Thinking, acting and living as one in Hampton Roads, Virginia

Public Comment Period
January 5 - February 5, 2010

The Vision Hampton Roads document (draft) was released on January 5, 2010.

This is a 30-day public comment period required by the Economic Development Administration (EDA). You can view/download the document, i.e., our regional roadmap, at http://VisionHamptonRoads.com. We encourage you to take the Public Comment Survey and pass this link along to your friends, neighbors and colleagues.

During the next 30 days, the plan's link will appear on the websites and e-correspondence of many regional organizations. We're depending on word-of-mouth (and email) to help create meaningful public participation in order to promote democracy and civic engagement, build public trust in government and enhance credibility within the community.

The Vision document is the product of over eight months of work, involving over 150 community volunteers.

A Public Responsiveness Summary will follow the 30-day comment period, showing respondents how their feedback impacts the plan. In early February, the final document will be developed for final review, approval and submission to the EDA.

Vision planning has placed Hampton Roads on a path to regional transformation by embedding a working process in all that we do...to think, live and act regionally.

Increase Stakeholder Communication in a Downturn

I've been giving this a lot of thought since (1) taking my new job at the Hampton Roads Partnership and (2) since the economy is tanking. Read on...

Our stakeholders want to know we care. In a recession, stakeholders NEED to know we care. That means that now more than ever we need to reach out to our stakeholders often, to ask how they are doing and what we can do better to meet their wants and needs.

In a paper by Andrew Razeghi, Kellogg School of Management, he offers tips on how we can increase stakeholder experiences during economic downturns.

One of the tips is important to heed: Rather than reduce price (investment, sponsorships, member fees, etc.), offer more value to stakeholders.

Recessions aren't a time to cut our prices but instead to offer greater, more tangible value for the same price and a better guarantee. We should increase communications with:

1. our current stakeholders
2. stakeholders who have gone missing and
3. potential stakeholders.

The rule of thumb is that if we don't communicate with those three groups, and at least quarterly, they will fade away and eventually drop their loyalty to us.

Case in point: in a study of 600 business-to-business companies, "McGraw-Hill Research found that businesses that maintained or increased their advertising expenditures during the 1981-1982 recession, averaged higher sales growth during the recession and in the three years following."

Today, although I certainly don't prescribe to advertising as the best way to communicate with our stakeholders, the study still holds true --26 years later. Use the following tools to listen and to talk with stakeholder communities:

• Monthly Newsletters or white papers that help stakeholders stay informed, achieve efficiencies and cost-savings, etc. while fulfilling our mission.
• Blog posts in which the objectives are the same as the newsletters and white papers. These should be created three to four times a week.
• “Thank you” notes sent once or twice a year to current and former stakeholders, showing how much you appreciate (in the case of “former”: appreciated) their participation.
• Birthday, anniversary, holiday, congratulatory cards and letters.

These are just some of the ways we can stay in touch with our communities. Of course, we should also be talking either via face-to-face, email or on the phone with our stakeholders at least monthly, if not more often.

Missy Joins Hampton Roads Partnership (HRP)

Missy joined the Partnership in September 2008 as Communication Manager. HRP is a public-private organization convening regional leaders from government, business and education, facilitating regional collaboration and action, pursuing global economic competitiveness as a region, benefiting all citizens of Hampton Roads.

Her primary responsibility is to devise and implement a comprehensive communication strategy and outreach plan to extend the impact HRP’s efforts and programs including the America’s First Region regional citizenship and branding campaign. She’s a marketer, writer, editor and designer responsible for HRP outbound communication, promotional materials, website, newsletters and more.

Prior to the Partnership, Missy operated her own marketing consulting business. Prior to moving to Hampton Roads, Missy was director of sales and marketing for Friendship Industries. While at Friendship, Missy expanded business into federal government contracting. Missy's work earned the 2007 NISH National Community Outreach Award for creative use of print materials, PR and other forms of communications to inform the community about providing employment for people with disabilities.

Missy's career has included work as sales manager and operations manager for a multi-million dollar B&I Food Service Operation, sales and marketing manager for the family Chevrolet dealership, corporate sales agent for a DC-based telecommunications company, and various management/buyer positions for Woodworth & Lothrop Stores in Washington DC and Leggett Stores (now Belk).

