A Kentucky writer once had this to say about Ron Crouch: "Telling people what they want to hear is easy enough. Telling them what they need to hear is something else entirely. Yet that's what Ron Crouch, director of the Kentucky State Data Center on the campus of the University of Louisville, does up to 200 times a year in talks that he gives. ... Crouch calls himself a storyteller with numbers. But the picture that he paints with statistics isn't always a pretty one. The Louisville native is quick to issue words of warning on such topics as the aging population and the future shortage of qualified workers, the ramifications of the rising number of out-of-wedlock births and the undereducation of the workforce in the new, high-tech economy."
In other words, Ron will make you think. He's slated to be one of our speakers when the Delta Regional Authority holds its annual conference June 23-25 in New Orleans. Our theme is "Reimagining The Delta." The conference will be held at the beautiful Ritz-Carlton on Canal Street. We'll attract several hundred business and government leaders from across the eight-state DRA region. And there's no registration fee. If you wish to register, simply go to www.dra.gov .
Ron will be our first speaker on the morning of Tuesday, June 24. He once told an interviewer: "Sometimes you make a point strongly, and people don't like to hear it. But at least it gets their attention. I think you need to shock people sometimes into thinking outside their mindset. It gives people the opportunity to make better decisions."
Ron will explain the demographic revolution in our region. He believes:
-- We're not prepared for the knowledge-based economy.
-- Births to unmarried mothers are a major challenge.
-- The costs of an aging society are unsustainable, meaning that we need to rethink the concept of "old."
-- We have a "sick care" system masquerading as a "health care" system.
On Wednesday, June 25, we'll hear from two of the top young entrepreneurs in New Orleans. That great city continues to rebuild from Hurricane Katrina, and these two are at the forefront of the exciting things going on there. Sean Cummings and Nicolas Perkin have strategies that can be replicated elsewhere in the region as we change the way we do economic and community development.
Cummings has been described by USA Today as a "cutting-edge developer who has created some of New Orleans' hippest hotels and condos." A recent online profile of Cummings said: "When it comes to contemporary style being introduced to New Orleans, his is the name that's being penciled in on everyone's short list. Locals consider this 30-something developer a visionary entrepreneur who is tapping into design elements that unite traditional architecture with daring futuristic themes. ... For this developer, understanding the where and why of urban life is not just an interest, it's a passion. Described by his peers as someone making an unprecedented impact on contemporary New Orleans, Cummings remains curiously aloof from the frenetic pace of city life, socializing mostly with his family and closest friends."
Perkin, meanwhile, set up an online trading business that has attracted national attention. USA Today said: "When Nicolas Perkin was brainstorming his new online trading company, he considered launching it in New York or San Francisco. Instead, he went with an unlikely choice: New Orleans. Using $1 million of their own cash, Perkin and partner Justin Brownhill set up the New Orleans Exchange, a virtual marketplace for companies that buy and sell accounts receivable, invoices and other assets used as collateral for business loans. Their reasons: comparatively low rents, low salaries and a steady stream of qualified graduates from local universities such as Tulane and Loyola. The city's rebuilding fervor was also a hook."
Perkin told the newspaper: "The whole city is in start-up mode. You walk to work, and your hear hammers and drills all the way. And you're thinking: 'They're building the city, I'm building the business.' The entire experience lends itself to start-ups."
The Times-Picayune of New Orleans put it this way: "Nicolas Perkin, a shaggy-haired 36-year-old fresh from California's financial jet set, boasts that he could have started his new company anywhere. But he chose New Orleans both as a headquarters and namesake for his new technology firm to capitalize on the city's unique culture and heightened public spotlight since Hurricane Katrina."
Speaking right after Ron Crouch on June 24 will be Jon Roberts of TIP Strategies Inc. of Austin, Texas. John, a nationally recognized economic and community development expert, has been instrumental in convincing those of us at the DRA to think differently about how to achieve a better economy in the region. This new way of thinking is driving the development of a strategic plan that hopefully will be a guiding document for federal, state and local government agencies in the region. Jon has helped us see how the world has changed and how we can best respond to the challenges of the new century. I think you'll find his presentation fascinating.
Later on June 24, we'll hear from noted author Rick Bragg and political expert Michael Barone. Rick is one of the greatest contemporary Southern storytellers. And Michael is the principal author every two years of "The Almanac of American Politics." He will be talking about the presidential race and where our eight states fit in.
The DRA annual conference will begin at 1 p.m. on Monday, June 23, with a technical assistance workshop. The four-hour workshop will be held in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Health Resources and Services Administration. The workshop is designed to make participants aware of the funding opportunities and other resources available to rural communities.
Don't forget that it costs nothing to register for the conference, thanks to the support of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Go to www.dra.gov as soon as possible to register online. For additional information, call Sissy Kidd at (501) 686-6195. The trip to New Orleans will be well worth your time.
