We hope lots and lots of people turn out to make themselves heard at tonight's forum. While the agenda does make one wonder if there will be enough listening time to make sure that the citizen's voices are heard, we hope that the messages will come across in any case loud enough for Laidlaw, North American Dismantling and the new City government to hear.
Since I'll be in Houston, I'll put my thoughts down here:
Given
that I’ve been calling for a open conversation about the future of Berlin
for some time, it seemed the ultimate irony that I
was forced to choose between being part of that conversation in person, or be
in Texas
on a sales call that will, I hope, lead to more work for our team in Berlin
.
I decided that the future of Berlin
would be better served by my bringing in more business. It is my belief that Berlin
has two prime assets that make it the most desirable place I know of to start or
grow a business
The first asset is its workforce. As you know, we’ve created some two dozen
jobs here in the last year, and I’m pretty sure we’ll create at least that many
if not more in 2008. It’s not hard to be
enthusiastic about a community that provides us some of the hardest working,
most dedicated employees I’ve ever encountered in my 30 years of business
experience. Last week was a perfect example. I was on the West Coast and had a
major client crisis that broke on Friday night, LA time. My staff was in first
thing Saturday morning and worked until late Monday night to fix the problem.
The client was thrilled with our response and will expand her contract with us
as a result. That’s the sort of workers any employer would kill for. And that’s
what all incoming employers will look for first – whether they’re bringing in
jobs in retail or manufacturing or
service or software – the first question they will ask is: Can I find the
people I need? My answer to them is a
resounding yes. Whether they worked at the mill or at a bar – I don’t care, I’m going to have to train them anyway.
What I look for is attitude and a willingness to learn. The people of Berlin
have the best
attitude I’ve ever seen anywhere.
The reason they’re here is the second major asset that Berlin
offers. It’s
amazing environment. My employee are no dummies. Where else can you be on the ski
slopes or catching a fish 30 minutes after leaving your desk? Where you can go
out for a breath of fresh air and hear the Androscoggin
roaring past. It’s a commute and a view that most of Americans would kill for.
Yes, I know that I’m still a flatlander from “away” – but
what I saw a year and a half ago, and what I still see today is an area full of
natural beauty, with views that take your breath away, and waterfront that just
screams for a camera, or a kayak.
Please, for a minute,
put yourselves in the shoes of the new employers you’re trying to attract. First,
make sure that that view, that water and
that environment are protected.
Secondly, you need to do whatever you need to do to support
your wonderful, dedicated, flexible, hardworking
work force. They want clean air and clean water and town that doesn’t smell. Get
rid of that last smokestack and reward the great people of Berlin for their
years of hard work with a town that lives up to their hopes and dreams. A town
that boasts a mixture of retail shops, service companies and sustainable
non-polluting industries. A place that
those that children who left will want to return to, and those that have stayed
will want to raise their children in.
Thanks for listening.
Katie Paine
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