I just finished reading the Argus Leader’s interview with Pavilion CEO Gary Alan Wood. I agreed with many things Gary said (I’m kinda starting to like the guy) and it’s stuff I have stated since I stopped working there. Build an endowment, diversify the entertainment, and do better at retaining members and supporters of the Pavilion. There is this perception that the Pavilion is for elitists, this isn’t totally true, but there is one thing I have found out with my fights with them, there is a Pavilion Club and if you are not in that Club or agree with them, they don’t want anything to do with you. Gary wants to change that. Cool.
I found the below excerpt very interesting. Gary’s repsonse was fantastic, he basically said you have to listen to everyone’s criticism, even from the crackpots as the jokalists at the AL stated. For the record, I have had no serious contact with the Pavilion for over a year, and I have no clue who the people Gary is talking about in the excerpt, but I will say this, AL’s comment that people who have misgivings about the Pavilion are crackpots is a low blow, but an expected comment from a half rate newspaper. If someone doesn’t agree with the organizations the AL cheerleads for, they are automatically labeled as being crazy. The only crackpots in this town sit on the Editorial Board at the AL.
EB: We have a segment here who say, you know, I don’t find value in that. How do youwin them over?
WOOD: You know, I don’t know that there’s a segment that one will always win over. One thing I know about when folks make a statement like that, that it’s pretty hard for a person to go public and say that and then publicly say, “You know what, I was wrong.” I believe they probably are.
I have invited in and met with several folks already who have expressed that type of, not that attitude directly, but who have expressed to me, “You know what, I’m really not convinced that this is the way to go.” So I picked up the phone and invited them over, had lunch with them at Leonardo’s, walked around a little bit. Whether or not they feel differently today, I really don’t know. I’m going to find out eventually.
EB: These are names in the community?
WOOD: Well, not people I wouldn’t necessarily mention, but probably some that you may know. But rather than me ignoring them, and just saying, well, they’re out there, they’re just whatever …
EB: They’re crackpots.
WOOD: They’re not, they’re not. I take their comments sincerely. If someone is doing that in a way just to stir trouble, well, fine. That’s your life, you can live your life the way you want. But I take it sincerely.
hey, when i read that comment i IMMEDIATELY thought of you. i bet i’m not the only one, considering even you thought of you!
aren’t you glad to know you’re making an impression out there?
🙂
Not sure if they were talking about me? They call me the ‘Flame thrower’ at the AL anyway. Besides I’m not a crack pot, I’m just f’ing crazy! I wonder if it was a ‘certain’ council member. He mentioned in a informational meeting that he took a tour of the Pavilion recently. I find it ironic that the AL would call the only council member with a PHD in political science a ‘crackpot’ while their exe. editor is getting sued for libel. I think I have a new name for the Gargoyle, The Sioux Falls Onion.
no, they probably were not – but i did think they MIGHT be. at any rate, what a dumb thing to say! who would ever take them seriously?! i think the guy deflected it well…yeah. i think we know who the crackpots are.
If you watch the video instead of read the story, it sounds like they are kind of being sarcastic when they said ‘crackpots’, but you never know with Beck and Garson.