BIG NEWS! G-20 Summit in the 'Burgh!

I'm sure you've heard the announcement . . . all the world leaders are coming to Pittsburgh in September for the G-20 Economic Summit. As I've mentioned before, our building is right across the street from the David L. Lawrence Convention Center where the summit is being held. And the Federated Investors Tower is physically attached to the Westin Convention Center Hotel where the president and a bunch of people will undoubtedly stay.

It will be interesting to learn whether we actually try to work down here during the summit given the London situation at the last summit. Just getting downtown and parking could be an all-day job with the security and the extra people. I'm sure they will tell us about that later.

Greg said we could rent out our extra bedrooms to protestors and come to understand their point of view. :-) He would actually do this, you know. Better understanding through sharing a meal and a beer . . . it's the American way.

Anyway, here's the story:

Countdown On For G-20 Summit In Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh To Host Next G20 Summit (5/28/2009)

Pittsburgh's recovery from the collapse of the steel industry in the 1970's was one of the main reasons the White House announced Pittsburgh will host a meeting of the G-20 nations on September 24th and 25th. That means in exactly 120 days, our hometown will play host to leaders representing 85 percent of the world's economy. As many as 1,500 delegates are expected to converge on the David L. Lawrence Convention Center, along with an estimated 2,000 reporters and an unknown number of protestors.

In April, thousands of protestors tried to disrupt the last G-20 Summit meeting in London. "All the resources of the federal government are going to be made available in order to make sure this is a safe event, and one where people can express their opinions, and do it peacefully," Yarone Zober, Mayor Ravenstahl's Chief of Staff, said.

Dennis Yablonski, CEO of the Allegheny Conference on Community Development, was thrilled that Pittsburgh was selected to showcase it's recovery to the world. "We've transformed our water, our air, and we now have an economy that's balanced. We've also got a great medicine, and education economy," he said.