HomeMy WebLinkAbout2/15/2022 Item 6a, Christy DAVE CHRISTY
2582 FLORA STREET
SAN LUIS OBISPO. CA 93401
February 8, 2022
Dear Mayor Stewart and Councilmembers Christianson, Ma�, Pease and Shoresman:
(transmitted via email: emailcouncil(c�sloci,.or )
I am writing to encourage your support SLO Repertory Theatre's request for a one-time challenge grant
to help complete construction of a new theatre. My advocacy for this worthy proj ect is informed by my
long-standing belief in what constitutes high-value economic impact. I recently retired from a 36 year
academic career at several university business schools. During my nine years as Dean of Cal Poly's
Orfalea College of Business, I invested my efforts in community organizations and initiatives with the
common theme of economic development.
In my mind, there is small "e" economic development and capital "E" economic impact.
In the case of SLO REP, there are the tickets and dinners bought and consumed by its audiences, which
are indeed valuable economic impacts, but with a small `e'.
My focus is on a more holistic view of economic development, and how SLO REP can help deliver
capital "E" economic impact.
Effective business leaders know that their success depends on attracting and retaining the best talent,
and they know that it is vastly easier to do that if their business is located in a community that offers
effective government, good schools, excellent health care, abundant recreational opportunities and a
thriving cultural scene. In turn, these talented employees are the citizens most likely to be engaged in
our community, provide financial and volunteer support for local non-profits, and attract more people
with similar values. This is the picture of a healthy community.
SLO REP's project has long been envisioned as a primary pillar of a thriving cultural corridor. You now
have the rare opportunity to ensure that a key piece of your vision for a healthy and vibrant community
can be realized for a relatively modest investment, with the private sector, appropriately, paying for
more than 70 percent of the proj ect's anticipated costs.
SLO REP's fundraising to date has been impressive, but rising costs are threatening the project's
viability. Your additional support for a new theater would assure us as SLO REP donors that there is
wind at our backs, and that we share the same ambitious vision for what our community can be. As
history has shown time and again, whenever government and the private sector join hands, the
outcomes often exceed our highest expectations. Let's do this together.
Sincerely,
Dave Christy
Retired Community Resident
Professor and Dean (emeritus), Cal Poly Orfalea College of Business
(conveyed via dchristyl00�gmail.com)