November 21, 2011

There were 3 posts published on November 21, 2011 (this is page 1 of 1).

Pullen Park speech

Pullen Park ribbon-cutting

Here are my written remarks from the Pullen Park dedication Saturday. I frequently compose my speeches on the fly but Pullen Park is important so I spent more time on this one.

I don’t know about you, but I’ve been waiting for this day for 124 years!

Today we celebrate the grand opening of a park that actually opened 124 years ago. Hard to believe, isn’t it? I did a little research to get a better idea of what Pullen Park’s first grand opening must have been like.

On that day in March 22nd, 1887 when Mr. Stanhope Pullen donated the land that created Pullen Park, N.C. State University was a mere fifteen days old. Fayetteville Street – where this morning’s Christmas Parade took place – had only been paved for a decade. Raleigh sprawled to almost two square miles and had a booming population of 13,000; qualifying it as the fifth largest city in our state.
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Raleigh wants a startup spark

Raleigh is building a startup environment. Software company CEO Josh Whiton gets it:

But the talent is too spread out around the city, says Josh Whiton, the 31-year-old CEO of TransLoc, a software company next to downtown’s Moore Square that makes web sites and apps for mass transit systems.

“We’ve got a lot of good companies, but they’re miles apart from each other,” Whiton said. “There’s not the serendipitous running into each other when you go to the coffee shop.”

“Durham has that concentration. That’s what Raleigh needs.”

It’s not a stretch to say I’ve worked for more startup companies than just about anyone. And Whiton is right on the money. This is what Raleigh needs to focus on with its entrepreneurial efforts: creating a startup scene. It’s all about those serendipitous meetings. Foster that feeling and success will follow.

What it takes to accomplish this is essentially what it takes to make any kind of development take place in the city: it all starts with staking a flag someplace, so to speak. Find a part of town that offers the “raw materials” that might make for interesting work places. Look for a place with “good bones,” as the real estate industry calls it. Then designate this place as the startup area and sell it with PR. It helps to attract an “anchor tenant,” which for Raleigh might be Red Hat.

Then wait. And wait. Then wait some more. And commit to nurture it with whatever it needs. Listen to the companies there to see what it might need. Look around for any good ideas being implemented in other places.

Like Whiton said, there are plenty of successful startups born here in Raleigh. We’ve got a great foundation. Now we just need to focus this activity in one area and help it grow!

via Raleigh wants a startup spark – Local/State – NewsObserver.com.

Coverage of Pullen Park

Here are a few links to the media coverage of the Pullen Park grand opening.

News14 Carolina’s story features a quote from my speech and a good shot of the Turner kids during the ribbon-cutting.

Pullen Park ribbon-cutting


NBC17 also had a good story but only has a brief clip of the Turners during the ribbon-cutting:

WTVD sent a reporter and had a brief story but didn’t post the story video.

T. Keung Hui wrote a story for the News and Observer but there’s no mention of me (nor any pictures of the ribbon).

As far as I can tell, WRAL didn’t even show up. I guess they had their hands full with the parade coverage.