In today's Tribune, Brett Doney talked about budget cuts, belt tightening and yes, the GFDA's website not being updated.
Here, he says the budget doesn't include funding to complete the website. In today's article, we learn that as his staff was downsized, he decided to take on the task of developing the site himself. He acknowledges that was probably not realistic.
"We had so much prospective activity, and clients will always be our top priority", he said. "That's not an excuse, but it is the way it is".
Well, I disagree. He is making excuses. Mr. Doney was offered FREE help and did not take advantage of the offer. (Currently, he doesn't have a marketing person and according to the article, he didn't offer any resolution to his website problems other then to say it will be completed "as soon as possible").
He claims they had all of this prospective activity. Since it's past tense, I'm assuming these potential clients fell through.
Now I'm wondering - just who were all of this prospective clients that kept him from working on the website?
Here, he says the budget doesn't include funding to complete the website. In today's article, we learn that as his staff was downsized, he decided to take on the task of developing the site himself. He acknowledges that was probably not realistic.
"We had so much prospective activity, and clients will always be our top priority", he said. "That's not an excuse, but it is the way it is".
Well, I disagree. He is making excuses. Mr. Doney was offered FREE help and did not take advantage of the offer. (Currently, he doesn't have a marketing person and according to the article, he didn't offer any resolution to his website problems other then to say it will be completed "as soon as possible").
He claims they had all of this prospective activity. Since it's past tense, I'm assuming these potential clients fell through.
Now I'm wondering - just who were all of this prospective clients that kept him from working on the website?
16 comments:
If you consider the fact that he inherited a real mess due to John Kramer's excesses, he's done a good job with putting it back together. You net-heads need to get a grip!
Too bad GFDA passed on free help. Not having a proper website is like having mispelled and boring business cards. I'd encourage GFDA
to take advantage of the community's talents being offered and judge the effort. It wouldn't hurt. A proper website is a MUST, anything else is inadequate and reflects on us.
Hey bikerdaddy,
It's never a good idea to pass on FREE help, especially when your resources are tanking.
Something is better than nothing, which is what the GFDA has right now.
Thanks anon. for getting the point.
A first class website will not convince first class business prospects to invest in Great Falls.
Once the prospect comes to town they see joke for what it is. GE and Furlander come to mind. It's not the website, it's the shallow city government run by ninnies that can't manage this small town.
GFDA cannot perform miracles. If people really believe a new website will turn things around I've got a bridge to sell you. If you want to get sucked into a good feeling by fancy websites go here:
http://db.aa419.org/fakebankslist.php
You people are truly asleep at the wheel. It's amazing to me that you are making such an issue of the website and glossing over everything else. The website debacle is just the tip of the iceberg. Whether you liked Kramer or not, he did get some significant deals done in Great Falls. Doney has done absolutely nothing since he took over. He has taken a largely successful organization and is slowly and methodically running it into the ground. His staff is a continuous revolving door. In the past, the organization was focused almost exclusively on business recruitment marketing and now it has no focus at all. Doney wants to be all things to all people and we all know that means he will fail at everything. Doney was the wrong guy for the job then and he still is. He is a buffoon without a clue. The sooner they dump him and start over as a organization the better.
Hey gfgirl,
I challenge you and your loyal readers to put the website issue aside for a bit and take a deeper look into Doney's overall performance since he took over the GFDA. I challenged Jo Dee Black and her staff at the Tribune long ago to do the same thing and they continue to write powder puff pieces about him and the GFDA. They have no interest at all in doing any investigative reporting. If someone would just look below the surface, I think you'll find that his ineptness runs deep through the organization.
