Thursday, June 30, 2016

Power Lunch: A conversation with Bob Flint

The Upper Valley is justifiably proud of its heritage as the former center of America’s machine-tool industry, before the industry collapsed into a black hole from which it never emerged, a victim of the forces of global competition, and complacency.

enterprise.vnews.com    

12 comments :

  1. What Flint is really saying is "Show me some tax dollars and I'll show you how to build useless pipe dream to get at those dollars". (Rubs hand together)

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  2. I like Bob Flint - he's unfairly judged for J&L - a falling down decrepit waste dump, but all in all - he does his best with the tools available.

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    1. Sorry but Flint is all about stripping taxpayer dollars with foolish projects that have done nothing to assist Springfield to return to having vibrant and useful businesses that the town once flourished with. Unfortunately the town with Bob's help is hellbent on businesses that can only survive with taxpayer assistance and only line the pockets of a few.

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  3. RE: . “We can only act as facilitators and matchmakers, try to convince and cajole, and help businesses in doing what they do best.”

    SRDC exists as an industrial realty holding enterprise that skims hundreds of thousands of dollars in grant monies and is accountable to no one. Can anyone point to an SRDC success story? Springfield deserves better than this.

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  4. I appreciate his ever-optimistic attitude. I hope he can see his hopes become reality.

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  5. I don't see heavy industry ever coming back here. There is no transportation infrastructure, such as rail lines or a major airport, that I'm aware of. The J&L site maybe, as Clinton ave is four lanes wide and has easy access to I-91. Beyond that, modern manufacuring facilities of the size this town once knew are a non-starter. Companies will locate where the shipping costs are cheaper.

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  6. chuck gregory7/3/16, 6:23 PM

    Heavy industry came here to take advantage of a very important resource-- the available hydropower. It was largely luck that machine tool innovators like James Hartness showed up and stayed, creating Precision Valley.

    We can take advantage of other resources innovators and entrepreneurs value. Bob Flint is ready to help us.

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  7. True, hydro power was an asset in the past, but since electricity is available nearly everywhere, companies look for things like transportation infrastructure, and sadly, cheap expendable labor and low taxes, when they locate. This used to be China, but shipping costs and quality control issues are making America more attractive to smaller companies. There is hope for Springfield, but first the town needs to be more attractive LOOKING. Blight and decay give the impression that the town is unorganized and unmotivated. That turns prospective businesses off. I say this from the perspective of one who has lived in may places, both good and bad. Springfield has a very low crime rate compared with most places, but driving through parts of it does not give that impression. In Springfield I saw huge potential, which is why I moved here. Now is the time to make that potential a reality. Historic preservation is great, but it should not come at the expense of the future. Many of these old buildings, both residential and commercial, are not worth saving. Time to tear them down and start over.

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  8. RE: "companies look for things like transportation infrastructure, and sadly, cheap expendable labor......"

    Not necessarily. Having worked in successful start-ups and technology mgmt for 25 years proved the fundamental need for a well trained/educated labor pool and a standard of living to attract young professionals. Springfield has neither of those criteria.

    Until we elect a school board that terminates administers that fail to raise test scores and a selectboard that enacts effect zoning, life here will continue to get worse. An inevitability assured by a critical mass of parasites.

    This spells it out nicely, https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/249735

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    1. These days "cheap and expendable" does not necessarily mean uneducated and lazy. True, an educated, skilled labor pool is essential. My last employer understood this. Having a B.A. made me the second most educated JANITOR there. What good is an education when there are no jobs to fit? Companies have to be willing to train otherwise qualified applicants, like they used to do. AND THEN PAY THEM. I know that our educational system has problems (I used to teach, and got out because of them.) But it isn't the ONLY problem. Referring to people as parasites shows a level of contempt that usually translates into a workplace that few will tolerate for long. You may own the company, but you don't own the employees. There are better solutions than the TIRESOME left/right arguments this country keeps having. Welfare dependence is not the answer. De facto slavery isn't, either.

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    2. RE: "What good is an education when there are no jobs to fit?"

      I've heard that from both Gender Studies and Psychology graduates. Be sure to thank your guidance counselor.

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  9. chuck gregory7/6/16, 5:41 PM

    6:01 PM, thank you for standing up for the people who keep daily life good in this country! They do deserve much better than they usually get.

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