For the summary OOTV.

I believe I recall this as an invite on the site here? I wanted to go and see what it was about.

Thanks,
Diablo

Just reading that gets me so excited to come back to Fresno!

First... It was a pretty freaky day that had me busier than a one legged man at a butt-kicking contest... (thank you KFarmer of Blogger for reminding me of such a wonderful metaphor...)

I wound up catching just under an hour of the presentation. It roared along (I believe,) past the six o'clock mark, had some great chow (still untouched,) and gosh-darnit, should have been an ArtHop site... those stuffed grape leaves looked seriously good.

This was an Art Stop in the highest regard.

It is not easy to take a town, nor a section of town, in a area that has been remarkably caustic against it's own visage in the buff in a mirror, and get people to think positive about what they see, what they were, and what the future is...
-It's even harder to get said people to do so in an intelligent, brave,(yet not crazy,) and realistically 'sighted in' 'on target' fashion.

Scharton and his good smelling little hoarde have pulled this off.

(I have an ugly fact to reveal...
I darn near have a BS in Bus. Administration, I've run business of varying types, and am currently trying to stick to my own business... My (2) Dads, (yep, I'm a blessed critter in the Father department, one's a Step,) both run their own deals,) --as well as A Mom and Step Mom are also killer business people... (Killer meant in the kindest possible way.)

I was born in business. (sort of like how some folks are 'born country,' ---Though I don't think I'll ever hear a song 'I was business before business was cool...' thank god.) My Father used to drage me along on business trips and have me sitting there in a suit, to see how it was done... (I think it also threw off the client a bit, which is neat angle...)
-His dad once, while doing this with him, passed a hat around a board room, put it in front of him, said,
'...Okay, son, you got five minutes, pick your topic and speak, but you have to hold our attention, tell us something, and be good... you're on.'
(Dad made some ducketts that morning... he was (I think,) 8.)
NY is a fun town to come up in...

This is why I liked what I saw.

These people,

1. -realistically 'adopted,' buildings that they felt would work for them, (downtown,) sized up what needed to be done (realistically,) to either repair or refurbish them, (as well as keep them running for a realistic period of time.)

2. -They then designed a functionioning business (most of which looked highly creative, -yet very very practical. These businesses were (realistically,) represented, and run on paper all the way down to suppliers, costs, stocking, foot traffic, start up times, etc. etc.

3. -This was done after (what sounded like,) not just shmoozing with Downtown Business 'Superstars,' and 'RockStars,'
-but folks who have already been singing for their supper for a long time, and know what flies and does not (both) downtown and abroad. (Again: Realistic discussion that probably was quite extensive.)
---I know from this (too,) because I know some of the business owners that the class spent time with. There were some frank discussions.

--Did I mention the word 'realistic.'
(consider that word to be as common in my view of this exorcise as Schartons rock-steady tagline calling for an 'authentic community.'

This was very real, this was extremely well thought out, and this was (forgive me fellow academics,) not the bloated fancies of DonQuixote and Forbes on Mushrooms, that could only survive in a college setting and not breathe in the real world...(great, now I owe a lot of proff's bevereges of their choice for calling 'college,' different from the real world.. -but I think we know what I am actually saying...)
-This stuff CAN and WILL make it if these folks follow what they are speaking of.

How much do I believe this?
How 'bout this:
I'm not going to tell you what the ideas of the projects were.
They were too good, they were obviously well thought out and insightful.
-And they deserve to have their ideas introduced when these folks want to cut loose, and the concepts backed, cultivated, and (not) stolen.
-That's right, this stuff was good enough to swipe, and implement.

I want (instead,) for these people to be hooked up with benevolent backers, or enough rich uncles (even if that's Uncle Sam,) to see their things fly.
ATTENTION RICH FOLKS: YES, YOU WITH THE HUMMER AND THE FERRARI WHO LIVES IN THE 'EXCUSE ME SECTION,' REPORT TO MR. SCHARTON'S ROOM AT ONCE, HE HAS SOME PEOPLE WHO WANT TO MAKE THE TOWN BETTER, AND MAKE YOU MORE MONEY, (YES, MORE MONEY,) -AND IT'S NOT FREAKIN' AM-WAY, BRING YOUR CHECKBOOK... BETTER YET, BRING CASH AND FRIENDS...(that is all.)

I will clue you in on this:
-What I saw was (positive and optimistic, ---but not falsly so,) I'm just a cranky grizzled NewYorker who enjoys the challanged of a cracked glass half empty, 'is all... I'm the sort of person who may have said to my Creator, '...look, that was nice work, but could you have done it in 5 days? -and WHAT'S with the mosquitos? Do you really hate NJ that much, Lord?)

Why it will work:
-People who first took their own requirements capabilities, surronding environment, and business needs seriously, ---and were not over-extending nor sugar coating, anything.
(That's good. You need to be honest, and this was honest.)

-People who understood that (when, say providing a workspace or using their building as a support for (other) businesses, -that those businesses want someone to effectively manage, and care for (the main facility,) -thereby freeing up the (smaller 'tenant,') businesses to get business done and focus, (say that three times fast.)

