Revitalize Buffalo

I went to the meeting last night and was rather impressed. A new detente between David Torke and this blog has developed, so I’ll be linking to him and his efforts, which are quite noble, would do a lot of good for the city, and are do-able.

There’s a lot of energy in the room and, as with most similar organizations, the really vocal people are the ones who either come from away, or come from Buffalo, went away, and returned. They love Buffalo either because they chose to come, or because they left and realized that they loved it. Native Buffalonians seem to have this disdain for their own city drilled into their heads. It’s unfathomable to me that people think that way. This City is wonderful.

I suggest that Revitalize Buffalo become, in part, sort of a grassroots, small-business alternative to the [ominously named] Partnership. They can help market and promote small local businesses, as well as their more successful incubator ventures – businesses that the wealthy and politically connected Partnership couldn’t care less about.

Towards that end, they ought to take their logo and use it to market Buffalo businesses; the businesses could license and use the logo and the brand for a reasonable donation (tax deductible if Revitalize Buffalo chooses non-profit status). In that way, the group and the businesses would have a unifying promotion tool; all the businesses who use the logo could have a web presence at a website promoting use of the logo and brand Buffalo.

Also, the group might rethink the extremely ambitious idea to renovate a large structure for use as, among other things, incubator space. I think the group should start off on a smaller scale and get some experience doing this sort of thing. Again – operate a nonprofit corporate entity that will buy dilapidated housing in Buffalo from the city for a pittance, and solicit labor and donations from the community through the licensing of the logo, promoting the tax deductibility of any such donations, etc., and rehab a historic but neglected home. Then sell it, and roll the money back into the organization for use on the next project, etc.

After that, you’d have the expertise and the juice to go for a big project.

Finally, at some point I’d change the name to something like Buffalo Renaissance, which seems to better reflect the intent and spirit of the group.

Anyhow, please consider joining Revitalize Buffalo and its efforts. They also have a blog, which I didn’t know about.