Mississippi 200 Lakes Strategy

Jack Schultz of BoomtownUSA fame posted an informative commentary about Leland Speed’s idea to use lakes in rural areas as an economic development strategy.  Click here to read it.

What does your church say about how to get to heaven?

Religion plays a big role in society, and churches have tremendous influences on land use and community development, so sometimes an article about religion is worth posting on this blog.

Though Americans overwhelming believe in God and feel connected to specific traditions, a new survey by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, covering 36,000 interviewees nationwide, found that they’re fairly flexible about matters of doctrine. -

Source: Wall Street Journal, July 3, 2008; page A7, Churches Work on Their Message by Stephanie Simon and Suzanne Sataline

Alabama’s new economic development strategy

According to a post by Cosby Woodruff in a blog entitled Economic Development Marketing, -

Alabama’s economic development focus will shift away from luring mega-projects that create thousands of jobs toward companies that can supply big employers in neighboring states, according to the state’s top corporate recruiter.

Neal Wade, head of the Alabama Development Office, told the Montgomery Advertiser that the state will try to take advantage of auto plants near Alabama that are either planned or already under construction.

A suit has become something you wear when you’re asking for money.

At least that’s what was said in a Wall Street Journal article today by Trevor Kaufman, chief executive of Schematic, a digital-branding agency whose work you’ve seen if you’ve visited Target.com or glimpsed Nissan’s on-line advertising.  The article is about something called “CEO Casual.”

What I’ve noticed is that CEO Casual is common not only to industries, but to geographic areas.  Some communities are simply more casual dressing than others.  Even in the mid-to-upper ninety degree days of summer, there are some communities in the Deep South that still love the suit and necktie as standard dress for the business professional.

My yardstick for measuring this phenomenon is the Rotary Club, that bastion of business representation, and a place where I seem to give a lot of speeches.  No matter where the city, the banker is always going to be wearing a suit and necktie, unless its casual Friday when the dress is always Polo shirt emblazoned with the bank logo.  Lawyers used to always wear suits and ties, but nowadays they’ve seen the light and have ditched that wardrobe except when in court.  Mayors have also dressed down, the need to be seen as one of the people instead of the authority figure.  Of course, casual dress can always go too far.  What CEO doesn’t rue the day that “Casual Friday” was interpreted by some employees as tee shirts and blue jeans with holes?  And I still want my airline pilot and police officer dressed in the dark uniform of authority.  And then there is the hapless college president, who must be seen as “cool” by the students and “in command” by a faculty in its own dress code world.

And now I must make a personal decision: I have two Rotary Club speeches coming up within the next ten days.  Do I dare NOT wear a suit and necktie?