Peter Kayemaya delivers “For the Love of Cities” at the Young Professionals Summit.
Peter Kageyama closed the Feb. 29 Young Professionals Summit with his “For the Love of Cities” presentation, a keynote that provoked attendees to think about what creates points of pride in every city.
In his talk, Kageyama provided examples of the love and emotional engagement that stem up organically in various cities around the world. From Candy Chang’s “It’s good to be here” project in New Orleans to the Grand Rapids LipDub, Kayemaya emphasized the value of everything from city quirks to developmental resources that push the norm and create places people want to live. He left the audience with this impression: don’t just live in your city, create a connection to your fellow citizens, your community, your resources and love your city.
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Like What Cheer did with its I live in Omaha campaign, which is based on reasons Omahans love the city and which Kageyama mentioned in his afternoon keynote, Silicon Prairie News took to the halls of the Century Link Center Omaha and asked YP Summit attendees the simple question: Why do you love Omaha?
Below are a few of the best responses. Take a look and feel free to leave a comment on why you love Omaha.
“Similar to a startup, Omaha is at the ground level and is growing fast. And, of course, I love the social scene.” – Andrew Rogers
“You can get things done here.” – Julie Reilly
“The atmosphere is incredible. Omaha, is small town oriented in a big city atmosphere. The connections and cross-industry mixtures bring a wealth of knowledge to young professionals.”
– Zach Kesthely
“In bigger cities like New York, Chicago and even Denver, you are a spectator. … In Omaha, you can be a player. There is a greater opportunity to engage and be able to create. I am looking forward to an awesome tomorrow.” – Robert Wiebusch
“I want to be a part of creating opportunities. Opportunities like the Summit, (are) a great example of what Omaha is looking forward to in the future.” – Lonnie Michael Jr.
“I am able to find qualified talent here. I look forward to being able to be able to be on the YP board and all of the impact it has on the community” – Chad Eacker
“It is a great place to live for the family values and for the opportunities…. Today (the YP Summit) is an example of what is great about Omaha.” – Patricia Stillmock
“It’s a great place to be as a YP because it is something that is going to be big in the future, I feel happy to be a part of it.” – John Frost
“The barriers to entry are low with tangible results. The public sector is responsive to input… The younger community is willing to experiment which is bringing some great energy to the community.” – Mike Battershell
“If you’re interested in being engaged, you can easily be involved and create here in Omaha.” – Kristine Hull
“I’ve grown up here my whole life, and in the past few years, there is a certain buzz around town. People are really excited to be here and you can see the growth of the city.” – Tyler Gassaway
“Lots of possibilities to make things happen here”
– Angie Eikenberry
Credit: Photo of Kageyama by Brittany Mascio. Attendee photos by Kira Olson.