-People understood that to 'revitalize,' downtown, you had to have businesses that were (if not loud,) very definitely able to be seen, to show the outside world what is happening, (which draws and generates buzz,) -and that in most things, folks want to do, folks want to watch, and folks want to be able to (either) start doing to, or be supplied to keep doing -all in the same space. (say that one five times...)

-I think the beauty of what I was hearing was that the entrepreneurs were all considering their customers and clients as people and respected them. They were not simply masses of cattle to be proffitted from.
This was not a cold blunt view of capitalism, but folks that were honestly service minded. (Everybody knows that the folks who struck it rich were not the guys with the pans in their hands, -but the guys who sold them a better pan at a good price, (not to mention food, clothes, and a decent minded mule.)

I think that was also a major point, ---and I think Scharton really should take a bow on this.

-You want to make money?
Care about folks, and what you are doing to help them.
People will pay good money if you do good stuff, take care of them, and they will tell their friends how you are some sort of sait among devils, ---simply by doing good work, being straight with them, and delivering what you promised... (very old ethic, very true ethic.)

What I was seeing was a variety of (often very creative,) ideas that were realistically looking to do such things very well, -and had done their homework and legwork effectively, -so that there were no hidden surprises, no 'pie in the sky,' goals, -and no gouging of the client.

This is how real busines works, and remains.

Business is not bloodless.
It's actually quite fun, and it's a good time for everybody, if you are responsible and can stay focussed on what you need to do. (I'll tell you a little secret as well...
You often learn a ton as you go, but it's one of those rare weird situations in life where, -if you have a good idea and really wish to meet a need, -others will be happy to chime in and tell you what flies and what doesn't ---and it truly follows a basic law of physics, once set in motion, it really doesn't want to stop...)

This is one of the reasons why I was so pissed off at Lindee getting beat up (verbally,) and accused of such horrific and unwaranted things as 'disregarding the homeless and the poor.'
(It was such a stupid thing to accuse her of.)

-The woman was simply evaluating how best to serve Fresno, and make a living while doing so.
-That is good business.
Everybody wins when something is positioned well, (despite the blathering and needless animosity over 'who cares about who, and how doesn't,' that will be (hopefully,) abandoned in short time.

-Though there was some kidding around about RiverPark vs. Downtown, (but seriously, how can you blame two 12 inch barbie dolls for being slightly misguided at first about wanting to go shopping at R.P. ... ...they're Barbie's for crying in the sink,,, and they DO eventually wind up downtown on ArtHop night... (no word on Ken or Skipper.)

-But the reasons for choosing the buildings, the reasons for presenting the businesses as they did,
-were all heavily geared to realistically keeping the people who already work downtown, there a little longer, as well as draw more in.
(One guy had an type of a sport in mind that was freakin' brilliant and has gone huge back east and is usually done out doors...-If he starts up what he was looking to do, in the location he's chosen, and with how he's going to prep the building and present the activity... it will go huge.
He better be ready for some major demand to happen within a short period of time...
(It's okay, he's got Scharton in his corner to mentor him, I think wrestling with being too successful is a fun problem.)

What I liked, and why I think this needs to happen more, is that it (along with the realistic deconstructions and break outs of the financials,)
-was not passion and emotion and feelings where they need not be.

These folks were serious, they were soberminded about accomplishing the goal, -and that sobriety and sound reason allowed the emotions and excitement to legitimately grow where it would thrive.
And you know what? You could tell that they all had major crush's on their buildings... I mean, even the nastiest exposed girder industrial space was lovingly considered and brought to full song... You don't see that much, it's nice to see old souls appreciated.

That also shows why this was a beautiful program.
-It's not just about somebody making a buck... It's keeping the bucks local, bringing more bucks to area businesses downtown, causing folks to have to think... 'hmmm, this is cool enough that i want to live here, be closer to what's happening,' (and next thing you know, 'booomp,' you have a thriving neighborhood, where there was once empty lots and forlorn concrete.

It wasn't flashy, it wasn't overcooked, it wasn't a bunch of city-slickers looking to take advantage of lil ol' Fresburg...
Nope, this was people from here who were stoked about doing stuff that will cause wherever they decide to hang an 'open,' sign to thrive.

That, my friends is a real hope.
That is far more infectious and faster spreading than a bunch of naysayers.
(Thank God.)

Craig, take a bow.
You have seriously armed a room full of reasonably dressed and well presented individuals for a solid battle of wits. (That's Class.)

Lindee, (and the rest of ya's) good luck, sweetheart,,, and knock 'em dead.
(...if any of you are going into woodworking, refinishing, nursing or the chaplaincey?
I've got some good competition warming up in the pits and coming out on the track.
Coooool.
I loves me some serious drivers who know what they're doing.

Lets make some noise, get grungy, and be good and tired at the end of the day for all of the right reasons.

Thanks for inviting me.

...possibly with bells on.

I think that this is really cool. As a woman, entrepreneur myself, it's nice to see that there is a lot more people coming out of college with their "OWN" ideas of what they want to do with the rest of their lives. I hope to see a lot more women out there building their own empire.Kentucky Car Dealer Reviews