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b"Our Town guest Jim Dinegar is President of the Greater Washington Board of Trade. By the end of their conversation, host Andy Ockershausen tells Jim \\u201cYou are the image, Jim. You\\u2019re stuck with it!\\u201d Jim is humble in his response, saying that he does get to work for the Board of Trade, but \\u201cit is not him, and he\\u2019s not it.\\u201d \\n\\n\\n\\nThroughout the interview, time and again, Jim Dinegar demonstrates humility, a rarity in a man of his standing in a city like Washington DC. Accordingly to Andy, Jim's impact on the region\\u2019s business over the last 10 years as President of the Board of Trade is big. After listening in, you might agree that it\\u2019s due to Jim\\u2019s passion for the community in which he lives and works, and for the work he does representing the Board of Trade and its members within the Washington DC metro region. \\n\\nAlthough originally from Bayside, Queens, New York, Jim calls the Washington metro his home. His first impression of Washington DC as a visiting high school student was a lasting one. He came to see how government works, liked the fact that Our Town was singly focused around government at the time, and came back to attend Catholic University where he studied politics and history. Listen in to hear Jim list a few classmates that have gone on to become notable government officials.\\n\\nBefore coming to the Board of Trade, Jim Dinegar worked with national associations and his business was national in scope, with lots of travel mostly around the country. When the call came from the Board of Trade for him to become President it was posited as an opportunity to \\u201cstay and live and work here to represent the place where you chose to live and work and raise your family, and for me that was catnip, that was too good to pass up.\\u201d \\n\\nJim describes his position as President of the Board of Trade as a \\u201cfacilitator that can help convene people, facilitate the discussion and help get things done.\\u201d That said, he is quick to tell us that the \\u201cPower of the Board of Trade is really in the membership. . .bank presidents, managing partners of law firms, the dedicated people out of public relations firms, advertising and marketing\\u2026\\u201d He also says with pride that the Board of Trade staff is incredibly dedicated and hard-working, and committed to good customer service and quality.\\n\\nAndy and Jim talk about the growth Washington DC metro has experienced. They agree\\u2026it\\u2019s going to get bigger and bigger but it will be connected with Baltimore and Richmond\\u2026 into a megalopolis. They also discuss the visionaries who\\u2019ve made it, and are making it, what it is today - Milt Peterson, Ted Lerner, Bud Doggett, and Doug Jemal to name a few.\\n\\nWhen discussing the changes to Our Town over the last ten years, Jim tells Andy \\u201cWhen you look at this place, people choose to live here. I was asked about people who would leave here after the Inauguration, I don\\u2019t see that \\u2013 It doesn\\u2019t happen any more. It\\u2019s not like Chicago should be expecting a big influx of people back\\u2026 even the President and his wife are going to stay here.\\u201d\\n\\n\\u201cWhat I have seen over the years is that the smaller town feel of Washington, Rosslyn and Bethesda are becoming more of a big powerful region . . . we have a re-emerging.\\u201d\\n\\nAndy and Jim discuss transportation issues and what needs to be improved upon. They agree that \\u201cWe are a world leader and world capital, but too often, we don\\u2019t play that way and we don\\u2019t think of ourselves that way, we can\\u2019t live with a Metro system that\\u2019s hobbling along- we have to have the best transportation. We need a quality transportation system to support the people who choose to live here. \\u201c You will find their discussion on transportation enlightening to say the least. Think redefined traffic patterns, water taxi system, and reciprocal taxi policies.\\n\\nJim and Andy also discuss what is working, and agree that the city government looks bright. They also mention the tremendous positive impact The Wharf will have on Our Town,"