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Pennsylvania looking for rural broadband solutions
Monday, June 30, 2003 The Pennsylvania legislature is considering proposals to establish a dedicated fund to accelerate broadband deployment in rural areas. The fund would be financed by a surcharge on the profits of the state's telephone companies. The bill would set up a state board to provide grants to help local communities gain access to high-speed Internet service for residents and businesses. Learn more. If you are interested in this issue, you should check out the North Carolina Rural Internet Access Authority. Visit the site. posted by Ed Morrison | Texas scores big in semiconductors In a huge win for Texas, Texas Instruments has chosen Telecom Corridor, just outside Dallas, for the location of its next major semiconductor manufacturing plant. The company said it considered locations in other states, as well as China. A key element in the decision: The commitment of the state to millions of dollars of new funding for the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science at Univeristy of Texas at Dallas. State officials said TI received no direct aid from the state but that TI insisted on the funding for UT-Dallas. The state investment for the university includes $50 million from a new $295 million fund to attract jobs to Texas and $85 million toward the land and building for a new research center. These are the types of incentives that make sense: even if the TI plant closes, the region will have a major new engineering program and a pool of trained engineers. Read more. posted by Ed Morrison | Web Watch: New portal for Massachusetts Massachusetts has officially launched its new portal for economic development. You can read about it here. Or, visit the site. posted by Ed Morrison | Focus on Productivity Timothy Bartik is a noted researcher in economic development, and he has published a paper urging a new approach to federal economic development policy. According to Bartik, a new federal policy should provide partial federal support for state and local economic development programs that encourage business productivity. He is right on track. Download his paper. posted by Ed Morrison | Boeing's site selection consultant Here's an article on McCallum Sweeney, Boeing's site selection consultant. Read more. posted by Ed Morrison | Worried about manufacturing jobs? Read this article Manufacturing job losses are continuing, but improvements in manufacturing productivity represent the Big Story of the 1990's that the business press missed. Read this article to understand the changes sweeping manufacturing. The author is talking about Maine, but the same story applies to your state. Competitive manufacturing today demands sophisticated skills and generates high incomes. The jobs are fewer but the incomes are higher. We need to continue to invest in manufacturing -- and the skills needed by competitive firms -- to accelerate this trend. Otherwise, we all lose. The days of high incomes and low skills are gone. Go. Folks in Indiana need to read this article. They seem confused about manufacturing...They are setting up a false choice between manufacturing and "new economy" jobs. Read more. My Bonehead Quote of the Month award goes to an EDPro quoted in the article, "We all know manufacturing is leaving the United States." Today in our history of innovation... In 1861, Elisha G. Otis, of Yonkers, New York patented the safety elevator as a "Hoisting Apparatus". posted by Ed Morrison | NC school districts offers computers to students Sunday, June 29, 2003 Here's something EDPros should be promoting: infrastructure for building brainpower. Greene County, NC leaders last week approved a lease agreement that will provide laptop computers for every middle and high school student this school year. (Maine has a similar program.) Supporters say the program will allow the rural county to teach students important skills they'll need in the digital age. It's the first countywide initiative of its kind in North Carolina. The program, which will provide more than 1,715 Apple iBook computers for students and 136 of the devices for teachers, will cost the county about $3.23 million over four years. The deal includes software, servers and other related equipment." Learn more. posted by Ed Morrison | Wichita launches collaborative ED effort Saturday, June 28, 2003 Wichita is one of those communities that has had difficulty getting its act together. Now comes a new effort. Rather than establishing another regional organization, the leadership is focusing on collaboration and coordination. A Steering Council, representing a 50/50 partnership between public and private investors, will guide existing ED efforts. Read more. A group of business and community leaders a year to determine the makeup of the new economic panel. Here is the presentation that business leaders used to sell their concept of concensus. It's got some good, simple graphics that might be useful to you. Go. And here is some additional information on the effort. Go. posted by Ed Morrison | Three cities in cluster study The