Sold-out summit tries to prove detractors wrong

Despite the negative publicity for the city’s second annual Economic Summit, Hamilton’s best and brightest gathered at the Crown Plaza Hotel in downtown to hash out a plan to revitalize the beleaguered city.

“We want ideas , we want to focus on implementation this year,” said Ron Foxcroft, president of Fluke Transportation Group and co-chair of the event, along with Peter George, president of McMaster University.

“We had some great ideas last year. There were not a lot of home runs. But we’ve had  a lot of success, a lot of singles and doubles.”

John Dolbec, executive director of the Hamilton Chamber of Commerce, said he had to turn away “some very important people” for this year’s event. He said close to 200 people took part in the seminars and discussions, and about 400 people were expected to attend the luncheon. The inaugural event last year attracted about 120 people at Ancaster’s Old Mill Inn.

 The keynote speaker was Rebecca Ryan, the founder of Next Generation Consulting, a market research firm based in Madison, Wisconsin.

Comments

[Bill Bell]

"The keynote speaker was Rebecca Ryan, the founder of Next Generation Consulting, a market research firm based in Madison, Wisconsin."

Would someone explain why it was necessary to hire a speaker from outside of Hamilton and its environs--and even outside of Canada? What does this in itself say about the Hamilton community, including its ability to serve itself?