City expert says downtown STL on upswing (St. Louis, Lake St. Louis: home, neighborhoods)

[DinsdalePirahna]

Originally Posted by Chicago76

They bring a skill set from years of employment in larger cities that would be harder to develop in STL and a "can do" attitude. How much influence that demographic has in the area's future will have a tremendous impact on the development of the city.

Yeah. I tried that.
Award Winning portfolio (Check).
Years of experience as a high end Creative/Art Director (Check).
Can do, proactive, progressive attitude. (Check).

Wrong Local Pedigree. (Check).

A city can't go on with a "locals only" attitude, shutting out transplants that are willing to make a change, and expect to thrive.

I was actually told by the department manager of a company I was contracting with that my "ambition, proactive attitude and outgoing personality is making some people uncomfortable"

[moorlander]

That's mind blowing DP. isolated incident? You do frequently rub people the wrong way on these CD pages. Maybe that was just a way of "putting it nicely?"

[aragx6]

Originally Posted by DinsdalePirahna

Yeah. I tried that.
Award Winning portfolio (Check).
Years of experience as a high end Creative/Art Director (Check).
Can do, proactive, progressive attitude. (Check).

Wrong Local Pedigree. (Check).

A city can't go on with a "locals only" attitude, shutting out transplants that are willing to make a change, and expect to thrive.

I was actually told by the department manager of a company I was contracting with that my "ambition, proactive attitude and outgoing personality is making some people uncomfortable"

The only negative thing in my annual review was that I confuse and make people uncomfortable by using to many big words. I literally laughed in my boss' face. I don't blame you for being frustrated by that, as I am here.

[DinsdalePirahna]

Originally Posted by moorlander

That's mind blowing DP. isolated incident? You do frequently rub people the wrong way on these CD pages. Maybe that was just a way of "putting it nicely?"

Never had the problem in NY or California.

I don't see how being proactive and ambitious should make people uncomfortable. - unless it disturbs the comfortable feeling of complacency.

[kshe95girl]

Originally Posted by DinsdalePirahna

Never had the problem in NY or California.

I don't see how being proactive and ambitious should make people uncomfortable. - unless it disturbs the comfortable feeling of complacency.

That often comes off as abrasive and arrogant.
2 no-nos in the Midwest.

[DinsdalePirahna]

Originally Posted by kshe95girl

That often comes off as abrasive and arrogant.
2 no-nos in the Midwest.

...and that is why nothing ever gets done (or done correctly)

[aragx6]

Originally Posted by DinsdalePirahna

...and that is why nothing ever gets done (or done correctly)

I think the issue is that people don't expect, when they move around the country, for there to be cultural differences, and there simply are. We're a very disparate (and large) nation. I tend to think people who move overseas are anticipating culture shock and, thus, react to it better.

[DinsdalePirahna]

I look at Piitsburgh, similar demographics. When they take on big projects they manage to do it right and usually on time.
Maybe it because of their proximity to an east coast mindset.
Maybe because they don't whine. -They do.

[kshe95girl]

Originally Posted by DinsdalePirahna

...and that is why nothing ever gets done (or done correctly)

Abrasiveness and arrogance have no place anywhere, and the latter part of your post has nothing to do with what we are speaking of, I might add.

[Chicago76]

Originally Posted by DinsdalePirahna

I look at Piitsburgh, similar demographics. When they take on big projects they manage to do it right and usually on time.
Maybe it because of their proximity to an east coast mindset.
Maybe because they don't whine. -They do.

It has nothing to do with provincialism/attitude. My wife has lived in STL and Pittsburgh and found the latter to be much more closed/guarded than STL.

Pittsburgh's resurgence downtown has to do more with the fact that their DT is more central in the metro, and is therefore more relevant to the region as a whole. STL's is pretty far east in the metro as 80% of the area lives W of the river. More people live further from DT and it's more out of sight/out of mind.

It also doesn't hurt that the city has activity on all sides of its rivers compared to downtown STL, where the view to the other side reinforces the idea that it's on the edge. The Ohio and the vistas there are simply prettier than the Mississippi in STL.