I have built businesses from the ground up from nothing. Cities are no different if the goals are the same. Have a great reason to do business with our company. Most businesses like mine fought hard to have a 7% repeat/referral business. Mine was always above 30% which is why Dunn & Bradstreet rated it the number one business in Georgia and in the top 1.4% in America in the way the business was ran for 5 years in a row. Businesses are rated every 3 months in America so this was a feat. Of late I have been involved in business rescue. I love bring businesses out of the jaws of bankruptcy and helping them become profitable again. As a visionary I will bring my experience to this blog. This is not a fantasy ,a dream ,or wishful thinking. Something very close to this vision will work. Its all in the execution. It is building a city into a team.

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The goals here will be a goal that “any” major city can achieve

Simply put every major city in America has lost businesses and productive people. I write this with some ideas on how I would fix this. There are many things that I do not know but many things that I do know. I base much of this on knowledge and a fair amount on hope and faith in my fellow Americans generosity and working as a team in tough times. Below are some ideas on how to bring productive people back to a major city. Also to keep the employees in the same city.

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First we have to deal in numbers

Since I really do not have numbers on every major American city I’ll use my city ,Atlanta as an example.

To set a 4 year goal for Atlanta we will use a goal of bringing 15000 to 20,000 productive people back to Atlanta. And using a 10 to 1 ratio of lives this will touch in a positive way that’s 150,000 to 200,000 people that this will affect. The affect on a city our size would be permanent and make the city leaders heroes beyond words in an economy like this.

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First we form an office of business affairs (OBA)

This will be led by a proven leader. My thoughts are to pull someone out of retirement with corporate excellence in their past. Someone that has led successfully and consistently in the past. Someone that wants to help ,not for the money ,but for the “win”. Next put someone with them that can be mentored. Someone that in a year or so can take the helm. This leader would be key.

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Establish areas and a footprint ?

Next we visit all the businesses in the Atlanta footprint. Coke ,AT&T ,etc. The big ones will be key in staffing the OBA. The membership will be free ,but the help we will ask will be staffing. Everyone in business ,in Atlanta would benefit from a city full of Productive people. These companies would be asked to “lend” us people to staff the OFA. This will help them to delay or even stop laying people off. Now ,whats in it for them ?

First every company that joins will be giving up something. But they will be getting into the system. This will give them some of the benefits that the new companies that are moving here will be enjoying. For example. If AT&T’s building is in an area with many empty buildings and homes their employees are at risk because of the element that tends to hang around and even fill these voids. This keeps the business districts clean and safe. It will protect property values and quality of life in that area. The leaders or decision makers for the company will be able to tap into the concierge service from the OBA. Any desire ,ticket ,play , restaurant ,etc that they want ,they will get. This will help these people lead a more privileged life than before. Remember that local leaders brag nationally.

Next its the smaller businesses. Deli’s restaurants , galleries ,etc. These are the seasoning of the city. Imagine being the owner of one of these and getting asked to join this “club” if you can. Productive people will fill their shops the first year. These people will have business growth instead of worrying about failure. They will of course give up some of their seating ,goods ,and services but will be in a much better position because of it. Remember that if their shops stay full they will thrive during these times.

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High rise buildings.

They are hurting ,many are bank owned now or soon will be ,and bank managed. Banks are not ready for this, and they are receiving federal funds to help. Bringing our major buildings into the OBA will solve many problems for the banks. I actually attended school for 2 years and was certified in Building Operations and Management. The first thing I did was contact a friend of mine that has been in the high rise business for 30 years. He was telling me what the real costs are for running these buildings. Most in the downtown Atlanta area have a goal price of about $30.00 per square foot. Cost including taxes and managing them is between $12.00 and $13.00 per square foot. So if the city managers received an emergency 24 month tax moratorium from the state of Georgia and suspended the city taxes then we are between $9.00 and $10.00 per square foot. This is a game changer. Some very likable and talented team players flying to other major cities all over America now have something to sell. They are selling an Atlanta that has beautiful weather ,controlled business districts ,and high end luxury at warehouse prices. And the company leaders are tapped into the OBA which is in fact “The Key To The City” for all of them. We can use Atlanta people to move them ,plan for them ,and make sure they are comfortable with this transition. Jobs ,quality ,and production.

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Housing for the Corporate Heads moving to Atlanta.

There is a company called Show Homes. They allow people with nice furnishings to move into a home they have for sale for a fraction of what it would cost to live in these homes. For example. A $1,000,000.00 home would run them about $700.00 per month to live in. The sellers win because their homes are occupied and full of furniture. Well now the sellers are banks and many of the homes aren’t even for sale. They sit empty and wither into the ground because of it. The banks can receive enough to insure and pay the taxes while having their property cared for at the same time. Its a win win.

Housing for new employees and relocated employees. This is an easy one. We do the same thing only the cost factors are much less. There are so many neighborhoods in Atlanta that have been devastated by foreclosures in Atlanta Proper. The goal here is to capture these employees and watch the city grow again. Even the shops all over town will prosper. Productive people spend locally. This will require a team of people that understands banks and what they are going through with this glut of foreclosed homes they are stuck with. If they are empty any time at all then they are sell proof. Again this would be a win win.

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Security and safety

This is key in the overall feeling of comfort in a major city. For this reason we are establishing specific areas that are connected. This will basically be ground we will be taking back and keeping clear of gangs ,crime ,and filth. A mostly citizen volunteer patrol working hand in hand with the police department will help a lot. If you go down a street that has undergone transformation then you know what this feels and looks like. I’ve seen homes priced at $40,000.00 and then travel 3 blocks and find the same type of homes priced at $265,000.00 because of the street and the condition of the homes. It is like another world. We will be transforming an area at a time as needed. There will be crews led by private companies working with the banks and OBA to succeed at this. Atlanta has given up too much ground to despair and worry. The OBA will change that one street at a time at no cost to Atlanta other than some tax incentives and small salaries that shouldn’t tip any budget over. As a matter of fact Atlanta will start being economically stronger because they have filled their city with productive people. Most will stay.

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What we achieve ?

With our recruiters going around the country offering a much safer ,prettier, and better quality of life to companies and a chance of slashing fixed expenses dramatically and the boots on the ground back home to execute with excellence we bring Atlanta back to where it should be. The proud full city it is under all the economic turmoil that has hit us. Atlanta will be the first major city with a success and growth story. How ? By filling it with quality. By spreading the wealth around ,and making people feel special again. In one year the word would be out and many companies would start calling wanting in on this. Major bottom line improvements and lifestyle changes that no one can match. That’s what we achieve.

Remember too. There are many shop owners that have been in business successfully for decades in some towns that have declined and are either out of business or going out. It would take almost nothing to move them here at the expense of corporate sponsers.