"PLAYERS"

The Proposition: We need to develop strategies and promote actions that accelerate Stamford's reorientation around the economic crisis. Stamford should aim to emerge from the recession as a more innovative, greener, more sustainable and diversified economy, and overall, a more consciously resilient place and people.

 Sounds like our kinda place.

That was at the bottom of the page I just read about the initiative to "Reinvent Stamford".  Props go out to Debbie Piedra, the commercial real estate agent we met with this past weekend. She went to the Stamford Chamber of Commerce meeting this week and made some connections for us. 

One of those connections is deeply involved with:  http://www.reinventingstamford.com/   I am going to read the entire pdf they suggest and do my homework before I meet with the contact, but suffice it to say that Deb did a great job of connecting us to someone who is...connected.

In a nutshell this new contact said to Debbie that she is looking forward to meeting "your contact that is looking to invigorate the arts community in Stamford."  Reinventing Stamford is the civic dialogue about making Stamford a more vibrant and livable city.  They have discussed how vitally important the arts are to Stamford.  Many of the active participants are involved in commercial real estate development and/or city government.

The upcoming town meeting that she invited us to attend is called, Winning the Future—borrowing a phrase from the recent State of the Union speech by President Obama.  She said the President suggested that there are three elements to increasing economic competitiveness:  innovation, education and infrastructure.  We have two of those areas covered by the way.

She says The BIG IDEA is to integrate these three elements in one competitive strategy, and the way to do that is not through interdepartmental task forces within federal or state government, but rather by how a diverse group of players make places at the local level.  Place-making is the way that the other threads connect, and is the focus area of the fourth Reinventing Stamford Action Team.

The underlined area above is what got me dancing around the room with my hands in the air.  A diverse group of "Players".  I like that.  We ARE that.

When I catch my breath from dancing around, I am going to call the contact and set up a 'coffee' meeting to share with her our ideas.  Debbie says she will be there with me.  A kind of "pre" meeting before the big meeting.  Winning a few more folks into our tribe.

Bit by bit. Putting it together.