Of Straw Men, The Big Top, and Solid Foundations
I started buying a house two years ago, about the time the Willamette Innovators Night & Network came into being. The inspiring vision of the original event planners - just a group of 4-5 dedicated crazy people - germinated and grew into something new and exotic - an event that rallied the forces of innovation and economic development in a way this area had never seen before. The experience of owning my first home has proven since then to be much like that of managing this thing called “WiN.”
We built WiN to provide a place of convergence and community, for the “creative class,” entrepreneurs and the bureaucrat to come together, for ideas to be shared and created and for bright, shiny new technologies to be shown off and celebrated. The first WiN succeeded beyond all expectations. Kicked off by one of Oregon’s most talented, hip and successful businessmen, James Curleigh, CEO of Keen Footwear, the energy of WiN had been captured and the bar set.
WiN invited the old to see the new and come together for the yet-to-be. Its intent was to create a solid network of collaboration around which this city and the surrounding area could coalesce and be known for its rich innovation and entrepreneurial spirit. To build a platform. A foundation upon which the talented and capable could come together in recognition and mutual respect and promote the rich diversity and quality of life enjoyed in Corvallis and the surrounding area. Most importantly, it was intended to fill a gap and bring an end to the disjointed and often conflictual scene of the region’s economic development efforts.
My real estate agent was meticulous. He taught me to examine and understand every aspect of buying a house. He even encouraged me to pursue my dream of home ownership to the point of failure. To follow my dream, make an offer and see what happened. Not passively of course, but very proactively - inspecting the home, exploring its history, checking my gut, renegotiating and having faith in the process. In essence, Lee was my mentor.
I’ve followed the same path with WiN. Rallying the troops, garnering support, comparing its direction with its intent, correcting and guiding the course as needed. The vision of WiN has stayed true to its essence though the players have changed and the reach has broadened. The planning committee now boasts some of our community’s strongest pillars of economic vitality and creativity. WiN has morphed from its trade show roots into the Cirque de Soleil of big tent extravaganzas.
My most recent home project has sparked an epiphany about WiN. I’m building a deck and awning in the backyard to entertain and relax - a place where I can be to let go of the day’s stress, come together with friends, and rejuvenate. Somewhere I can commune with myself and others and re-enter the world with a sense of renewed optimism and creative purpose.
I started the deck by building the awning. It was an inspiring way to kick off the project and motivate me to move forward. It stands tall and proud and reminds me of what can be.
I’m working on the foundation now, and not surprisingly, this part is significantly harder. Its been much more complex and taken a lot more energy than just cementing some posts into the ground and throwing some 2 x 4’s across them. I’ve taken it slowly, examining each aspect of the foundation for strength, stability and economy. I’ve made multiple trips to Home Depot and Spaeth’s and adjusted the design as I’ve moved along. After all, I want a deck that can support heavy traffic and the vision I have in mind of people coming together to play and recreate. The result is a deck with an underlay of complex pieces joined together for a common purpose.
WiN is like that. Its vision and success depends upon a solid foundation of community and collaboration, shared support, and mutual visioning. It also must be fun, inspiring, and invigorating for its members to stay committed and focused and enjoy the fruits of their labor.
What it still lacks in spite of past success, the big vision, the proven concept, and the engaged pillars of the community, is a sense of ownership and support that transcends the boundaries it set out to break. In essence, a strong foundation of collaborative ownership and support. The recent words of a prominent sponsor “WiN’s too important to not happen.” are true. But ,the follow-up comment that it might be a bit ambitious to think the governor would speak at it is telling. Win is ABOUT ambition. The ambition to move this region forward, to brand and give truth to this area being known as the “most innovative place in the country.”
Realizing a vision requires a solid foundation. In the case of WiN and its intent, that means coming together for a common goal. The strongest success comes from when one not only does what is best for him/herself, but does what is also best for the team.