Missy is a 1981 cum laude graduate of James Madison University.

Current affiliations include the Hampton Roads Chapters of the American Advertising Federation, Public Relations Society of America and the American Marketing Association, the Hampton Roads Technology Council, and the Hampton Roads Defense & Homeland Security Consortium also known as “Pentagon South.”

Missy’s career has included speaking engagements, at Special Operations Forces in Fort Bragg NC, the Pentagon, Virginia Association of Community Rehabilitation Programs, VA Fund Raising Institute, American Society of Association Executives, industry-related business and technology expos and the Direct Marketing Association of Washington.

Missy resides in Norfolk, Virginia with her partner, Bert Schmidt, CEO of WHRO, Public TV & Radio for Hampton Roads.

Hampton Roads has a history of consolidation

A recent article in the Daily Press reminds us that, in 1950, "several municipalities on the Virginia Peninsula — Warwick County, Newport News, the town of Phoebus, Elizabeth City County and Hampton — embarked on the idea of becoming a political counterforce to the larger cities and counties on the Southside." They wanted to call the new metro area "City of Hampton Roads."

It didn't work. There was no way to confine "Hampton Roads", not then nor today, to just the Peninsula and thanks to a handful of voters in the town of Phoebus. However, in 1952, Elizabeth City County, Phoebus and Hampton. And, in 1957, Warwick City and Newport News voted to consolidate, and they officially merged on July 1, 1958.

Thanks to Wikipedia.org, I also found that the city of Chesapeake was formed in 1963 by consolidation of the City of South Norfolk and Norfolk County, which dated to 1691. (Yes, some things take a while to work out!)

In 1974, the city of Nansemond (which had been a county earlier) and the outlying unincorporated towns of Holland and Whaleyville consolidated to become today's city of Suffolk, creating the largest city geographically in Virginia.

The most populous city in Virginia is Virginia Beach which became a small city independent from Princess Anne County in 1952. In 1963, the city of Virginia Beach and Princess Anne County consolidated to form the city as we know it today.

I found this enlightening post with stats showing the strength Hampton Roads would have as a consolidated region (think NYC) from fellow blogger, "Foundation For A Greater Hampton Roads". Imagine having the regional power with the likes of NYC, LA, Chicago, Houston, Phoenix, Philly and putting us AHEAD of San Antonio, San Diego and Dallas!

This blogger has also found some great older articles from Port Folio Weekly about the subject:

Moving Hampton Roads

Greater Norfolk, Why Not?

A Path Not Taken

all by Alex Marshall, NYC journalist

The blogger, "Foundation For A Greater Hampton Roads", even notes:

...recently the Hampton Roads Partnership started their "America's First Region" campaign. This is a great step in the right direction but it must keep going forward. The region will be able to run more efficiently and at a lower cost if certain services are combined.

When you look at it this way: Hampton Roads doesn't look so different from NYC, does it?

BeatTheGridlock.com

Check out BeatTheGridlock.com. There's a must-see video and information on the transportation problem here in Virginia (the full script of the video is on "Links" page).

As a "citizen warrior" myself, the here-we-go-again, round-and-round nature of the transportation issue (upcoming General Assembly Special Session is on Mon Jun 23) isn't going to capture the attention of reporters or legislators at this point. Only a people-driven campaign will get some action.

BeatTheGridlock.com isn't advocating a position or partisanship. Simply trying to get SOMEthing done and enabling Virginians, all across the Commonwealth, to have one rallying cry…. BeatTheGridlock and Fix it Now!

Pass it on and let's all help make a difference!

If you have less than one minute, here is the Trailer of the Video:



If you have four minutes to spare, here is the full-length video:

Be sure to check out the BeatTheGridlock.com YouTube Channel and add yourself as a Friend on the MySpace page.

Let's get as many BeatTheGridlock.com Banners in our car windows to get our message across.

Why Hampton Roads?

