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Radio Call-In Show: Image Matters
May 21, 2003 @ 9:00 - 10:00 AM on 90.3
When you were a kid, did your parents scold you because your hair was messy or your clothes wrinkled? They said, “people will think you’re a slob!” At the time you might not have cared, but now you know better, right? Well, just like a person, a region’s image makes a difference. Good morning, I’m Shula Neuman and today we bring you Image Matters, a special call-in show as part of Making Change: Reinventing our Economy. We’re going to explore the impact our image is having on our economy and what that image means in the civic decisions we face. We hope you’ll call in or e-mail to participate in the discussion as Making Change delves into how Image Matters.
Good morning and
thanks for tuning in to this special Making Change: Reinventing our
Economy call-in show, “Image Matters.”
We need you to put on your thinking caps this morning because our
discussion today isn’t necessarily about anything tangible—like a
new convention center or redesigning the Euclid corridor. It’s about
our image as a region and how that image may affect our decisions
about a new convention center or reconstruction of the Euclid corridor.
We’re going to talk about the image the region projects to the world
and our self-perception and how those affect our economy.
How would you describe Northeast Ohio’s image? Is it problematic to
our growth? Has it improved over the past years or worsened? And is
it something that we can control? We want to hear your opinion on
the matter, and we’ll be taking your calls and e-mails later in the
hour. But before we do that, I want to welcome the two guests who
are joining us today to discuss the image issue:
Craig James, creator and primary coordinator of the Connection Series
and founder and managing partner of the consulting firm Catalyst Strategies
and Kathryn Ross, Director, Northeast Ohio Regional Marketing Initiative,
at the Greater Cleveland Growth Association.
Live Discussion
Craig James, Connection Series
and Catalyst Strategies
Kathryn Ross, Director, Northeast
Ohio Regional Marketing Initiative
Feature Story
Image Matters [View
Transcript]
What do you think? Do we have an image problem here in Northeast Ohio?
Is it more important to project a strong image to the world or to
create a strong sense of identity for those who live here? You just
listened to a story about how Ohio City’s image has evolved over the
years and how that’s helped that neighborhood grow. Do you see any
lessons that the whole region can learn from Ohio City’s experience?
What do you see Northeast Ohio’s image to be? Is it possible to change
that image? If so…what should our image be?
The following community members opinions were shared during the course
of this discussion.
Joe Roman,
Executive director of Cleveland Tomorrow
W e're seeing how easy it is for companies and ideas to be mobile
and move not only around the country but around the world. And therefore
regions are constantly competing on a variety of different levels,
for companies for investments, for people. Therefore, how others
view us, how others think about us the more positive, the more accurate,
the more upbeat that image is, so much the better.
 
Helen Knipe Smith,
Former City Councilwoman
There has to be balance. I feel like eastern religion talking about
this balance, but there has to be that balance there. Having said
that I will also say that I think we too long in our planning have
not been planning for Clevelanders and for people that live here.
Our lakefront should be for the people who live here.
Helen Knipe Smith,
Former City Councilwoman
we think of events and market streets and of Yuppies sitting out
there and drinking beer and so on and so forth...well, someone's
serving that beer and making some money from that Yuppie and other
neighbors are walking down that street and seeing people enjoy it.
So there's a whole synergism there that really changes people's
attitudes about where they live for the people living here as well
as the people coming in.
Gregory Stoup, Director
of Research at the Center for Regional Economic Issues at the Weatherhead
School of Business
New York and Chicago can be all things to all people but we really
have to think about what we want to be. And to get there, we have
to really make sure that the process is one where the community
has input. You can't legislate or dictate image. We need a high
degree of alignment among leaders, policymakers and the public.
And i think you have to be truthful, you can't tell the world you
are something you are not, they'll see right through that deception
very quickly.
Jaqueline Acho, Partner
at McKinsie and Company, participent recent ideastream Quiet Crisis,
about young leaders
I think that a lot of the folks in Cleveland kind of have a lower
self-perception of their city than they should and that actually
reflects back to people who are coming here new.
Saddhu Johnston, Executive
director of the Cleveland Green Building Coalition
Part of what I think we're missing is a real vision. Where are we
going as a city. I think to me, we've got an incredible job that
the administration and the neighborhoods are doing on the lakefront
planning, the innerbelt..all these different things. But who are
we? Are we desiginign ourselves to attract tourists? Are we designing
ourselves to keep building up industry? Are we designing ourselves
for us? For people that are here and that, of course, is going to
attract other people. That's one thing as someone kind of new to
town that we don't have a vision that gels us together. that we
can all say, "hey jay, your business and my non-profit, let's find
a way to build toward that."
If you were not able to be a part of our discussion, but would like
to share your opinion on this topic please go to the Speak
Up! section of our website and let us hear your comments!
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