We are what’s next

Pittsburgh is a tale of two cities – the old and the new.

Steel and skyscrapers built its foundation. Now, innovation and entrepreneurship are shaping her future.

But, it’s not as if we’ve severed ties with our historic past.

Here, the former and future are indelibly linked. These two worlds have come together to create a community and a culture where hard work really does pay off, and it pays to be a good neighbor.  We ride an incline, a coal cart, to work in a thriving metropolis. The buildings and landmarks we pass each day bare the names of our cities pioneers and powerhouses – Carnegie, Mellon, Warhol, Frick.

Like the titans of industry and art who preceded us, we’re empowered to leave our fingerprints on the city in which we live. Our impact marks a shift towards co-working and community, business and biotech, medicine, education, sustainability and startups.

Although the signs still read under construction, there’s no doubt that we’re in the midst of reclaiming our destiny as a region whose influence spans the globe.

As we work, we wear the coal on our hands as a badge of honor, paying homage to our city’s heritage. It’s a heritage that has earned us a place among the ranks of the Rust Belt. But for us, the rust is not a sign of decay.  Rather, it’s a reminder that we’re capable of building something bigger than ourselves, something that will outlast us.

It’s the story of two cities – the old and the new; a tale of rust and resilience.

Words do this story a disservice; its better if you see it for yourself.

Standing on Grandview Avenue, high atop the hills of Mt. Washington, the lines of this comeback story become crystal clear. Visions of what was and what is converge there.

The story of what’s next, of what could be, is being written here; at TEDxGrandviewAve.

It’s no coincidence that our name mirrors that of the iconic overlook. Melding the old with the new – building on our past while looking to the future – we’re mixing imagination with inspiration; creating the platform for Pittsburgh and its people to tell stories of ideas worth spreading.

Because we are what’s next.

You are what’s next.

What will you create? What legacy will you leave?