Council on Competitiveness has launched a project to understand innovative cluster formation in Wilmington, DE; Akron, OH; and Albuquerque, NM. Read more. Today in our history of innovation... In 1958, the Mackinac Bridge, the world longest suspension bridge, was dedicated. posted by Ed Morrison | New strategy released for two rural counties in the Charlotte region Friday, June 27, 2003 Cleveland and Gaston counties are part of the Charlotte region, but they have not ridden the crest of the wave. They have both been hard hit by lay-offs. So, the feds put up $300,000 for a compreehensive economic development strategy (a "CEDS" in fed-speak). Now the report is out. You can read about it. Go. Or, visit the project web site. Go. You can download an interesting memo on the transformation of two smaller cities, Lowell, MA and Tupelo, MS on this page. posted by Ed Morrison | Duke Power increases its commitment to economic development "Duke Power is putting more mind, more muscle and more money into economic development." That's what Duke Power's President promises Charlotte. The Duke economic-development effort includes a 50% reduction in electric rates for certain companies. The company also has created a fund, capped at $1 million per year, designed to be a deal-sealing incentive for industries moving to the Carolinas. Read more. Duke Power President Ruth Shaw delivered the keynote address to the annual meeting of the Charlotte Regional Partnership on June 17. Read her remarks. posted by Ed Morrison | Buffalo releases master plan to rebuild its population base Older industrial cities face a difficult challenge to reverse the population drain. Buffalo has released its plan this week. The goal of the new development plan is to halt the population drain by 2010. The big question: Who will step up with the investment. The challenge willbe to use public investment to "lead" private investment. Read more. posted by Ed Morrison | Leveraging foundations to build an entrepreneurship center Some EDPros are working on entrepreneurship. Foundations and colleges can be partners. Here's a good example from Depaul University and the Coleman Foundation. Go. Today in our history of innovation... In 1847, New York and Boston were linked by telegraph wires. posted by Ed Morrison | Massachusetts defends its biotech turf Thursday, June 26, 2003 If biotech is on your radar screen, you'll like this article. Massachusetts has strong biotech R&D, but when it comes to expanding into manufacturing, the state's reputation is not so hot. For some, the perception is that costs are high and the State doesn't care. The new governor is trying to change all that. Read more. Today in our history of innovation... In 1819, The first US patent for a velocipede, a predecessor of the bicycle, was issued to William K. Clarkson Jr. of New York. posted by Ed Morrison | Milken rates the metros Wednesday, June 25, 2003 The Milken Institute has released its latest rankings of economic performance by the nation's metro economies. You can view the Top 200 Me tro ranking on line. Go. Or, view 96 Smaller Metro ranking. Go. Or, download the Best Performing Cities report. (Registration is required, and I wouldn't bother. It's the same tables you see on the web.) Go. posted by Ed Morrison | Another reason Boeing's not moving Boeing's manufacturing strategy for the 7E7 will rely on assembling large components manufactured by second and third tier suppliers. This supplier base is thick around Seattle. Moving final assembly away from this supplier base, while feasible, does not make sense as a manufacturing strategy. Boeing would increase logistics and inventory costs and slow down the responsiveness of the system. (Think about how auto assembly plants now have suppliers located nearby.) Read more about Boeing's supplier base. Go posted by Ed Morrison | Web Watch: Florida's High Tech Corridor The Florida High Tech Corridor Council has launched a new web site for the 21 county region. The site provides information -- which includes updated labor market statistics, job openings and education opportunities -- as an online resource for employers, job seekers, workforce development boards, chambers of commerce, economic development councils, educational institutions and state agencies. It's got a powerful database driving the site...and it's far more than most EDPros need or can afford. Explore it to get some useful insights. This one sets a standard. I particularly like how well the information is integrated. Sites like this make your region "sticky" to smart people. Visit the site. posted by Ed Morrison | Wisconsin will launch a new marketing program Add Wisconsin to the list of states that are launching new marketing programs. But this one has more to do with state politics than with a strategic branding effort. For a branding effort to be successful you need to figure out how to position the state and what your core value propositions will be. Then you need to launch a series of focused initiatives over a long time to have an impact. Looks like Wisconsin will simply be buying ad space. Hopefully, they will at least have some follow-up