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A Kentucky writer once had this to say about Ron Crouch: "Telling people what they want to hear is easy enough. Telling them what they need to hear is something else entirely. Yet that's what Ron Crouch, director of the Kentucky State Data Center on the campus of the University of Louisville, does up to 200 times a year in talks that he gives. ... Crouch calls himself a storyteller with numbers. But the picture that he paints with statistics isn't always a pretty one. The Louisville native is quick to issue words of warning on such topics as the aging population and the future shortage of qualified workers, the ramifications of the rising number of out-of-wedlock births and the undereducation of the workforce in the new, high-tech economy."
In other words, Ron will make you think. He's slated to be one of our speakers when the Delta Regional Authority holds its annual conference June 23-25 in New Orleans. Our theme is "Reimagining The Delta." The conference will be held at the beautiful Ritz-Carlton on Canal Street. We'll attract several hundred business and government leaders from across the eight-state DRA region. And there's no registration fee. If you wish to register, simply go to www.dra.gov .
Ron will be our first speaker on the morning of Tuesday, June 24. He once told an interviewer: "Sometimes you make a point strongly, and people don't like to hear it. But at least it gets their attention. I think you need to shock people sometimes into thinking outside their mindset. It gives people the opportunity to make better decisions."
Ron will explain the demographic revolution in our region. He believes:
-- We're not prepared for the knowledge-based economy.
-- Births to unmarried mothers are a major challenge.
-- The costs of an aging society are unsustainable, meaning that we need to rethink the concept of "old."
-- We have a "sick care" system masquerading as a "health care" system.
On Wednesday, June 25, we'll hear from two of the top young entrepreneurs in New Orleans. That great city continues to rebuild from Hurricane Katrina, and these two are at the forefront of the exciting things going on there. Sean Cummings and Nicolas Perkin have strategies that can be replicated elsewhere in the region as we change the way we do economic and community development.
Cummings has been described by USA Today as a "cutting-edge developer who has created some of New Orleans' hippest hotels and condos." A recent online profile of Cummings said: "When it comes to contemporary style being introduced to New Orleans, his is the name that's being penciled in on everyone's short list. Locals consider this 30-something developer a visionary entrepreneur who is tapping into design elements that unite traditional architecture with daring futuristic themes. ... For this developer, understanding the where and why of urban life is not just an interest, it's a passion. Described by his peers as someone making an unprecedented impact on contemporary New Orleans, Cummings remains curiously aloof from the frenetic pace of city life, socializing mostly with his family and closest friends."
Perkin, meanwhile, set up an online trading business that has attracted national attention. USA Today said: "When Nicolas Perkin was brainstorming his new online trading company, he considered launching it in New York or San Francisco. Instead, he went with an unlikely choice: New Orleans. Using $1 million of their own cash, Perkin and partner Justin Brownhill set up the New Orleans Exchange, a virtual marketplace for companies that buy and sell accounts receivable, invoices and other assets used as collateral for business loans. Their reasons: comparatively low rents, low salaries and a steady stream of qualified graduates from local universities such as Tulane and Loyola. The city's rebuilding fervor was also a hook."
Perkin told the newspaper: "The whole city is in start-up mode. You walk to work, and your hear hammers and drills all the way. And you're thinking: 'They're building the city, I'm building the business.' The entire experience lends itself to start-ups."
The Times-Picayune of New Orleans put it this way: "Nicolas Perkin, a shaggy-haired 36-year-old fresh from California's financial jet set, boasts that he could have started his new company anywhere. But he chose New Orleans both as a headquarters and namesake for his new technology firm to capitalize on the city's unique culture and heightened public spotlight since Hurricane Katrina."
Speaking right after Ron Crouch on June 24 will be Jon Roberts of TIP Strategies Inc. of Austin, Texas. John, a nationally recognized economic and community development expert, has been instrumental in convincing those of us at the DRA to think differently about how to achieve a better economy in the region. This new way of thinking is driving the development of a strategic plan that hopefully will be a guiding document for federal, state and local government agencies in the region. Jon has helped us see how the world has changed and how we can best respond to the challenges of the new century. I think you'll find his presentation fascinating.
Later on June 24, we'll hear from noted author Rick Bragg and political expert Michael Barone. Rick is one of the greatest contemporary Southern storytellers. And Michael is the principal author every two years of "The Almanac of American Politics." He will be talking about the presidential race and where our eight states fit in.
The DRA annual conference will begin at 1 p.m. on Monday, June 23, with a technical assistance workshop. The four-hour workshop will be held in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Health Resources and Services Administration. The workshop is designed to make participants aware of the funding opportunities and other resources available to rural communities.
Don't forget that it costs nothing to register for the conference, thanks to the support of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Go to www.dra.gov as soon as possible to register online. For additional information, call Sissy Kidd at (501) 686-6195. The trip to New Orleans will be well worth your time.
