Steve Mangano

I have been intrigued by scooters for awhile now and have been in my share of debates about them.  See my previous post on the scooter debate in Raleigh.  In passing some by this morning, I thought more about the business model and in particular the Pokemon go charging method they use.  I thought, hmmm, maybe I can sign up and have the kids do it with me so they can earn some money and see how it is to work a side hustle.  Before I got too carried away with this idea, as I am known to do.  I decided to do some research.  It is quite a fascinating process and I thought this article from Bloomberg did a nice job capturing it.  It also convinced me there may be better ways to find a job for my kids.  I prefer to not compete with the millennials on this one. Congrats to Bird (and Lime) for figuring this system out and creating what amounts to a game that they can monetize as a service. People will pay for fun and that is basically what you are ...

I am excited to be part of the Gone Fishing fundraiser this Saturday (10/27) from 12-3 at Junction West ( https://www.facebook.com/events/917844365072874/ ).  Come out and taste my famous (okay famous with people that know me) Ceviche.  It was crafted over time from my Cuban friends, traveling and tasting in Mexico and the Caribbean and just simply what I like.  The impact of Florence on the coastal communities is well documented and support is needed.  Many of the top area chefs will there and we expect a great time! I also want to use this post to highlight the needs of small businesses both in the impacted area and beyond.  Please follow this link and share with any small business owner in NC that you may know  https://www.newsobserver.com/n ews/business/article220567475. html .  The impact of Florence on businesses with tight margins and low cash flow can be devastating.  I have counseled several over the past few weeks on how to manage thro...

Did you know the DOT is doing a transportation assessment and strategic plan?  They are seeking citizen input in what they are calling NC Moves 2050. There are many ways to get involved or provide feedback.  If you care about the future of transportation then go ahead and go online and compete the survey. Its actually quite fun and simple.  I did it this morning and it took about 5 minutes.  Let your friends know especially those that are under 30.  They show you the current results immediately and for age groupings only 15% of the respondents were below 30.  This was the lowest group.  If this is a 2050 plan and we are not getting input from those that will be impacted the most, that seems to be a weak link. For those more inclined to get deeper involved, there are several ways to do that as well.  Go check out the website and provide some feedback .  You can't complain when you are stuck in traffic, a bus is not available or a bridge i...

With Fall comes many things to Raleigh, most notably hurricanes (especially this year), Hopscotch, Sparkcon, NC State Football, Hurricane's Hockey and of course the State Fair.  While all of these are important popular crowd-pleasers, any thriving city needs its share of major classic arts programming. In Raleigh we are fortunate to have both world class ballet with an every expanding array of talent and the budding ballet schools to add new performers to their ranks.  In line with the ballet is the much beloved orchestra.  The holiday season could hardly be imagined without each. My first love though is Opera.  And tomorrow alongside the ballet's crowd pleasing production of Dracula will be the Opera trying hard to be noticed just next door.  The NC Opera was formed several years back by combing two smaller organizations.  Since then they have been the little arts program that could.  Each season brings new productions with increasing more fanfa...

This is a simple post today.  If you don't vote your opinion has less impact or may not be heard.  At the very least the candidate who supports your issues/interests/causes/concerns may not be the one that gets elected. Besides voting, be informed before you go.  Here is where you can lookup the specific ballot that you will receive.  This is a great feature and provides no excuse for you not to know a candidate or issue before walking in the polling place.  https://vt.ncsbe.gov/RegLkup/ Early voting has started in NC and this is an important election.  Do your civic duty and get out and vote and encourage others to.

I recently became aware that the state is interested in selling the former Rex Hospital site that currently houses the Employment Securities Commission.  This is located on Wade Avenue and Saint Mary's.  For those not in Raleigh or familiar with the area, let's just say it is highly desirable location. For years I have been trying to tell anyone who would listen that this is a site that should be developed by a public/private partnership and include market rate, workforce and affordable elements.  The site, i am sure, is costing the state a significant amount to maintain and run.  In addition, the building is not meant for office work and thus is highly inefficient.  Combine this with the fact that the federal government pays for the majority of the rent costs, you can see a true win win win developing.   I have been emailing friends and neighbors on this topic and have asked that they write to council and the county commissioners.  Here ...

