existing zone, can be eligible for streamlined FTZ designation.
Pattonville High School band to march in Sunday's Cardinals' celebration parade
The Pattonville High School marching band was one of a select few high school marching bands invited to participate in the St. Louis Cardinals' World Series Championship celebration parade at 4 p.m. on Sunday in downtown St. Louis.
Here are the details from the Cardinals' website: The parade will begin at 4 p.m. with the Budweiser Clydesdales leading the procession of champions in Ford Trucks east along Market Street from 18th Street at Union Station to 7th Street south toward Stan Musial Drive and into Baseball Heaven. In addition to the 2011 World Champion St. Louis Cardinals, the parade will include Fredbird, Team Fredbird and the Cardinals Rally Squirrel, as well as musical entertainment courtesy of the marching bands of Lindbergh, Pattonville, Seckman and Belleville high schools.
Here's the route: Begins at 18th & Market Streets; Travels East on Market; Right on 7th Street; Ends inside Busch Stadium.
Pattonville's band has been performing at Busch Stadium for a number of years now...concerts outside the stadium on Clark Street before a game, concerts inside the stadium in Ford Plaza, along with field level performances such as the National Anthem.
"It's such a great honor for our students to be a part of an event of this magnitude," said Band Director Denny McFarland. "This is something they will remember for the rest of their lives. Our staff is excited to share this experience with our students. Thank you to the St. Louis Cardinals for allowing us to be part of this historic celebration!"
St. Ann Mayor Forms Economic Development Committee
 |
| St. Ann's beautiful parks and central location are just two of the many advantages the city can offer to businesses and their employees. |
United we stand, divided we kneel
(Commentary From the Summer 2011 Edition)
By Steve Erdelen
If you turn back a page, you’ll notice a bug on page three. Not a real bug, but what is known as a union printer’s bug. That in itself is no big deal, but I happen to be very proud that our magazine is now being printed at a union printing shop. There was never any kind of protest against our magazine by any union member, or any pressure applied by anyone, whatsoever, to print at a union shop. It was my decision to go that direction and a very competitive bid helped me along. Decisions like that are made everyday by millions of small businesses around this country and our business is no different. The only thing that sets us apart from the vast majority of small businesses in this country is that our product is a direct reflection of the communities we are circulated in.
In other words, if you pick up a copy of The Springfield News-Leader on your way to visit your child at
One of our contributors told me that she intentionally drops off copies of our magazine in trendy little coffee shops around the St. Louis Northwest St. Louis County
Combine the devastating decline of
The bottom line is that no matter where a person now resides, they are generally very proud of that place, but where they “grew up” is almost always sacred to them. I’ve seen it with my own eyes and heard it with my own ears. On the local Facebook Groups I’ve organized, I’ve read thousands of fond remembrances from area Baby Boomers about Northwest Plaza St. Charles Rock Road Ritenour High Schools
The area that they grew up in was and is still considered to be a “working class” and “middle class” area. Their parents might have worked at McDonnell-Douglas (Boeing) or at the Ford or GM plant. They may have been in “the trades” as a machinist, pipe fitter, equipment operator, electrician, welder, plumber, carpenter, painter, bricklayer or laborer. Just like today, local people sold clothing and shoes and furniture and waited tables and tended bar and swept and mopped the floors at schools and at businesses. They worked hard and they took pride in what they accomplished. They put food on the table and they sent their freshly scrubbed kids to school everyday. America
Things have changed quite a bit since then for the working class. Lifetime jobs with the same company are now extremely rare, as are retirement pensions. Loyalty to workers is a thing of the past and the dignity and honor of an honest day’s work is often overlooked and underappreciated. Greed is rampant and the divide between rich and poor is much worse than it has ever been. A good friend and top salesman that I worked with in the early 1990’s told me back then: “It used to be that sales and marketing people ran companies and now it’s the bean counters that run companies.”
His point at the time was that instead of investing in new markets and new products to create more profits, companies were beating down vendors and cutting jobs to prop up the bottom line. Very little has changed from his statement of 18 years ago, in fact it has gotten far worse. Corporations, with the tacit approval of Congress have basically declared war on the working people of this country. In the name of the bottom line, unions have been targeted and broken up, pension plans eliminated, insurance premiums increased and job security abolished. “Increased productivity” typically means that one person is doing the job of two or three people and by God, they better not complain about it. Most people know exactly what will happen to them if they do. Even if a worker keeps his or her mouth shut, the possibility of their job being shipped off to a foreign country remains a very real possibility. Speaking of foreign countries, American corporations are allowed to defer taxes from overseas profits to the tune of over $100 billion a year.
