Business, community diversity expressed at local Expo
by Brian Shults, reporter

    A burgeoning local business environment ideal for future graduates was evident at the Mansfield Area Business Expo 2001 through speakers’ emphasis on nurturing community toward a positive financial future.

    The interrelationship of business and community in a diverse and growing society was the common theme throughout the speeches, as well as among the 40 businesses represented on SE Campus last week.

    Jim Wright, former Speaker of the House, encapsulated the demeanor of Mansfield’s business attitude.

    “I hope that in our growth, sophistication and mastery of new techniques and technology, we manage to maintain that truly human aspect of community,” he said.

    Wright, a member of Congress for 34 years and twice elected Speaker, began by discussing the necessity of local camaraderie between citizens and business leaders to facilitate a stable economy and city.

    “In the process of building, I earnestly hope that we will be able to create a quality of life that matches our quantity of life,” he said.

According to David Harry, Mansfield’s mayor of three years, local officials are committed to doing just that. The area has grown by virtually 200 businesses in the past three years because of the pro-business city government, he said.

    Harry anticipates further expansion, citing the city’s goal of becoming a self-sufficient community encompassing all a

reas of commerce.
    Dr. Judith Carrier, SE president, followed by adding, “The degrees that TCC students receive will transfer to the immediate needs of the business community.”

    Dr. Bryan Stewart and Lance Winter, co-chairmen of the expo, organized the event with sponsorship from the Mansfield Economic Development Corporation and Mansfield Chamber of Commerce.

    Justice Greg Abbott, a member of the Texas Supreme Court, spoke at the Expo’s luncheon.

    “The courts can aid prospective business leaders by applying a sense of predictability and stability in the legal equation through judicial restrain,” he said.

    Judicial restraint is the process of rendering verdicts based on legal precedent and strict interpretation, as opposed to judicial activism, a more liberal approach, Abbot said.

    The Texas Supreme Court espouses the position of judicial restraint because of its belief that business requires a sense of constancy in order to thrive, according to Abbott.

    Liability for criminal actions of third parties is the question of whether tenants and owners are responsible for criminal acts committed on their property and is a concern of the court because of the rise in lawsuits forcing some businesses into bankruptcy in recent years, Abbott said.

    He cautioned both statewide and national judiciaries from overstepping their bounds and creating public policy, a responsibility of the legislative and executive branches of government.

    “Judges who derive public policy begin the erosion and undermining of the entire legal system,” he added.

Wright, in his lecture, discussed the need for citizens’ increased involvement in public policy to engender an effective and informed community.

    Citizen empowerment relies primarily on their ability to communicate directly with elected officials, thereby making campaign finance reform and the passage of the McCain/Feingold Bill a priority. The bill would limit soft money contributions from corporations and make labor unions imperative, Wright said.

    “I am not sure we can maintain a true democracy without campaign finance reform. Campaigns are a battle of images rather than substance and should not be a contest of who can raise the most money, but who can speak the language of the people,” he said.

    Campaign finance reform, he contended, will have the affect of revitalizing the political process through increased community involvement.

    He exemplified his statement by describing his initial campaign for Congress in 1931, before the proliferation of soft money when neighborhood organizations rallied support for their candidate and voting was personal.

    Wright said the nation is currently faced with the dilemma of meeting the needs of a culturally and ethically diverse population. Citizens must take action through increasing public services, such as education, and the expansion of opportunities for all.

    Wright complemented TCC’s services and Carrier in their efforts to respond to the community’s educational needs. He also predicted that soon two-year institutions, such as TCC, will be required schooling and free, similar to high school.

    Motivational speaker Bill Austin, former Baylor chaplain, emphasized personalizing business by knowing co-workers as individuals and avoiding thinking of them as numbers.

    “Building a community and a job marketplace take consideration. There is only one way to do it, and that is with people. Take the time to know their names,” he said.

    Susan Huston conducted the Business Etiquette Workshop, stressing that respectfulness, good business manners and confident first impressions are essential for aspiring business leaders.

    As a result of the positive reaction to the 2001 Expo, Stewart is considering a second in 2002.