I had an idea for an organization in Raleigh called Scoot Forward (think Wakeup but a little more agenda focused).  The whole purpose of the organization would be to push city council to be more progressive in solving city issues.  To take stronger leadership position on issues and to make Raleigh truly a leader in the US rather than what is now often viewed as a follower. I have been in many conversations lately where engaged citizens have expressed their frustration with this current council.  All too many times the word dysfunctional came up.  What worries me even more is that these comments came from people on both sides of the political divide. There seems to be a recurring feeling that the council is progressive in name only.  They desire progressive goals and generally support tackling the increasing complex issues we face as a rapidly growing city, but do not have tools or skill set to do so.  To try and keep things the way they are, to focus s...

I was fortunate to watch my 9 year old daughter get out on the Lacrosse field today.  She first started playing at camp and we decided to sign her up for a casual fall league.  Beyond watching her and seeing her grow in confidence each week, it was just great to see the sheer number of girls out there playing.  There were kids as young as 7 up through to high school with some college girls coaching. I know we are at a strange and complex time in our history.  But it was great to take a step back and see this scene.  I knew of no girls from my home town in Queens that played Lacrosse or any sport besides the occasional softball.  Watching not just the intense athletic girls this morning but also the ones out there just having fun was so fantastic. In light of recent events we have a long way to go as a society, but we have also come a long way.  You hope these strong girls I saw out there being cheered on by their parents, would take those lessons w...

The city council will be reviewing Impact Grants on their upcoming meeting on 10/16.  This is in follow-up to a presentation done in May by the Economic Development office.  These Impact Grants are designed to provide support innovative initiatives that spur entrepreneurial activity and growth. To read more about them go here . I have helped RipeNC get started which hopes to spur innovation and growth in the food production sector.  The goal of Ripe NC is quick simply to identify start-ups with high growth potential that can become the next Raleigh success stories.  Here is the website for Ripe NC .  Stay tuned for more updates and info. Ripe NC will hopefully be a recipient of the Impact Grants. The grants along with private funds will help Ripe NC execute its Spring launch event and first cohort. I am excited for this potential and to support this important work.

The master plan is being finalized and it is time to take an even closer look.  You can find the master plan and its detailed components here. I find the direction very compelling and the process the Dix Conservancy has gone through very thorough.  Having for-profit components make sense and serve the purpose of efficiently and effectively offering amenities while at the same time activating the park. The revenue generated will help offset the maintenance cost of a park of this size and ensure that Dix Park does not consume the resources of our parks department. I have direct experience with this as I was a co-founder of Pullen Place at Pullen Park.  The city was moving towards a city run concession stand which based on previous experience and their plan at the time included mostly pre-packaged/cooked food.  They were not focused on local sourcing, made from scratch meals and healthier options.  Recognizing the opportunity to transform the concession exp...

While I have done some blogs in the past, I have focused on food, which eventually became my company CurEat .  And on a three line post blog that was modeled after a book I had read, but who knew that Twitter had the same idea.  Oh well. This blog is strictly direct musing from me but with a purpose of issues and things that I care about, would like others to care about, or just to stay informed about.  It is meant as an outlet, dialogue and focal point for the activities, projects and passions that excitement me and I am involved with. Hopefully over time it will serve as a chronology of these topics. My hope is that some go away (because they are solved) and others take their place, as there are no shortage of issues to address. For now my focus (besides of course CurEat) is on school lunch initiative, local food promotion, companies I have invested in and mentor/support, affordable/workforce housing, and Raleigh as a thriving city. I am going to try and writ...