Owensboro issues RFP for Riverfront Crossings

The City of Owensboro has released a Request for Proposals (RFP) for the development and construction of two mixed-use buildings at Riverfront Crossings in Downtown Owensboro. Conceived as park of the Downtown Placemaking Initiative, Riverfront Crossings—scheduled to open on September 8, 2011—will offer a unique and exciting new downtown destination to compliment and reinforce other major destinations of the new downtown, including the new Riverfront Park with Veterans’ Boulevard linear plaza, the proposed new hotel and Convention Center, and proposed improvements to historic Second Street. Riverfront Crossing is envisioned to be a lively but quaint outdoor entertainment and dining venue with a festive, “alley” look and feel.

Riverfront Crossing incorporates building sites for two new mixed use buildings. The first, SITE A, also known as the “Lofts at the Crossing” is located directly across the street from the new Riverfront Park and fountain and has a north-south orientation. The second, SITE B, is also known as “The Crossing Pub”, is intended to be the site of a pub or restaurant. The building site runs east-west and fronts both on St. Ann Street and on the central plaza of The Crossing adjacent to the Crossing’s signature tower.

All firms that submit their qualifications for considerations shall be reviewed and ranked based on the following criteria: 1) Firm/Team experience with similar projects; 2) Qualifications of the project team; 3) Cost estimation; 4) Preparation and understanding of the project; 5) Proximity and local participation

The City will hold a pre-submittal meeting regarding this project at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, July 21, 2011 in Room 406, City Hall, 101 East 4th Street, Owensboro, KY 42303. Specifications for the above are on file and may be obtained from Joey Beatty, Purchasing Manager, City Hall, 101 E 4th Street, Room 119, Owensboro, KY. 42303. Telephone (270) 687-8431. Submittals must be delivered to the City Purchasing Department, 101 E. 4th Street, Rom 119, Owensboro, KY 42303 on or before 4:00 p.m. prevailing local time on Tuesday, August 30, 2011. The City of Owensboro reserves the right to reject any and all submittals and to waive any irregularities in said submittals.

The EDC, city and county are currently implementing a fully funded $140 million Downtown Placemaking Initiative in consultation with Gateway Planning of Ft. Worth TX. The resulting master plan was finalized and adopted by the City of Owensboro and Daviess County in January 2009. A copy of the Placemaking Initiative may be viewed at: http://edc.owensboro.com/downtown/placemaking_initiative.  Visit http://edc.owensboro.com/_documents/CrossingConcept-web.pdf to view the initial design considerations for Riverfront Crossing designed by architect Michael Huston.

Nadira Hira speaks about Gen Y challenges in the Owensboro region

This week the Green River Workforce Investment Board (WIB) hosted a luncheon, co-sponsored by GO-EDC, featuring Nadira Hira speaking on the Generation Y workforce. Hira is an award-winning journalist and general assignment writer at Fortune Magazine, where she has focused increasingly on stories for and about Generation Y, the fastest growing segment of the American workforce.

Generation Y refers to individuals born between 1978 and 1994. In the next several years, they are expected to outnumber all other segments of the workforce. The retirement of the boomer generation, which officially began this year, will trigger a worker shortage that Generation X, which comes behind the Boomers, will be unable to fill. Businesses are realizing that they may have no choice but to accommodate the unique and curious aspects of the Gen Y creatures.

Hira spoke to the audience about many of the challenges that businesses face in recruiting, retaining, and supervising this important demographic group. Her blog at Fortune.com is full of the same points. Members of Gen Y are looking for meaningful work; they are particularly influenced by technology which often makes them more productive than their predecessors despite the fact that they spend less time working in a traditional office setting.

It struck me, as I looked around the room how evident the need to reach out as a region to this group-- the community in general is not connecting with Gen Y.

Greater Owensboro has an opportunity to correct this with a couple of key steps. The first step is to conduct a real evaluation of the strengths and values of the community relative to the Gen Y group. The current branding campaign is an opportunity for the region to appeal to the Gen Y audience as an authentic community providing meaningful work and meaningful play.

Secondly, the region should have a plan to become a destination for Generation Y. This is where the overall strategy to attract people with attractive places, known as place making, come in to play (click here for more information). Lastly, the community must figure out how to engage this younger generation as community leaders. Not only will Gen Y fill a majority of the jobs in the workforce, they will be assuming leadership roles in corporations and communities much sooner than their predecessors.

The last step is a missing link. The Chamber Young Professionals is an active group of Generation Y members which could play a key role in shaping this for future of their generation and the vitality of the region. Are we ready to pass the torch?

Please visit the following links to read more about Nadira Hira:
http://www.timeinc.net/fortune/information/presscenter/fortune/bios/FOR_Hira.html
http://thegig.blogs.fortune.cnn.com/
http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/entrylevel/2007/index.html

“Coworking” places for the budding entrepreneur in Owensboro

Two locations in Downtown Owensboro, The Creme` and Emerging Ventures, are part of a cutting edge contemporary model for job creation. Here’s how:

A majority of big businesses come from small businesses, and small businesses are started by entrepreneurs... from their homes. But there are limitations to working from home, no human interaction, no place for meetings, no escape from spending most of your life at home.

"Coworking" sites are an emerging trend for a new pattern for working. Typically work-at-home professionals, independent contractors, or people who travel frequently end up working in an isolated way. Wikipedia calls coworking "the social gathering of a group of people, who are still working independently, but who share values and who are interested in the synergy that can happen from working with talented people in the same space." (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coworking)

Often times, coffeehouses with free WiFi have become preferred locations for coworking. Starbucks has found enormous success as a "third space" attracting this type of activity. In addition to Starbucks, Owensboro has two new downtown locations that are attractive "third spaces" for professionals or independent contactors to gather, both have free WiFi and a creative atmosphere found in larger urban areas. The Creme,` located on Second Street, is the new downtown coffeehouse that opened last week. The free WiFi, comfortable atmosphere, and good food and coffee will be a hit, especially when the outdoor courtyard opens just in time for the nice weather.

The second location is the Emerging Ventures Center on the third floor of the Commerce Center on Third Street. The Center, which is linked to the Kentucky Innovation and Commercialization framework and hosts the Owensboro Small Business Development Center and SCORE, has ample space for entrepreneurs to meet and work with free WiFi, a high-tech conference room and ample resources, including business counselors ready to assist.

As the community-wide "Place Making" strategy begins to develop, look for more opportunities to promote "coworking" and third spaces such as The Creme` and Emerging Ventures.

For more information about "coworking" please see the following links: http://www.cooltownstudios.com/mt/archives/001002.html, http://www.cooltownstudios.com/mt/archives/001273.html