Hundreds of billions of hard working taxpayer dollars have been used to save banks and financial institutions that were “too big to fail.” The very same banks and financial institutions who helped to create the sub prime mortgage lending crisis that ultimately wiped out trillions of dollars in middle class home equity all over this country. Thousands of middle class people hear a statement similar to the following every day: “We’re sorry Mr. and Mrs. Jones, but your house that was valued at $160,000 in 2007 is now worth $100,000. The $60,000 in equity that you thought you had has now disappeared; therefore we cannot issue you a line of credit to capitalize your new business, because you don’t have enough collateral.”
When that happens and I can personally attest to the fact that it does happen, new jobs are not created and small businesses are not allowed to start-up or expand. The middle class is rapidly getting squeezed out of the American dream while billionaires are using millions of dollars of our tax money in the form of TIF ’s (Tax Increment Financing) to “assist” them in the development of box stores that sell mostly foreign made merchandise. (For reference, see the new Wal-Mart Super Center St. Charles Rock Road Bridgeton Cypress Rock Road
Not to rub it in, but two wars are being fought overseas and we have found within us the generosity to grant the wealthiest among us a $700 billion tax break. Add to that the $700 billion bailout of Wall Street and you’ll come up with enough money to send 20 million of our citizens through four years of college.
The GI Bill after World War II proved that educating Americans was a very smart thing to do. The bill helped to create the most innovative and skilled work force in the history of the world. It seems that, these days however, our tax money is better spent on subsidizing the wealthy in the hope that some of that money will “trickle down” to all of us peasants and “create jobs.” Job creation is a concept that politicians love to talk about, but have no idea of how to really make it happen. Rebuilding our infrastructure and investing in exurban redevelopment doesn’t seem to be a viable option for them. It’s much easier to just hand over money to corporations.
How can ordinary working class or middle class people (or whatever sociologists like to call us) fight back against raging greed and self serving politicians? I believe the way our parents did it and the way their parents did it before them, was first to get off their rear ends and go to the polls and secondly, to form and join unions. They teamed up to bargain collectively and to strike with work stoppages against unlivable wages and unnecessary greed. They boycotted companies who mistreated workers and marketed shoddy products. They practiced the old lesson of vigorously protecting their own interest. The same lesson any rich person would teach their son or daughter.
By the way, did I mention that there was a bug on page three?
Is the China St. Louis
to the Global Economy?
(News feature from April 2011 Issue)
(News feature from April 2011 Issue)
Photo by Arcturis
By Steve Erdelen & Mary Branstetter-Ryan
The term “China Hub” has been mentioned in the local media for the last three years, but there are many people living in the municipalities bordering Lambert-St. Louis International Airport who have either never heard of The Midwest-China Hub Commission, or they are still unclear about the major details of the effort. To some, “China Hub” conjures up images of a large cargo terminal at Lambert Field with dozens of Chinese planes offloading Chinese merchandise that will be distributed nationwide from our airport’s central location. That assumption brings the hope of widespread redevelopment and new jobs, but also raises questions: How many new jobs will this initiative create? How much have we paid to create these jobs? Will these jobs be good-paying jobs? Don’t we have enough merchandise from China flowing into the United States as it is? Haven’t we lost millions of jobs to cheap labor countries like China already? Or, as many people have inferred … Do we really want to sell our soul to China to bring back some vibrancy to our part of the world?
Going into our interview with Michael Jones, chairman of the Midwest-China Hub Commission and senior policy advisor to St. Louis County Executive Charlie Dooley, we felt that the above questions were the most important to our readers. After a two-hour interview with Mr. Jones, we soon realized that our story wasn’t going to be about a few more planes landing at Lambert Field every week and the creation of some more area jobs. Our story would be about the very future of our entire region. What we thought would be a well-structured interview turned into a lively discussion about real change in a global economy, and whether the St. Louis area is ready to reinvent itself in order to prosper in the 21st Century. More on that discussion later; first, let us provide a little background information, most of it supplied by Jones:
What started in early 2007 as an effort by noted developer Paul McKee to spur more air cargo-related business activity at his company’s Hazelwood Logistics Center eventually lead to contacts with The 48 Group Club, the legendary British Import Company whose founder, Jack Perry, opened British trade with the Chinese in 1953. The 48 Group Club gets its name from the original 48 British companies who conducted trade relations with China, and the club refers to itself as “The Icebreakers.” In a remarkable twist of fate, the introduction to The 48 Group Club came from McKee’s attorney, Steve Stone, who is related to the Perrys by marriage. Some members of the Perry family moved to the St. Louis area in the early 1900s, and their descendents have lived here ever since.
After productive meetings with Stephen Perry, the founder’s son and current chairman of The 48 Group Club, and the completion of a feasibility study, McKee realized that the opportunity for dramatically increasing international trade in the St. Louis area had real possibilities. That optimism was based primarily on the outstanding business and governmental connections that were developed in China over a period of 55 years, by Jack and Stephen Perry.
