A Closer Look: Brian Waller
.floatimg-left-hort { float:left; } .floatimg-left-caption-hort { float:left; margin-bottom:10px; width:300px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;} .floatimg-left-vert { float:left; margin-top:10px; margin-right:15px; width:200px;} .floatimg-left-caption-vert { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; font-size: 12px; width:200px;} .floatimg-right-hort { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 300px;} .floatimg-right-caption-hort { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 300px; font-size: 12px; } .floatimg-right-vert { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px;} .floatimg-right-caption-vert { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px; font-size: 12px; } .floatimgright-sidebar { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px; border-top-style: double; border-top-color: black; border-bottom-style: double; border-bottom-color: black;} .floatimgright-sidebar p { line-height: 115%; text-indent: 10px; } .floatimgright-sidebar h4 { font-variant:small-caps; } .pullquote { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 150px; background: url(http://www.dmbusinessdaily.com/DAILY/editorial/extras/closequote.gif) no-repeat bottom right !important ; line-height: 150%; font-size: 125%; border-top: 1px solid; border-bottom: 1px solid;} .floatvidleft { float:left; margin-bottom:10px; width:325px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;} .floatvidright { float:right; margin-bottom:10px; width:325px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;} Why did you leave Iowa?
Like many kids who grow up in Iowa, they are hellbent on leaving Iowa, and that’s what I did when I graduated to go to Colorado State University, where I got my degree in speech communications with a focus on historical rhetoric. While in Colorado I found myself answering questions, “where are you from?” and then defending that. I felt like somebody had said something about my brother or my mother and I was defending them. I never wanted to come back so bad.
What brought you to Des Moines?
I got a job at the Science Center of Iowa. I wasn’t a science kid growing up … it wasn’t my main thing. But what interested me about the Science Center of Iowa was that it was in the fabric of Des Moines.
What did you do at the Science Center?
I built partnerships throughout the state and community and I focused on science-based industry. It was my job to seek out these partnerships, be it with Monsanto or Pioneer, and get them into the Sceince Center and take this difficult topic of science and make it interesting for kids. … We tried to make science not into a four-letter word, but to make it kind of fun, to engage kids again. It was interesting for me to break down these topics in a way that a young Brian would have maybe changed his course. Through the Science Center, I got involved in the community. I got involved with the Court Avenue Business Association. In 2008, I became the marketing chairman and led the relaunch of the business district. It was through that organization that my love for downtown and my civic pride came to an up well. My interest in public policy and my civic pride led me to my job at the Des Moines Downtown Chamber of Commerce.
What are the challenges for the Downtown Chamber?
We are a year old. So the first challenge is that we’re new, we’re young. It’s defining ourselves, that the main thing. We are solely focused on making connections that count, making connections within the downtown community. As I start, coming from the nonprofit world, coming from the Court Avenue Business Association, small business bar owners, and in my first 30 days I see a disconnect – the small businesses and the bankers, the lawyers, the corporate, the business professionals – and so it’s my role to bridge that gap and make the Downtown chamber a place where anybody who wants to come in and contribute to their city can contribute.
Are there conflicting visions for the downtown?
Here’s the conflict as I see it, that some feel their voices aren’t reaching the ears to influence the decisions. That’s what the chamber does. If you join the chamber, you are in the circle, you have the ears. The chamber is the perfect vehicle to bring people together in those ways.
What is historical rhetoric?
It’s famous speeches. To this day, I read speeches and dissect them. My mom was an English teacher. I love words, I love phrases, so it was neat in school to study historical speeches and break them down.
What is your favorite speech?
It would have to be Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I have a dream” speech. It’s short and to the point, and it’s a wonderful speech.
What do you do in your spare time?
I play music, I play the guitar and I’m an avid writer of songs. Nobody that I work with professionally probably even knows that. Are you going to leak that?
Yes I am. Who are your influences?
John Prine. Bob Dylan. Greg Brown. I talked about the love of language and that’s Bob Dylan; that’s these guys. It’s the soundtrack to my life.
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