system in place to measure a "cost per lead" (with a separate 800 number and e-mail address for each ad.) But don't bet on it. Read more. Today in our history of innovation... In 1867, Lucien B. Smith of Kent, Ohio patented barbed wire. posted by Ed Morrison | Overview of the Iowa Values Fund Tuesday, June 24, 2003 Along with Texas ED reforms and the Energize Indiana plan, the Iowa Values Fund ranks in the top tier of new developments in state ED strategy. Passed earlier this month, the Values Fund represents a $500+ million commitment to investment in the Iowa economy. This article will give you an over view of the Fund. Go. This article will give you some additional insight into Iowa's strategy. Go. Iowa is focusing on up to 130 potential business prospects with potential capital investments topping $3 billion. Most of those companies fall into the three “industry clusters” being targeted with Values Fund dollars: cutting-edge life-science firms, existing manufacturers seeking help to modernize and financial services companies. posted by Ed Morrison | Wisconsin's biotech strategy This is the second year that Wisconsin has participated in the big BIO conference. Here's a review of their approach to biotech. Read more. posted by Ed Morrison | St. Louis Bio Belt: Some Background This week's big BIO conference in Washington, DC has attracted EDPros interested in biotech and the life sciences. Few regions have been as successful as St. Louis in building a strong reputation in biotech. Here's a good summary on the background and operation of Bio Belt. Go. Here's an article about what EDPros from the Bio Belt are doing this week in Washington. Read more. posted by Ed Morrison | High tech development planned for Northern Kentucky In an effort to diversify the regional economy, EDPros in Northern Kentucky are launching a new initiative to attract expanding technology-based companies. A key element: info tech graduates from Northern Kentucky University. Relatively few regions have large research universities. But virtually every region has post-secondary institutions, and they can play an important part in your economic development strategy. Read more about their approach. Go. You can also read how Northern Kentucky plays into Kentucky's bitoech plans. Read more. Today in our history of innovation... In 1930, the first radar detection of aircraft took place at Anacostia, DC. posted by Ed Morrison | Perspectives from Scotland Monday, June 23, 2003 Here's an interesting perspective on US economic development from Scotland. Former government official Iain Gray explains what lessons can be learned for economic development strategy from interstate competition in America. Read more. posted by Ed Morrison | Colorado's prospects in biotech Colorado's biotech sector is small, but the state in investing to build stronger foundations. Here's a review of Colorado's outlook. Go. Today in our history of innovation... In 1964, Arthur Melin obtained a patent for the hula-hoop. posted by Ed Morrison | Selling location at the Paris Air Show Saturday, June 21, 2003 Here's a good article on what states were doing at the Paris Air Show last week. (You have to register for the New York Times to view this article. It's a simple process.) Read on. Today in our history of innovation... In 1834, Cyrus Hall McCormick received a patent for his reaping machine. He demonstrated his machine in 1831 at a public trial in a field near Walnut Grove, Va. In 1902, the McCormick Harvesting Machine Company merged with five other leading farm implement manufacturers to form the International Harvester Company. posted by Ed Morrison | Maryland incubator focuses on homeland security Friday, June 20, 2003 Anne Arundel County EDPros have launched a plan to leverage their proximity to the National Security Agency, defense contractors, universities and other federal agencies to build a cluster of high-tech companies. Their incubator will launch firms involved with homeland security. Read more. posted by Ed Morrison | Here's a barometer of workforce quality: Your state's reading assessment Reading scores are in important predictor of the quality of your workforce. (Your 4th graders represent new workers in ten years.) The Education Department has released its latest report in its highly regarded National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). You can find out how your state ranked on this page. Go. You can learn more about the reading assessment on this page. Go. Here's a good overview article discussing nationawide results. Go. posted by Ed Morrison | Building quality places: impact fees and job growth Mark Waterhouse, an EDPro who teaches the growth management course at the Economic Development Institute, passed on this interesting report on impact fees. By examining 67 counties in Florida, the authors analyze the connection between impact fees and job growth. They conclude that impact fees are generally a more efficient way to pay for infrastructure and that they do not slow job growth. Download the report. One caution: impact fees are easy to talk about, but difficult to administer. Many planning offices