As a relative newcomer to Hampton Roads (just celebrated one year here), I will DEFEND the moniker. I was compelled to comment on this particluar "news article", and I use the term loosely, as this is certainly not news but evidence of a slow news day. The author even dissed the U.S. Post Office which, despite its apparent shortcomings, is WAY better than the postal system in any other country:


Nothing's wrong with a regional name that has a sense of place

Kerry Dougherty
The Virginian-Pilot©
June 8, 2008

REMEMBER WHEN you learned hell was a place, an ass was an animal, and there were two kinds of dam? It was such fun to toss around those naughty words in front of our parents.

I'm experiencing that giddiness today.

Because I get to use the T-word.

Here goes: Tidewater.

On occasion, I've tried to sneak the T-word into print. Most times, I was thwarted by stern editors, reminding me that Tidewater doesn't exist.

Neither does Atlantis, I once argued, but I'm allowed to mention that.

No dice, I was told.

Here's what our stylebook - the newsroom bible - has to say about the T-word:

Tidewater: Use Hampton Roads...

Regional honchos set out to eradicate "Tidewater" from the lexicon a few years ago. They wanted to replace it with the geographically vague "Hampton Roads."

I never describe our little corner of Virginia as Hampton Roads. Neither does anyone else. When asked, I tell people I'm from Virginia Beach. Or Tidewater. Or the Norfolk area (sorry, Meyera).

A story about our murky moniker in Friday's Pilot noted that even The Weather Channel prefers "Norfolk or the Tidewater of Virginia" to "Hampton Roads."

We've been bullied into using Hampton Roads over the past two decades. Still, no one does. The biggest victory for this futile effort came when the post office agreed to stick "Hampton Roads" on our postmarks.

As if postmarks matter.

Genuflecting at the altar of regionalism, the newspaper and TV stations foolishly joined the movement to purge our area of its poetic name.

Pity. Because Tidewater rolls off the tongue and makes you think of, well, tidewater. Hampton Roads makes you think of roads. Ugh.

One entity that's wisely resisted the regionally correct crowd is the airport.It's Norfolk International Airport. If you don't like it, land somewhere else.

"It will never be the Hampton Roads Airport as long as I'm chairman," declared Peter G. Decker, Norfolk lawyer and chairman of the airport authority. "If we had to change the name, it would be something like the Tidewater Airport.

Now that's got a special ring to it."

Bless you, Uncle Pete.

Decker said Friday he has a soft spot for "Tidewater" and that he and his wife never tell anyone they're from a place called Hampton Roads.

You go to Europe and say you're from Tidewater or Norfolk and people know what you're talking about," Decker said. "You say Hampton Roads, and they have no idea."

Yes, Hampton Roads has historical roots. Something to do with nautical terms from the 17th or 18th century. I hesitate to point this out, but it is the 21st century.

We've lost our powdered wigs and monocles. If only we could lose Hampton Roads, too.

News researcher Maureen Watts contributed to this column. Kerry Dougherty

MY COMMENT:
I must share this from the Hampton Roads Partnership (HRP): "...regions – not cities or counties – are the units of economic competition. Only regions have the necessary scale and diversity to compete in the global marketplace. Only regions have an asset profile capable of projecting overall strength to compensate for profiles of individual localities which lack either essential infrastructure or a sufficiently skilled pool of labor. "

It is more important to act and cooperate regionally rather than to hold onto archaic notions reminiscent of high school sports. Certain tenets come to mind: "United we stand, Divided we fall" and "The whole is greater than the sum of its parts."

Hampton Roads is a globally vital region, together. Not so much, city by city or town by town.

We are Hamptons Roads. Yes, the MSA we occupy is slightly different from our typical notion of who we are. But, nothing has been forced on us here by "regional honchos". Being recognized as a region with a single all-encompassing designation such as "Hampton Roads" is simply called branding. And, it's smart marketing. We just need everyone on the same bandwagon versus in-fighting and silliness such as my-city-is-better-than-your-city. Na-Na-Na-Na.

We are not Tidewater. Tidewater refers to the coastal plain of the Southern United States: eastern parts of Virginia and North Carolina and South Carolina and Georgia.

Let's hear it for the home team, Hampton Roads!