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Olympic Sales Pitch a Good One!

By 250 News

John Furlong of  the Olympic Committee should never have been, (a) a teacher in Prince George or (b) head of the Recreation Department in this city, before he moved to the lower mainland.
He is, through and through, a salesman and I might add a very good one.

He is an incredible pitch man and his pitch about the 2010 seems to find a vein in every community. He started his pitch in this city with a tribute to Jim Fowlie who truly was one of the best swimmers ever. He didn’t realize his dreams of Olympic gold not because of his ability but other circumstances from wearing a gold medal.

He then talked about dedication and the fact that every community must get in line and support the games. As for the benefit to the city, you’ll have to find another sweater maker from Cranbrook that one is wearing thin and there really wasn’t anything on the table for this region apart from being a proud partner in the 2010.

Tourism will increase by 18% said Furlong , pointing to Calgary and their increase in tourism , of course neglecting to mention all of the outlying cities such as Red Deer, Edmonton and Grande Prairie who can be compared to this city and how they fared from the Olympics. So if you want to sell me on the idea, tell me how much better off Grande Prairie was after the 1988 games, and maybe then I can buy into  it.

$2.1 billion financial impact so far as a result of the Olympics in this province. He must have arrived in the dark because if you look around( unless the new water treatment plant, CNC expansion or the new food court at the Pine Center got a piece of the action) that money hasn’t found its way here.

$77 billion in construction he said will be spent in Vancouver leading up to the games. You bet! No argument there. Problem is the milk cow, that region that lies in the northern half of the province that provides the money for the venture, hasn’t been exactly awash in that Olympic money flowing from those numbers.

So in the end they want some devoted volunteers, people who will be dedicated, trustworthy, have sustainability and strive for excellence.

John, we are all looking for those same people especially when you throw in the key word,” Volunteer “.

Finally, speaking about the city sending a group to Torino for the games, John said “It’s the way you get to see what’s happening at the games”. “It will get this city in the right frame of mind for the 2010.”

You really missed your calling John, because I guarantee you Donald Trump would say, “You’re hired!”

I’m Meisner, and that is one man’s opinion.

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