Tony Pressley
President, MECA Properties
Charlotte: Taking it to the Next Level

     Tony Pressley, President and CEO of MECA Real Estate Services presented informative and enthusiastic remarks entitled “Charlotte’s Urban Center: Taking it to the Next Level.”  Tony shared his perspective as a native Charlottean with 35+ years as a member of the business community, 22 of which are in the real estate industry.   He also shared some key definitions of terms such as city, urban and center, and his definition of an urban center as the “center of commerce and culture that exemplifies Charlotte’s defining characteristics.”  He also shared a list of America’s top ten cities and both the shared and unique characteristics of those great cities.  Finally, he made a series of recommendations for us to ponder as we consider where Charlotte is today and where we want to be in the future.

     Recommendation #1 – Use the term Charlotte or Urban Center rather than Center City when referring to Charlotte.

     Recommendation #2 – Launch a Creative Charlotte initiative with full support of the greater community and work to develop a concept to make Charlotte more unique.

     According to Tony, some of the unique characteristics of Charlotte include location, banking and finance, sports (especially NASCAR), historical past, natural beauty, churches, government and strong support for the arts.

    We need to consider the shared characteristics of the 10 great cities and how we might strengthen Charlotte in those areas.  These shared characteristics include a strong urban center, great neighborhoods, diversity, planning, great shopping, entertainment and restaurants, public amenities, tourist-friendly, maneuverability, strong sense of history and culture and sustainable economy.   Tony shared specific recommendations for Charlotte in each of these ten areas.

     In summary, Tony challenged us all to set a goal to have Charlotte become one of the top 10 cities in the United States by 2010.  His suggested methods for achieving the goal including redefining our definition of city, launching Creative Charlotte, achieving more shared characteristics with the other great cities, and celebrating success with an annual Paseo Festival/Season to come together and celebrate life.   Finally he suggested that we establish the following benchmarks for measuring our success in achieving our goal modeled after the Rotary 4 Way Test:  Is it beneficial to all?  Does it build good will?  Is it true?  Is it fair?

     Head Table: David Anderson, John Snyder, Lou Solomon, Gene Williams, Charles Dixon, Vernon Anderson.

     Visitors & Guests: Don Carmichael; Health & Happiness: Russell Ranson; Song: Henry Lafferty; Invocation: Lee Morris.

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DG Charles Dixon stopped by to extend an invitation for all club members to attend the District Conference that will be held in Asheville, April 4-6.  Pick up your registration form today!

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Did You Hear…

 è Polio Eradication Update

Club Pledge:              $54,000
Received To Date:    $47,350
Representing:            187 members

 è Welcome to new members Pender McElroy and Smith Foushee.

è Good news for Rick Jackson, General Manager of WLNK & WBT Radio, at last week’s radio advertising bureau convention in New Orleans.  He was named the industry’s top general manager by trade magazine Radio Ink.  “It feels pretty damn good,” says Jackson, who took over the Jefferson Pilot owned stations eleven years ago.  “But it’s something nobody can live up to.”

 Rick has also assumed the Presidency of the North Carolina Association of Broadcasters.

è The membership base of the Rotary Club of Charlotte continues to grow.  To date, there have been 30 new members and 13 resignations, which is a net gain of 17 new members.  This is the best in the District.  Applications can be picked up at the check-in desk or provided on line.

è Please notify Sandy at chltrot@bellsouth.net if you would like to be added to the Reporter email distribution list.

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POLIO  ERDICATION

     In 1985, Rotary launched PolioPlus, one of the most ambitious humanitarian programs ever undertaken by a private-sector organization. PolioPlus was the catalyst for the World Health Assembly's resolution in 1988 to eradicate polio. Today, thanks to Rotary's US$500 million commitment and its leadership in mobilizing volunteers, the world is on the threshold of eradicating the poliovirus. Great progress has been made. Fewer than 10 countries still have polio. The number of cases worldwide has decreased 99 percent since 1985. The greatest obstacle to victory is adequate funding. A $275 million shortfall must be overcome in the period 2002-05.  For this reason, the RI Board of Directors and the Trustees of The Rotary Foundation have unanimously decided to launch a one-year campaign to help fill the funding gap. The campaign seeks $80 million in cash and pledges during the period 1 July 2002 through 30 June 2003. (Pledges may be paid over a three-year period.) The money is needed for vaccine and its delivery through National Immunization Days, and surveillance systems needed to identify remaining pockets of the disease.

The Rotary Club of Charlotte’s goal is $180 per member, or $60 a year for 3 years.  Pledge cards will be accepted through March 15^th.   If you have not made the commitment – please do so today.

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