Justin Greer’s Take on The City of Barberton’s Future with Business.
This article is written to convey personal beliefs, opinions and visions of and for the City of Barberton. Anything mentioned or referenced in this article is public knowledge.
Who Are We?
The City of Barberton needs to establish itself with an identity of who we want to be and who we are. The City of Barberton School system along with the 4 Cities Compact are bringing the foundation of the work ethic and jobs back to our community. These jobs are great and offer really good pay and quality of life. These jobs entail electricians, carpenters, welders and much more.
Over the last couple decades there was a push that everyone needed to go to college in order to be successful. This in my opinion was one of the worst things we could have done to our generation. What this push did was started slowly cutting away at the workforce of skilled labor. Some may argue that these are jobs of the past. This is not true and is that type of thinking of why our workforce is in a shortage of skilled workers.
The City of Barberton was built during an industrial time of history. It has survived with the same model for over a hundred years but ultimately industrial jobs are not in demand as they once was. These types of jobs are not gone but they no longer support a growing community by themselves.
The City of Barberton needs to reestablish themselves and create a new identity. We house BWXT here locally and they are a growing company but they only offer so many jobs. There is other smaller factories around town which are great as well.
I will bluntly say that these factories are sustainer and stabilizers economically but are not forward thinking in the sense I am referring to. They provide awesome jobs but if we as a city want to move forward we need to think forward. We have a solid base with these factories. It is time to be proactive instead of reactive. I feel the City of Barberton has been sitting and waiting for a business to expand or looking to relocate. This is an approach that I don’t feel comfortable with.
To move forward we MUST think forward
The header says it all. Recently I was approached by a man who said we need to push for industry with industry wages. Immediately, I took a look at him and seen that he was easily in his mid to late 50’s. He was not wrong but he was saying this referencing the past. This is how generations work. The older generations always talk about how their time was better and things need to go back to the way it was. Unfortunately, thinking backwards will produce backwards results.
In order to move forward I think the City of Barberton needs to think forward. This is something that I feel they have been failing at. To them, business is business but that train of thought is like placing a bet on an old horse. The question is then, how do we come up with a good business and economic plan? An answer to this can be simple and may be right in front of us.
We have a neighboring city that has embraced the thinking forward model and has grown above their own expectations. The City of Cleveland is a hub for technology and is gaining traction in the technology industry. We have the template in front of us to success with a tested and working model, let’s use it. It costs us nothing to be proactive if we do it with common sense.
Offer Startup Support
Currently, the City of Barberton does not provide any startup support for new technology companies/startups. In Cleveland there are groups like JumpStart that help with space, mentor and help companies launch successful businesses. Providing co-working space is also something that does not exist in the City of Barberton. Co-working offices offer all the amenities of a company and provide a diverse environment that promotes growth. A startup or small business can then pay $150-$200 a month for desk space.
The City of Barberton currently has 300+ properties on the books one way or another. Most are residential but some are commercial space. I would like to add at this point in time, some are commercial spaces that sit empty. The awesome thing about startups is they cost little to run but come with big potential.
I want to make this very clear that most startups fail. This is not a secret but if Cleveland wrote these startups off, I guarantee they would not be as successful.
Using Startups Technology
I use Cleveland as a success story because they implemented the ideas mention in this write-up. Sampling the Startups is a great way to advance with minimal funds and efforts. Startup companies are eager to succeed and they offer technology that is far beyond anything local Government will be able to provide. This may include an app or research and studies. The City of Cleveland often times holds contests for their local community to come up with a solution to an issue. These issues are usually something local.
I recall being invited to be on a team that was formed by local software developers, analytics and security experts. The contest was put on by a Great Lakes company on how to promote awareness about the water pollution of Lake Erie.
The City of Cleveland benefited from this contest and they did not put a dime towards it. They simply offered support and collaboration. They understood that printing fliers or posting on social media was not enough to address ever-changing issues. The winners of this contest were awarded $200k (federal money) and would be offer to work on other projects within the city. Ultimately an app and framework was developed that monitored the water in the Great Lakes using beacons and would give real-time pollution levels. This was all done with 2k in resources that was paid by the competitors of the program. The city was granted federal dollars to go towards the project. Now more than ever, people are aware and pollution has decreased.
The above story is just and explain of a real world example of when the City of Cleveland embraced startup technology.
If there is something the City of Barberton is good at, it is writing grants. I will not pretend that it is easy to write a grant but let’s put some possible numbers to this.
Let’s say that the City of Barberton launches a contest and invites startups to develop a cost-effective way monitor traffic on the towpath that runs through the town. Local companies then come in and start designing a product based on the contest requirements. Let’s make the goal to have a system in place that cost under 5K with no more than 1k operating costs per year and provides data of times attended, speed and actions of people using the parks and towpath. This ultimately will allow for more money to be allocated by the State of Ohio if we can show hard numbers.
This is as simple as it can be. The contest above is very feasible in my eyes and cost the city nothing. Once the contest is over and a winner is picked, they then become the contract holder while the City then can write grants based on the new advancements and information from the contest. The Startup now grows to become successful and the City of Barberton is now on the map as a place where they embrace technology.
It is a win/win and is a very workable and proven model.
Government is Slow and Problematic
As the owner of 3 small businesses I see there is a disconnect with local Government and businesses. I do not blame anyone but at the end of the day someone is responsible for the bad and good in the business economic atmosphere of the city. I often mention the Mayor’s position because ultimately the buck stops there. Even if the position tried everything they could and there is still failure, it is no ones fault but the vision or ability of the person holding that position.