And, yes, the awning of WiN might need some work and redesign, but its the foundation and support of its community that’s most important. Like builders and real estate agents know, it all comes down to location, location, location.
Own a piece of WiN and help build that strong foundation. This IS the location and YOU are the community.
We built WiN to provide a place of convergence and community, for the “creative class,” entrepreneurs and the bureaucrat to come together, for ideas to be shared and created and for bright, shiny new technologies to be shown off and celebrated. The first WiN succeeded beyond all expectations. Kicked off by one of Oregon’s most talented, hip and successful businessmen, James Curleigh, CEO of Keen Footwear, the energy of WiN had been captured and the bar set.
WiN invited the old to see the new and come together for the yet-to-be. Its intent was to create a solid network of collaboration around which this city and the surrounding area could coalesce and be known for its rich innovation and entrepreneurial spirit. To build a platform. A foundation upon which the talented and capable could come together in recognition and mutual respect and promote the rich diversity and quality of life enjoyed in Corvallis and the surrounding area. Most importantly, it was intended to fill a gap and bring an end to the disjointed and often conflictual scene of the region’s economic development efforts.
My real estate agent was meticulous. He taught me to examine and understand every aspect of buying a house. He even encouraged me to pursue my dream of home ownership to the point of failure. To follow my dream, make an offer and see what happened. Not passively of course, but very proactively - inspecting the home, exploring its history, checking my gut, renegotiating and having faith in the process. In essence, Lee was my mentor.
I’ve followed the same path with WiN. Rallying the troops, garnering support, comparing its direction with its intent, correcting and guiding the course as needed. The vision of WiN has stayed true to its essence though the players have changed and the reach has broadened. The planning committee now boasts some of our community’s strongest pillars of economic vitality and creativity. WiN has morphed from its trade show roots into the Cirque de Soleil of big tent extravaganzas.
My most recent home project has sparked an epiphany about WiN. I’m building a deck and awning in the backyard to entertain and relax - a place where I can be to let go of the day’s stress, come together with friends, and rejuvenate. Somewhere I can commune with myself and others and re-enter the world with a sense of renewed optimism and creative purpose.
I started the deck by building the awning. It was an inspiring way to kick off the project and motivate me to move forward. It stands tall and proud and reminds me of what can be.
I’m working on the foundation now, and not surprisingly, this part is significantly harder. Its been much more complex and taken a lot more energy than just cementing some posts into the ground and throwing some 2 x 4’s across them. I’ve taken it slowly, examining each aspect of the foundation for strength, stability and economy. I’ve made multiple trips to Home Depot and Spaeth’s and adjusted the design as I’ve moved along. After all, I want a deck that can support heavy traffic and the vision I have in mind of people coming together to play and recreate. The result is a deck with an underlay of complex pieces joined together for a common purpose.
WiN is like that. Its vision and success depends upon a solid foundation of community and collaboration, shared support, and mutual visioning. It also must be fun, inspiring, and invigorating for its members to stay committed and focused and enjoy the fruits of their labor.
What it still lacks in spite of past success, the big vision, the proven concept, and the engaged pillars of the community, is a sense of ownership and support that transcends the boundaries it set out to break. In essence, a strong foundation of collaborative ownership and support. The recent words of a prominent sponsor “WiN’s too important to not happen.” are true. But ,the follow-up comment that it might be a bit ambitious to think the governor would speak at it is telling. Win is ABOUT ambition. The ambition to move this region forward, to brand and give truth to this area being known as the “most innovative place in the country.”
Realizing a vision requires a solid foundation. In the case of WiN and its intent, that means coming together for a common goal. The strongest success comes from when one not only does what is best for him/herself, but does what is also best for the team.
And, yes, the awning of WiN might need some work and redesign, but its the foundation and support of its community that’s most important. Like builders and real estate agents know, it all comes down to location, location, location.
Own a piece of WiN and help build that strong foundation. This IS the location and YOU are the community.
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