There are two things that really bug Rick Danner: when folks pronounce Greer as “Gurrr” and when the growth and success of Greer is attributed to “sheer luck.” Danner, who is currently serving his fourth term as mayor of the City of Greer, addressed the business community on June 4 at the Greater Greer Chamber of Commerce First Friday Luncheon. Danner took to the podium to debunk the myth that the growth and success of Greer is due to little more than the rub of a rabbit’s foot.
In an address filled with humor, insight and plenty of shared life experiences, Mayor Danner challenged the crowd with four tongue-in-cheek ways to lead a luckier life.
1. Be proactive.
In the first week of his freshman year at Clemson, Danner and a few of the guys decided to play basketball where “all the college boys typically play ball… next to the girls’ dormitory.” Eager to score a blind date, Danner contacted a friend from high school who was also a new student at Clemson and implored her to find him a date for the weekend. That persistence and determination not only landed him a date for the weekend, but it was a date with the girl from Greer whom Danner would eventually marry. “If you don’t see an opportunity, be proactive and create one,” states Danner. “We only fail when we don’t try.”
2. Take advantage of opportunities.
Early in his career, Danner was pushed by a business mentor to join the Greater Greer Chamber of Commerce and become immersed into the business community. That same year he was also approached to join the inaugural class of Leadership Greer. Despite a busy career and growing family demands, Danner said that he is grateful that he took advantage of “new and different” opportunities placed in front of him.
3. Bring specific people into your life.
Downtown development proponent Peter McCord and former Greer State Bank CEO/President Dennis Hennett were two early mentors in Danner’s life. In fact it was during frequent lunch meetings with McCord and Hennett that the three would discuss various books and life philosophies. It was these two mentors who eventually encouraged Danner to run for mayor of the City of Greer during one of their frequent lunch meetings. Referring to those early lunch days with McCord and Hennett, Danner said, “We are all indebted to someone who gave us a chance in life. Now be that someone to another person and pay it forward.”
4. Networking maximizes opportunities.
Networking not only maximizes your chances for opportunity, but it also causes you to be open to other people. Though Danner stressed that successful people must first learn to cultivate humility when dealing with other people. “You can make more friends in two months by becoming genuinely interested in others than in two years of trying to get them to be interested in you.”
In conclusion, Danner admitted that he finally has the comeback for those who approach him attributing the success and growth of Greer to luck. “The next time I think I’ll tell them, ‘Being lucky sure is hard work.'”
[break]
Jennifer Lowe Cobb is the marketing and special projects coordinator for the Greater Greer Chamber of Commerce. The Greater Greer Chamber of Commerce is a voluntary nonprofit organization that represents approximately 675 businesses in the Greer area. The mission of the Greater Greer Chamber of Commerce is “to champion economic prosperity for our members and the Greater Greer community.” For more information, call 864-877-3131 or visit greerchamber.com.