in rural counties are not equipped to deal with these complexities. Short of impact fees, you can do a lot with a thoughtful design of your development code or zoning ordinance. (You might want to check out the development code I've been implementing in Ascension Parish, Louisiana. Ascension is a rural parish that is experiencing fast growth. We have been using development agreements as an interim step to impact fees. Go to Ascension Plan) There are a lot of good resources on the web to get you up to speed on this stuff. Start with PlannersWeb, Smart Growth America, and Plantetizen. Today in our history of innovation... In 1935, a Patent Office issued a patent for the game of Monopoly to Charles Darrow of Pennsylvania. Darrow assigned the patent to Parker Brothers, Inc. The patent titled the game a "Board Game Appartus" and described it as "intended primarily to provide a game of barter, thus involving trading and bargaining" in which "much of the interest in the game lies in trading and in striking shrewd bargains." posted by Ed Morrison | North Carolina adjusts its jobs incentives Thursday, June 19, 2003 Here's an article on recent changes to North Carolina's jobs incentives. Go. posted by Ed Morrison | Boeing gets billions A day before Boeing's auction ends, Washington State awards the company of tax breaks worth $3 billion over 20 years. Read more. Here's a review of the likely bidding by other states. Read more. Today in our history of innovation... In 1941, Cheerios whole grain oat cereal was invented to provide a more convenient and better tasting alternative to cooked oatmeal. Each piece of the O-shaped cereal is 1/2-inch diameter, and weighs .0025 ounce. Each little "O" puffs itself out, like popcorn, as it explodes from the barrel of a puffing gun at high temperature posted by Ed Morrison | Massachusetts branding campaign and web site Wednesday, June 18, 2003 Massachusetts is launching a $2 million branding campaign, "Massachusetts: It's All Here". The State will put up $250,000. The balance will come from economic development groups and private companies. The governor announced a commitment of $1 million yesterday. The campaign is targeted at biotech and defense contractors, primarily. Massachusetts faces a tough fight keeping its biotech base as companies move from research to full scale production. A tough labor reputation makes defense contractors also a difficult sell. (GE, for example, has been downsizing its aircraft engine workforce in Lynn though subcontracting.) The State is emphasizing its high quality labor force, good regulatory environment and quality of life as its main value propositions. It has also launched a web site with two searchable databases: one for programs, one for properties. Visit the web site. In addition, the site has a side-by-side comparison page where an prospect can compare Massachusetts to any other state. Visit the comparison page Read more. (Thanks to EDPro Don Iannone for pointing to this story in his weblog.) posted by Ed Morrison | Innovation Watch: Michigan prepares for fuel cells Here's a good review of the steps Michigan is taking to prepare for the next disruptive technology in auto manufacturing: fuel cells. The strategy is credible enough to be generating anxiety in Ontario (and it should be in Ohio and other states, as well, that manufacture engine and drive train parts.) Read more. posted by Ed Morrison | Retention Strategies: KY forms another training consortium Kentucky relies on a model of industry consortia to guide training. This highly sucessful approach closes the gap between business executives and educators in identifying the critical skills needed by manufacturers. For some years now, I have been guiding the community assessment program for the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development. We conduct two day strategy assessments with members of the Kentucky Industrial Development Council and representatives from the Economic Development Cabinet, the Workforce Development Cabinet, and the Tourism Development Cabinet. During these assessments, we have seen how this consortia model moves a community toward more effective collaboration. Emil Jezik, commissioner of the Workforce Development Cabinet, is a passionate advocate for this approach. It becomes the core of a business retention strategy. Here's an article on the latest consortium to form. Read more. Today in our history of innovation... In 1928, aviator Amelia Earhart became the first woman to fly across the Atlantic Ocean. posted by Ed Morrison | Providence combines design and business Tuesday, June 17, 2003 EDPros in Providence, RI are getting it right. They are linking the state's strength in design with business development. The challenge is to build entrepreneurship networks around their established design strengths. The anchor is Center for Design and Business -- a joint-venture of Bryant Colloege and the Rhode Island School of Design. The Center helps designers start and grow their own businesses and also contains a business incubator for start-up companies. Read more. (You might have to register to get access to the Providence