Russians forge ties to Davis County
Davis County Clipper (Bountiful, UT)
Posted on August 2, 2002
By Jan Hopkins
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| SCOTT SNEDDON, (third from left, back row) escorted the Russian business leaders during their trip to Davis County. |
Non-profit and government leaders from every corner of Russia, including mid-size cities and large metropolitan areas attended the workshops recently held at Management & Training Corporation (MTC) and other locations in Salt Lake City.
The Russian Leadership Program featured forums on Relationships Between Government and Business, Non-contractual Agreements, and Openness of Government and Access to Information.
Language translation was provided by Petr Grishin of Moscow and Tatiana Golub, professor of Russian language and cultural studies at the University of Utah.
Delegates participated in several workshops and cultural activities such as touring the State Capitol Building and meeting with fiscal analysts, auditors, city and county officials.
Davis County Chamber of Commerce President and CEO, Chris Dallin was one of several presenters at the conference. He explained the delicate balance between business coalitions and lobbying for government regulation as it related to creating liaisons between the government and private enterprise.
Igor Baradachev, who manages a non-profit organization located in the center of Siberia, was very interested in the coalition formed by American Chambers of Commerce. These organizations benefit non-profit and for-profit businesses alike. His program, Cooperation with Government Bodies, mentors business owners and managers, and would benefit from outreach programs offered by U.S. chambers.
Visiting leaders then discussed the role of the media, specifically newspapers, in getting the information necessary for the joining of government with business
Russia has a plethora of newspapers and opinions vary on which papers present the most accurate news coverage.
Valentina Kudryashova, a Professor of psychology specializing in parent-teen intervention, writes several columns for newspapers and magazines there. She says most private newspapers rely on sensationalism and distortion of facts in order to lure in readers.
"Government run newspapers are more balanced, more news accurate, more optimistic."
But Arsanali Murtazaliyev countered her observation as being regional. Murtazaliyev is the Deputy Head for Khasavyurt City Administration which is close to Chechnya.
"In Moscow, no one reads the government paper because only newly passed laws are published in that paper. One must read the private paper for true news."
He adds that private papers are more liberal and open the government run paper in his city.
Irina Kosheleva works as the Director for the Center of Public Initiatives Support assisting refugees and immigrants. It is most difficult, she says, for non-profit and and non-government agencies to get their information out because they lack a lot of advertising dollars, similar to small businesses in the United States.
"People have an enormous thirst, a need, to present what we do to the general public, but no one will print our information. We lobbied and were finally allowed our own section in the newspaper. As soon as our section appeared, sales of the paper increased. That section is now so popular that the paper even offers an award to reporters who cover stories for our section."
Delegates toured the MTC facilities and the Clearfield Job Corps. They were also treated to a sailboat excursion around Antelope Island, a swim in the lake and dinner on the island.
Scott Sneddon of Clearfield Job Corps coordinated the agenda and escorted the group which was sponsored by its America sister-city of West Jordan.
Families in West Jordan hosted the group individual leaders in their homes with help from Jennifer Andolin, project coordinator.
© 2002, Davis County Clipper. Used with permission.
[Reprinted with Permission]