By late 2007, McKee’s idea for a China Hub had evolved into a multilayered collaborative effort involving federal, state, and local government, as well as private entities. According to a headline in the Midwest-China Hub Commission’s information pamphlet, “St. Louis and Missouri officials and entrepreneurs have collaborated to establish an expanded economic partnership with China.”
A businessman’s simple idea became “The Big Idea,” and Missouri Senators Christopher “Kit” Bond and Claire McCaskill jumped on the bandwagon.
The pamphlet continued: “The Big Idea, as authored by United States Sens. Christopher “Kit” Bond and Claire McCaskill, proposes that the St. Louis region become China’s primary gateway into the American Heartland through dedicated cargo flights connecting St. Louis with China, and through the development of a strong economic hub of Chinese businesses and Chinese-American partnerships located in St. Louis and the Midwest.”
With two powerful United States Senators, representing both major political parties, lined up behind the proposition of increased trade with China, McKee’s original concept quickly turned into a regional mission. That mission soon produced high-level meetings with Chinese diplomats, as well as independent studies by the Regional Commerce and Growth Association (RCGA) and Lambert-St. Louis International Airport. Those efforts and others culminated in the visit of China’s Vice Premier Wang Qishan to St. Louis in June 2008, and a reciprocal visit by a large delegation of Missouri officials and business leaders to Beijing, China, on March 17, 2009.
Since that time, many other positive developments have transpired, and in January 2011, it was announced that a Chinese airline, China Eastern, had agreed to land up to three flights a week at Lambert Field.
“Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.” - Winston Churchill
Churchill’s sentiment seems to fit very well at this juncture in the progress of The Midwest-China Hub Commission. Three flights each week may not seem worthy of the effort expended thus far, but it is indeed the end of the beginning, and the real opportunity will reveal itself not in the months ahead, but in the years ahead. “Those planes won’t fly back to China empty,” said Jones. That statement brought to mind what the real opportunity for St. Louis is and what The Big Idea is all about: Good relations with the United States are imperative to the Chinese economy, and the Chinese are very sensitive to political opinion in the United States. China hopes to improve its image and its long-term trade relations with this country. How? By investing in America and creating more jobs here. By buying more merchandise made in America, and by opening up new markets here. What better place to start than in the Midwest? What better place than the very middle of the Midwest, St. Louis?
Sounds simple, doesn’t it? China opens up a worldwide path to the heartland of America, and Brazil, India, and Europe soon follow suit. Before long, St. Louis once again becomes the dynamic center of trade in the American Midwest and one of the leading distribution centers in the world.
According to Jones, the St. Louis area is not currently prepared for such an eventuality. He stated that at this moment in time, the region lacks the physical and intellectual infrastructure to become an international center of trade. Citing the fact that St. Louis was once the fourth-largest city in the country and has lost population in every census since the 1950s, he believes that the area has rested on its laurels for too long. “We stopped growing,” said Jones, referring not only to the population, but also to the creation of new ideas and new opportunities. “We became complacent with our achievement; we stopped trying to get better.” He suggested that the area became content with what its forefathers had achieved, and reaped the benefits but did not plan ahead for future generations. “Other cities grew and prospered.” said Jones. “They built more universities, more commerce, more mass transit … saw the need to be global and not regional in their plans for the future.”
The tests to prepare our region for the incredible opportunities that our location affords us will be very difficult, according to Jones. He pointed out that the St. Louis area is still culturally divided and not united in common goals. The “What high school did you go to?” mentality is not something that Jones believes is conducive to becoming a real player in the international marketplace. The fact that St. Louis County is divided into 91 different municipalities and the fact that the City of St. Louis (owner of Lambert-St. Louis International Airport) is not a part of St. Louis County present yet more complicated obstacles.
After the sobering dose of reality that Jones laid on the table, the obvious question of his optimism about the future came up. The spirit of the question: How optimistic was he that all of these municipalities and groups with divergent interests from an old rust belt metropolis could come together soon to capitalize on the opportunity to become an international center of trade?
“Optimism is usually based on facts, and hope comes from your heart. I would have to compare my feelings with General George Custer at the Battle of The Little Big Horn. He certainly had hope, but he was not optimistic.”
Most people would not expect such a statement to come from someone who held the chairmanship of a major civic commission. They would expect a cheerleader who was always positive about the mission at hand and always stayed on message. That is certainly what we expected as we prepared for our interview with Mr. Jones, but when we left the interview, we felt tremendously enlightened. We didn’t hear a lot of the expected public relations rhetoric. We heard an intelligent man telling the truth about what we have to face up to as a region, and we heard his challenge to become great once again. As Mr. Jones said, “Now the real work begins.”
