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Let’s sell our city and be rich by Dorel Jurcovan This article can be freely copied to be published |
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Do you want us all to be rich, to live better? Money comes from selling goods and services. In Portland, Oregon, I spoke with authorities, people from business, universities, mass media, from the Romanian Community and I learned how prosperity can be created by selling something different, the image of a city, by promoting the advantages of the local business media. I think that the city of Timisoara would have a lot to win from the practical experience of the city of Portland. Foreign investors could have an extremely positive role in the changes that our society needs. I do not think that a foreign investor means automatically progress. I wouldn’t like an oil billionaire from Siberia to come in my city handing bribery left and right, buying half a city, being above the law or even making his own law. But I would certainly like Bill Gates to come here: he’s honest, a real entrepreneur, open to new ideas, with a high business ethics. Bill pays his taxes, but he demands things in exchange. He expects the schools and hospitals to work properly, the roads to be maintained, and the money that he pays to return to the local community and to be transparently managed. Bill would fight anyone who tries to block honest businesses, and all local businessmen would profit. Bill would have a high interest to keep the environment clean, to be involved in the life of the community, to improve the life of those in need through donations and voluntary work, and to support a rich cultural life. Such an investor is needed in our city, this is who we have to attract. Why could the city of Portland be a template for Timisoara? Portland, being among the top 7 cities in the world as far as quality of life is concerned, developed a unique strategy to attract investors and to create a favorable business environment. This is the result of global involvement by the whole community and of adapting city institutions to face this challenge. The Chamber of Commerce is part of a larger organization, the Portland Business Alliance (PBA). PBA creates business plans for the whole region, sets regional strategies and priorities, gets involved in taxation policies, supplies funds for education, supports small enterprises, and looks to resolve problems that influence business, like traffic congestion. At the City Hall, there is an Office for Sustainable Development that helps new businesses. There is even an independent city funded organization called the Portland Development Commission (PDC), which provides coordination and seed funding for economic development projects that revitalize underdeloped areas of the city and builds the foundation for sustainable growth and prosperity. Amazingly, control bodies main task is to support a transparent and honest business environment, and less the role of fines distributors. Universities also involve their students and faculty members to study the needs of the local community and investigate business opportunities. Successful business people are paying members of the Portland Ambassadors’ Organization, are hosts for foreign delegations, and offer to their guests information and the guarantee of their own success. The end result for the foreign investor is a city where it is a pleasure to live, where you can reliably assess the risks of starting a new business and the certitude that, once the business is started, you get the support of the authorities. Such a major collective efforts needs a symbol, a brand name. The symbol of Portland is the rose. Yes, yes, there are other cities in the world that are called the City of Roses, not only Timisoara. In Portland, many taxies and busses display a “City of Roses” sign, along with a drawing of a rose. One of the main stadiums in the city is called the “Rose Garden”. Sewage caps on the street also have a rose image carved on them. And, of course, they have a “Park of Roses”. Yes, they have a “Park of Roses” too. The Rose Garden in Portland spreads over 40 acres and has thousands of roses of 550 varieties. It is true that they have a special climate, the grass grows only one inch and doesn’t need mowing, the weeds do not grow, the leaves and fallen petals dry and are taken away by the wind. Am I joking? Of course. The work to maintain such a garden is important. You would say, no problem, the Americans have a lot of money and they can afford to pay. The real truth is amazing, for the whole garden there are only three employees, one gardener and two helpers. Am I joking? This time no, that is the naked truth. The rest of the work is done by volunteers. Retired women come and clean the fallen leaves and petals, and a volunteer organization known as “the Rosarians” supply the specialized knowledge. The phenomenon of voluntary work is impressive, every citizen feels the need and responsibility to contribute to the community. People condemned for minor offences also do community work and this adds to the work force. The Rose Garden in Portland is the stage for an important festival in June with guests from all over the world, which makes the city world-famous. An association with Portland and the building of a cross-continental community could bring a lot of useful knowledge to Timisoara. A major advantage is that we have an important ally in Portland. The Romanian Community has 35,000 members and is a very powerful organization, well organized, with powerful local influence. I spoke with several representative members of the Community and I had positive reactions. The newspaper of the community, Romanian Times, is very professional. The Community is made up of people of all religions and business interests, and it still shows an outstanding cohesion. The Portland model is important not only for crafting ties with this city, but with any other city from the US or Europe, and helps strengthen the general competitiveness of our city. What do we lack to be like Portland? We have a Park of Roses and our city is named the City of Roses. We proved to have free spirit since we started the Anticommunist Revolution and, in December 1989, we had the courage and stubbornness to resist repression forces for a week. We have highly qualified specialists in all fields of activity: engineers, individuals of culture and public administration. We have a very diversified economy, an extraordinary architecture, a history of 700 years. And, still, we are not like Portland, even if we would like to. Wouldn’t be easier to learn from them, jumping ahead a few steps? And, in the process, we could create solid trade relations, which is not bad at all. Everything … in the name of the Rose. If you have suggestions about how to organize a “Cities of Roses” association between Portland and Timisoara, and especially if you would like to be actively involved, please write to [email protected]. Additional details are available at http://www.geocities.com/CitiesOfRoses. Dorel Jurcovan May 29, 2007 |