Journal.) posted by Ed Morrison | Another idea for reinvesting in downtowns Here's an interesting idea to expand downtown investments. Expand TIF districts (which focus on property taxes) to include sales taxes. It's another way to create incentives for redevelopment. Learn more. posted by Ed Morrison | Oregon tries to jumpstart a research center With a donation from Hewlett Packard, Oregon's governor is hoping to put more pressure on the legislature to invest in a new research center at Oregon State. The center would involve a collaboration among University of Oregon, Portland State University and Pacific Northwest National Lab. Supporters hope to generate a $20 million annual research budget. In addition, a business incubator is part of the plan. The one hitch: Will the state legislature invest $30 million in the center? Read more. posted by Ed Morrison | New Zealand's first creative industries incubator The UK, Canada, and New Zealand are generally ahead of U.S. EDPros is recognizing the creative industries as an engine for growth. (Most of us are still stuck thinking about "the arts" as a "quality of life" amenity.) Here's some background on a creative industries incubator in Wellington, New Zealand that launched in March. Two good quotes from the director: “It’s a proven fact that incubators grow businesses faster and more successfully than would otherwise be the case. The on-site support, the mentoring, the shared services, the clustering of like-minded people together. It’s about banging ideas around and making it happen.” "We should be graduating students and graduating businesses, sometimes both together. I want our graduates to understand that there are the opportunities here, that they can be passionate about innovation, technology and building new ideas and find support for their fledgling ideas within this environment. And all they need to pay is the price of the desk.” Read more here and here. Visit the web site. posted by Ed Morrison | Signs of recovery? Expansions in auto parts We are beginning to see signs of life in the auto parts industry. A series of articles have appeared announcing expansions. They include expansion of a Cleveland-based company in Jacksonville; expansion of a Japanese supplier in western Kentucky, near Owensboro; expansion of a Japanese supplier in Michigan; expansion of a Japanese joint venture in Tennessee and Georgia's efforts to recruit in Germany, following the anticipated vote to go ahead with the Chrysler truck plant. News is not all good. Two smaller plants are closing in Michigan. As one executive notes, "It's probably the most volatile time in the automotive supply industry in the last 25 years." Today in our history of innovation... In 1837, Charles Goodyear obtained his first rubber-processing patent. posted by Ed Morrison | An update on ED reforms in Texas Monday, June 16, 2003 Here's an update on the Texas reforms in economic development. The new legislation abolishes the Department of Economic Development and centralizes ED operations in the governor's office. The governor gains control of a fund of $275 million to attract and retain businesses. 23 staff positions will be cut from a total of 127. Read more. Here's additional background. posted by Ed Morrison | Hudson River Valley to launch regional marketing initative Funded by a commitment from Central Hudson Gas & Electric, the Hudson River Valley is set to launch a $7.5 million marketing program. The region covers eight counties. Read more, and visit their web site. posted by Ed Morrison | Info Tech 100 Report If you are developing your economy around information technology, read Business Week's Info Tech 100 Report. Go Today in our history of innovation... In 1893, R.W. Rueckheim combined popcorn, peanuts and molasses to invent Cracker Jack which he introduced at the Chicago World Fair. posted by Ed Morrison | Chances are, Boeing is staying put Friday, June 13, 2003 "Boeing got what they wanted. They got the sun and the moon and the stars." That's how one analyst put it. After Governor Locke blew off the doors, it only makes sense for other states to pack up and move on. Boeing's gambit has paid off. Read more. Learn more about Gov. Locke's response to Boeing. Read the Boeing story from earlier this week. posted by Ed Morrison | Rochester continues to move forward Turning around a city is no picnic. Rochester has invested about $300 million since 1998 on the mayor's plan, and now people want a five year update. The city has a lot of economic assets: Xerox, Eastman Kodak, Bausch & Lomb, but the biggest challenge is managing people's perceptions. Turning around a city takes a generation, and a large part of the challenge for EDPros is managing expectations. My brother, Hunter, was the planning director for the City of Cleveland and the prime mover of much of what you see today: The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Browns, Stadium, Jacobs Field and more. He reminds audiences: "Cleveland is the miracle that took twenty years to happen." Rochester is learning this lesson. Read on. posted by Ed Morrison | Milwaukee tries to break the cycle A leadership