Folks,
I am well aware that the GFDA's lack of a website is not the most important problem facing this organization. And that is my point; the fact that an online presence could benefit this organization, and that free help from knowledgeable citizens to make that presence a reality is being ignored by GFDA management, does point to a deeper problem. It seems some of you have possibly picked up on it.
gfgirl,
You say that people are starting to pick up on the fact that there are problems with GFDA management. I say it's about time! A lot of people in the community seem to have their heads in the sand on this issue. I saw all of this coming shortly after Doney arrived when he blew out his staff, added a couple of bloated salaries, neutered marketing and decided he wanted to become the community development arm of the city. Now he can't keep any staff members and lives on the accomplishments of others and plays the blame game to deflect criticism. Meanwhile, he sits in his office thinking up new committees he can create in order to accomplish nothing. This organization has lost its way under Doney and I don't see that changing until they bring somebody new in. I wouldn't invest one penny in that organization right now and if you do, you're just throwing your money down a rat hole.
Funny how some still do not get it. It is not the marketing (GFDA) at fault, it is The Product, aka Great Falls.
Until we get more people in local government with vision major companies are going to pass on Great Falls.
The greedy self-absorbed hicks are killing us with their spend lust chasing one failed program after another.
No matter how professional a GFDA is they will not impress prospects once the city and admin gets involved.
I would not invest a dime in this town while these clowns are running things, if you can call it that.
You obviously have a jaded view of local government.
Look, it really doesn't matter who is running the city. You have to be out there looking for deals. Projects are not going to come to Great Falls on their own. I'm sorry to say it, but, Great Falls isn't a household name and companies aren't going to come here on their own. If you're not out there marketing, you're not going to get any projects...period!
Doney severely neutered the marketing program and now I presume he's waiting at his desk for projects to drop in his lap. IT AIN'T GOING TO HAPPEN.
Local government is the joke of Montana. Word gets around.
I wish the anonymous commenters would quit attacking Brett -- he's a good guy with a tough task. I've criticized the GFDA website (or lack thereof), but that doesn't mean I think that Brett is incompetent or evil. And I know that the website is just one small piece of the big picture, but it's an issue that I know about and care about.
And to the folks who are dumping on Great Falls: knock it off! Yes, our community has some flaws - all communities do! - but you know as well as I do that Great Falls is a wonderful place to live.
David,
Let's first of all set the record straight that no one here proclaimed Doney as evil. I do, however, believe he is incompetent. I don't want to go into any details, but, let's just say that I base my opinion on knowledge that I have of the business and of GFDA management.
I'm not sure why you feel compelled to scold any of us with unfavorable opinions of Doney and in the same breath proclaim it as fact that he is a good guy.
We are all entitled to our own opinions and we should just leave it at that.
I appreciate your knowledge of website development and your comments regarding the GFDA's deficiencies in that regard. You are absolutely correct on that point. However, I suggest that this is just the tip of the iceberg and a little more digging will reveal more serious problems.
Let's just look at what GF has to offer:
A Development Authority that is not financially viable and has been incapable of attracting or developing self-sustaining businesses to the area.
A City government that has brought the town to the brink of financial disaster and is, at best, amoral and engaged in duplicitous actions.
An airport director who alienates Malmstrom officers of rank.
A mayor and airport director, both of whom have been documented as screaming at people who disagree with them.
A Commission currently seriously considering a tax increase in order to try to make ends meet.
A newspaper in name only.
And many more problems that are too long for a blog.
I suggest we truly fix the problems, not gloss over them.
Oh, and water your trees a lot before the tax hike, because afterwards you won't be able to afford it and we'll probably lose them, too.
Run for office. It is the only thing to do if you want to make a difference. City needs different people on the Commission. A majority that will defend democracy. Voters must be able to see clearly what officials are up to in order to make informed decisions as to who should represent them. When we get back to OPEN government it will be easier to sit at home and just watch or just not pay attention or spend a lot of one's free or work hours stealing from employers.
Votes will count for something when we have accountability.
I feel bad for Mr. Doney. He seems like a nice enough guy... but the GFDA has slipped a lot since Mr. Kramer left town. I'm not sure why bikerdaddy is ragging on him, as Mr. Kramer actually brought new businesses to Great Falls. Something that Mr. Doney hasn't done for about 3 years now.
The only way to fix a dysfunctional city government is to vote the yahoos running it out. This assumes you have decent folks running for their jobs.
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