I do not claim to know how to run a City but I do claim to know how business works. If one of my businesses failed and I tried everything I could to make it work, I still failed as an owner. I either did not have what it took or my plan and vision was wrong. It is very simple and it’s black and white. The only time it becomes complicated is when politics are involved.
Listening and Gauging as a City
The City of Barberton School District started a committee called the Key Communicators. This consists of business owners and managers in the local area. The goal of this committee is to communicate real world needs that are up-to-date. This information is then used to alter and tune education to meet the most recent demand of technology and standards.
To my knowledge, the City of Barberton does not have committee like this. They have the Chamber of Commerce but like anything else politics are involved. A committee should be composed of a full spectrum of business owners and managers. As the header suggests, Government is slow and is inherently reactive to things that go on. A committee would help the City see into the future of business, plans, needs, and expectations. In my opinion if all they do is simply listen to everyone, they will be able to gauge and adjust course (being proactive) with ever-changing business economics.
Barberton Politics Ruin Everything
One thing I have noticed personally is that the City of Barberton does not like to hear negativity and if they perceive you as a threat to anything, you will take a back seat to everything. Politics play a huge role in The City of Barberton and it is very annoying as a business. The City of Barberton will deny this but people are not blind.
This section is simply to hammer home that the City of Barberton needs to listen to everyone if they want to move forward. If the city officials truly had the city at heart, politics would be second to our community success. We need to create more transparency in everything. In my opinion, this will create better trust and will eliminate bias, unfair and in some cases unethical actions by groups or individuals.
We need to remove the stigma we have and that starts with blunt and straight forward conversations with those that have been behind the scenes when it comes to businesses new and old. Whether these people are friends, family members or long time position holders, they have to be looked at if we want to move forward.
Conclusion
There is no question that the City of Barberton needs a change in course when it comes to business economics. One business left Barberton and just like that 5-8% of annual income vanished.
The City of Barberton is not known for it technologically resources and this can change and bring millions of dollars back to the town with minimal workforce. A company of 10 in the technology field on a project can produce 10 billion dollars in revenue. Although extreme cases, look at SnapChat, WeWork, and Pinterest. Cleveland has Linestream, Streamlink, ViewRay and a ton more. They were given a chance when Cleveland welcomed them and now both Startup and City are BOOMING!
If the City of Barberton could even get a percentage of that kind of interests from tech companies, we as a city and community would benefit. I would love to see Barberton labeled a Smart city by 2023. Even if I have to attempt to make it happen by myself I will push my hardest. It would be so much better if the City embrace technology in a way that other Cities have.
Do you have any idea that you think would make Barberton a better place, let me know. I love to hear the good, bad, and ugly.
Last Updated: August 14, 2018 by Justin Greer Leave a Comment
In the eye of the beholder Weight/Wait Art Piece
Today I walked into Kave in Downtown Barberton and finally had a change to sit down and star into the charcoal art that measures 5ft x 16ft. This piece of art instantly took my by surprise because I considered myself an art lover but this was the first time I just stood there for 5 minutes just staring. Ron White the artist reasonable for this art piece titled “The weight/wait” is a high school art teacher here in Barberton, Ohio. The entire art piece is black and white and done in charcoal and is absolutely mind bending.
I wanted to write about this piece to explain it but then I remember that art is in the eye of the beholder. This makes it extremely difficult to explain as it means something else to anyone that examines it. With this is mind, I decided to simply just write about some of the things that sticks out to me.
Shaming and Pointing Fingers
The focal point of the piece is in the middle where there is a man standing in the corner of two types of brick walls being shamed/disciplined. The walls morph into a book that I assume represents the law. There is a man holding the book pointing down on the person in the corner as to say “You” or “It’s your fault”. The book edges morph yet once again into rope throughout the entire piece. The most notable part of this rope is there is a couple of pair of hands that our bound together to represent “My hands are tied”. The ribbon intertwines through every subject in this art piece representing the law has a hand in everything. Even a small figure of a runner (which I assume is Jeep Davis) is bound by the ankle with the rope.
Puppet Masters
One of my favorite parts of this drawing is the puppet masters. There is a small figure holder a piece of paper that says “Building Code, Zoning Code” with a long reach over a larger business man. There are strings attached to the small figures fingers representing the overreach and power an individuals holds over business and economics. There is another figure hidden in the background with a long reach under the small individual holding the zoning paper. This large hidden figure is holding a match under the planning director indicating the corruption by larger business in government. In the focus there is also a man in a business suit holding a face.
The Next Generation
On the left side of art piece there is two egg shells with what looks to be nude bodies indicating the new generation. One of the young figures are curled in a small ball as to be innocent doing nothing. Near this figure is yet another egg that is cracked and there is an arm reaching out. The arm is reaching up to part of the rope (representing the law) with a pair os scissors as to be cutting the rope.
No See, No Hear, Forget
On the right side of the piece is a man in the background wearing robe of sorts. The figure resembles frank Einstein. The figure has its eye closed tight and you can see the hands plugging the ears of this figure. This figure makes me think of the primitive foundation of everything is knowing blind to the things going on. All the corruption is known to exist but everyone looks the other way and chooses to hear, see and say nothing. Below this figure stretching under the entire art piece is what looks to be a black man holding up everything as if it suggests the system was built on African-Americans shoulders.
Final Thoughts
This piece as a ton to offer. I have been staring at it for about an hour while I write this blog post. Ron White (Mr. White) has successfully created a piece of art that I think is as moving as anything thing I have seen in recent past. So much so that I think I would offer a large amount of cash to have this piece hang above me at home or my office to create a talking point and express my feelings for our current administration.
If you have not seen this art piece, please check it out at Kave in Downtown Barberton.