Mr. John Treacy:

The calendar we put together every year includes a mix of networking events, voluntary clean-up events and large-scale family events. It is a mixture of employees and local residents and it is about getting the economy moving. The calendar was owned and delivered by the DDDA back in the day when it had the resources. We have seen that decrease every year, but people have stepped in and done that. If we could get steady, safe and certain resources, we could do four if not five times as much. That is how it starts. It is small coffee events with big-budget executives and small start-up companies. It is ideas for creative training which takes place in big companies and with the NCI. It is those events where these things happen, at which smart people speak to smart people. It is about entrepreneurs taking risks and community gain.

We have had some people come to us with suggestions for community gain, but there is no specific mechanism there. It is very hard for volunteers who have their own businesses and staff and rents to pay. We have to carve out time to go and do this but we believe in it and see the growth that results. More of those events are necessary. If there was four or five times what used to be there, it would be fantastic.