Jim Ukrop Sees the Light
Sometimes, when I stop to reflect on my off-the-cuff writing of yesteryear, I stun myself with the prescience my younger self instinctively pulled out of his butt and put on paper. Take, as an for instance, my 1997 rant that was slated to lead off the relaunch of Caffeine Magazine:
You will recall that the second time Richmond burned (in 1865; after Benedict Arnold torched the town during the Revolutionary War), it was set afire to save it from those damn Yankees. In other words, Richmond burned itself. Pretty damn appropriate.
What failed Richmond in the late 80s and early 90s? Well, besides Roy West, Richmond was kilt by its own desperation.
In an effort to save itself from decay, Richmond grasped every hair-brained scheme with conflicting emotions -- downtown malls, riverside museums, biotechnology research parks, statues, sports halls of fame and grocery stores. There was no plan, no framework, no sense that there was a place Richmond wanted to be. The triumvirate of Frank Jewel, Eugene Trani and those zany Ukrop Brothers have not succeeded in saving Richmond from itself.
Time flies, and the years pass. Frank Jewel, the one-time man with a plan for a history-themed amusement park on the James (talk about prescient!) has moved on, and Gene Trani continues to expand his academic equivalent of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. I wouldn't say that Jim Ukrop has turned over a new leaf -- he's always had a yen for Richmond and the notion of a strong region -- but the grocery magnate has been speaking some strong talk of late. Let's see if he back his words up with action.
Here are a few excerpts from the elder Ukrop's December speech to the Richmond First Club (Read the whole darn thing here Download jim_ukrop_comments_to_richmond_first_club_1207.doc). Ukrop was asked to use the speech to respond to the recommendations made by strategic consultant Jim Crupi about Richmond's future direction:
I also think the Crupi Report can be the wake up call that will set the table for us to become our nation’s next great city and region: a 21st century region that builds on its history, location & natural resources but one that also uses 21st century tools and leadership styles that are built on trust, collaboration, inclusion and respect, both for one another and for what each of us has to offer.
And while Crupi may have been more subtle in his assertion, I agree that the business community needs to recognize that all wisdom and business sense does not reside in corporate board rooms and executive suites.
As Peter Drucker, a highly respected business guru, wrote in one of his last books, “the 20th century economy was driven by the private and the public sector. In the 21st century it will be driven by the private sector, the public sector, and the non-profit sector.”
As we all know, each sector does some things well and some things not so well. Those nations, states, cities and regions that are best able to bring out the greatest attributes in each of these and have them work in concert will be the winners in the 21st century. We need to build trust and remove silos, most especially among jurisdictional boundaries.
Ukrop goes on:
In today’s business world, it is unfair and impractical to ask our major CEO’s to spend but so much time involved with community issues and leadership. Our community is best served by these CEO’s making their companies successful so that they can continue to offer good jobs and economic benefits to our region. However, we do need to come up with a mechanism that connects them to what’s going on in the community, that identifies who the players are and that proposes how and when they should get involved.
To accomplish this requires trust, respect and good communication among the various sectors of community leadership.
As Crupi suggests in his report, our region has a wealth of new generation leaders who both need to be discovered and given the opportunity to lead us into the 21st century. We need to find them, invite them into the process, and then, most importantly, unleash them. As an early part of our process in moving our region forward, we need a mechanism where these new generation leaders might self identify and offer their time, their talents and their expertise; it will not work if current leaders try to pick our next generation leaders.
I personally have great faith and confidence in this new generation of leadership. They don’t have all of the hang up’s and pre-determined ways about how things have been and should be done.
They understand inclusion and who needs to be at the table; they understand teamwork; they understand that people support what they help create; and they understand that great organizations are most successful when they create a shared vision, a strategic plan and guiding principles that are built upon core values.
We need next generation political leaders who are risk takers, who understand the power of ideas, who see future trends and are willing to educate their constituents as to what’s in both their best long term interests and also the best intersts of their community. Political leaders who know how to bring people together and build coalitions; who understand business practices and know the importance of investing and getting a return on their investment.
There's more, and Ukrop made some similar points in his keynote address to the World Affairs Council of Greater Richmond earlier in January:
"If we want to have a world-class transportation system, we cannot depend upon the state to fund it," Ukrop said. "We've got to do it ourselves locally."
Ukrop said global cities share such basic characteristics as safe neighborhoods, good schools and affordable housing, as well as fine arts, entertainment and good restaurants.
"It must be cosmopolitan, not provincial," he said. "It must be diverse, both ethnically and socially. A vibrant city thrives on the differences and the clash of lifestyles."
Posted by: RVA Foodie | January 24, 2008 at 23:20
Posted by: Ed | January 24, 2008 at 22:49