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November 3, 2009

Grow Greater Dalton: Next top model

By Susan Brown, Special to The Daily Citizen

A strikingly beautiful young woman stands at the corner of 45th and Broadway. This is Times Square in the middle of New York City. She is dressed in a stunning designer suit that is perfectly fitted to show her extremely slim, perfect figure. Her hair is perfectly cut, colored and styled. Makeup is flawlessly applied. She looks around with hopeful glances at strangers who pass her. Surely in this mass of humanity gathering for the New Year’s Eve celebration, one magazine editor or modeling agency executive will discover her standing there.

But for all her effort to be seen, the only thing she gets is pushed and shoved by hundreds of thousands of party-goers in a hurry, looking for friends and watching the crystal clock tower that will eventually drop to denote the exact moment when a new year begins.

What this young woman does not understand is that America’s Next Top Model will not be discovered. She will be created. She will be developed through dramatic photographs taken by the most highly respected photographers in the fashion business; photos that will be carefully packaged in glossy leather portfolios; portfolios that will be strategically delivered at a quiet front table at the Russian Tea Room by the top agency executive in the business to the top fashion editor in the business. Hundreds of meetings, photo shoots, runway shows and negotiations will take place before the Top Model’s face will ever appear before the general public. That is the moment at which she will be “discovered” by the world.

Beautiful and serene; full of opportunity and promise, Dalton-Whitfield sits in a yet undiscovered, underutilized corner of Northwest Georgia. Seen only as a dot on the Georgia map and road signs along I-75, the true assets of our city and county remain a virtual secret to the hundreds of thousands of people passing by at speeds of 70 mph-plus.

The few who wander into the area are amazed by the wealth of history, geographical beauty and charm contained within. Sadly, too few wander in. The people of Dalton wonder at the fact that so few understand the magical qualities held here and believe that in time many will “discover” what we already know.

However, America’s Next Great City will not be discovered. It must be created. That creation process comes through a consolidated vision, a united effort and a packaged program actively brokered to thousands of key decision makers worldwide who have not yet heard of Dalton, Ga. It will require years of dedicated and tenacious marketing by every corporation, municipality and citizen. It will require a unified attitude throughout the community. It will require leaders and elected officials who care more about the long-term survival and growth of the communities they serve than their personal and political power lines. It means servants who lead through humility for the good of all without concern about “whose team wins.” As a Great City, everyone wins!

Grow Greater Dalton is a team of corporate and private citizens who are working tirelessly to pull this community together with a united face to be packaged and hand delivered to buyers searching the world for the treasures hidden in our quiet hills.

The question yet to be answered by every individual in this community is: Do we REALLY want to be discovered?

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