Rally at UD Arena touts strengths of Dayton area

Chris Stewart/Staff photographer About 1,500 people attend the Dayton Region Rally at the University of Dayton Arena on Tuesday, Nov. 17.

Part of the estimated 1,500 people attending listen to speakers Tuesday, Nov. 17, at the Dayton Region Rally at UD Arena.

Chris Stewart/Staff photographer Part of the estimated 1,500 people attending listen to speakers Tuesday, Nov. 17, at the Dayton Region Rally at UD Arena.

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Photos: Dayton Region Rally

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Event provides chance for organizers to share positive information.

By Tim Tresslar, Staff Writer Updated 10:31 AM Wednesday, November 18, 2009

DAYTON — Area business, military, academic and nonprofit leaders rallied Tuesday, Nov. 17, to highlight what they consider Dayton’s attributes, an effort to counter pessimism fueled by the onslaught of layoffs, business departures and plant closings that have battered the region.

The Dayton Region Rally held at University of Dayton Arena included presentations from organizations such as Miami Twp.-based Teradata Corp., Fiver Rivers MetroParks, the Yellow Springs Arts Council and United Way of the Greater Dayton Area.

The afternoon event drew about 1,500 people, according to the Dayton Development Coalition, an organizer of the one-day event.

Jim Leftwich, president and chief executive of the Dayton Development Coalition, said the attendance met his expectations and provided a chance to share positive information with hundreds of people organizers might otherwise not have reached.

One speaker, Ken Neufeld, president and chief executive of Victoria Theatre Association, said that since he moved to the region four months ago, he has found it offers such benefits as affordable housing, short commutes and strong arts programs.

“Dayton is a great region in which to play,” he said.

Chris Shaw, general manager of Shaw Dry Cleaners and economic development chairman for the Dayton Unit of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, said he came out to show his support.

“I’ve got a vested interest in Dayton and I’ve done a lot of business with a lot of businesses that have left Dayton,” Shaw said. “I want to do business with the ones that come here in the future.”

Susan Graham of Centerville said she believes the region’s fortunes will improve and she wanted to hear about the various organizations’ plans for the future.

However, Graham, who is unemployed, also said she would have liked to have heard more about retraining opportunities for people who are changing careers.

Preston Dawes, a Washington Twp. resident, said he appreciated hearing about the region’s arts organizations.

“I think it accomplished what it was designed for here,” he said of the event.

Local politicians, sprinkled throughout the audience, were absent from the stage.

Leftwich has said organizers excluded elected officials from the speaker’s list to keep the event from becoming too politicized.

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