Previously posted May 13, 2016

The other day I attended a groundbreaking for a new hotel that will be built in Coralville, IA.  As is typical of these events, there was a lot of excitement and speeches about how this is a great project and how everyone working on it is top notch.  After a while it gets a little tiring, but there was one speaker who went a bit further when talking about why this particular hotel is a good investment.  He pointed out that the area was not terribly developed and that adding this hotel was one step in helping to revitalize the surrounding community.  This could all be written off as blowing smoke, but there is a great deal of truth to this revitalization idea.

The perfect example of this will be on display in the next three weeks.  Each year the Iowa City Area Remodelers Council and willing homeowners open up projects to be displayed for the public to walk through.  This tour is part of the Parade of Homes and will take place on June 4th and 5th this year.

I wrote about the Parade roughly one year ago (has it been that long!?!) and I feel the same way today as I did back then.  These projects are inspiring on many levels and you just need to walk through them to understand.  Room by room, home by home, neighborhoods and communities can be revitalized, if just a little care is put into the process.

Of course it all starts with the individual (as it always does), so remember to think like a Remodeler in your own life.  Don’t settle for the worn out drywall stifling your relationships, or the 1970s bathroom decor of the uninspiring job, or the tiny kitchen that has created an extra 30 pounds making you miserable.

Coralville will be getting a new hotel in the coming year, the Remodelers continue to create/transform great things in the area, and we can all make these great and needed changes in our own lives.  Start now.