group in Milwaukee has a simple message: prosperity begins with collaboration. The Greater Milwaukee Committee, a group of civic leaders, has issued a "strategic framework" designed to end the bickering and move the community forward. If you are an EDPro stuck in a community with endless arguments that go nowhere, Milwaukee might provide you a good example to break the cycle. Read more. posted by Ed Morrison | Alabama and Mississippi agree to joint development framework The governors of Alabama and Mississippi have signed a framework agreement to encourage joint economic development efforts for the depressed counties along their border. Learn more. Today in our history of innovation... In 1844, Linus Yale patented the pin tumbler door lock. His invention gave rise to Yale Materials Handling Corporation. Here's an interactive map of their company history. posted by Ed Morrison | BellSouth builds out broadband in rural Georgia Thursday, June 12, 2003 BellSouth announced yesterday that it will be extending high speed DSL service to over 100 communities throughout Georgia. BellSouth based its decision to deploy broadband capabilities to all its Georgia switching offices on the favorable business environment established by the State of Georgia. BellSouth is funding the upgrade through tax incentives granted through Georgia's Business Expansion and Support Tax and its Ports Tax Credit. Learn more. posted by Ed Morrison | Kentucky builds global connections Part of building an innovation economy involves expanding global connections. Kentucky is doing that through its annual World Trade Day. Businesses from around the state met yesterday with trade officials from nearly two-dozen nations. Read more. posted by Ed Morrison | Winston-Salem's research park plans expansion Leaders in Winston-Salem have unveiled plans for a major expansion of Piedmont Triad Research Park. They expect to begin construction in a year on a $150 million first phase that is tied to the medical center. Read more. posted by Ed Morrison | Greater Georgia: A model of collaboration and branding EDPro News subscriber Brian Quinsey sent me an e-mail last week to suggest Greater Georgia as a model for other states to follow. Greater Georgia represents a collaboration among the state's second tier cities: Columbus, Savannah, Macon and Augusta. According to Brian: "Through this effort the four communities have been able to market themselves (and each other) to site selection consultants. They have coordinated visits to consultants and hosted a reception and luncheon in NYC. The Georgia Department of Industry, Trade & Tourism has endorsed this initiative. The consultants were very impressed with the collaboration." Yesterday's news carries a story about how Greater Georgia is connecting these cities to research centers in the European Union. The goal is to strengthen the research and technology base within the state. Learn more. posted by Ed Morrison | South Carolina's investments in technology South Carolina is moving ahead with plans to invest $30 million in lottery funds into the state's research base. Read more. posted by Ed Morrison | NY's Empire Zones Here's a good review of New York's Empire Zone program. The bottom line: they don't make up for a relatively bad business climate. Go Today in our history of innovation... In 1906, John Ballance patented sound movies, and, in 1913, John Randolph Bray released the first animated cartoon. posted by Ed Morrison | Detroit builds a new brand Wednesday, June 11, 2003 The Detroit Chamber and Digital Detroit have joined forces to brand their technology region the Digital Drive. As a regional collaboration, Digital Drive will market Southeast Michigan as one high-tech region. The first challenge is the internal audience...getting leaders in the region to understand and accept the brand. To do that, they have enlisted over 30 "PR Champs", people committed to promoting the brand. Good idea. Visit the web site. posted by Ed Morrison | Web Watch: NY SiteFinder NY SiteFinder offers a simple, yet powerful GIS solution to finding sites and buildings. You start out with a map of NY and zoom in, much like MapQuest. Use the Advanced Search, if you are trying to find a building or site that meets certain specs. (Compare this to the complex site search tool developed by TVIDA. This tool requires you to download software to use it. Go to TVIDA.) My one complaint with NY SiteFinder: The opening page begins with some really limp language. ("This site has been developed by Empire State Development to facilitate the site selection process in New York State." Oh, really? What a surprise.) It goes on to talk about how the site was developed. ("...In partnership with local and regional economic development agencies, utility companies, blah, blah, blah". Who cares?) How about writing the introduction from the user's perspective with a Quick Start Guide? ("We've built a really powerful search engine for you, and here's how you use it..." Marketing 101...Think from your customer's perspective.) View NY SiteFinder. MapInfo, a NY-based company, helped develop the site. posted by Ed Morrison | Report for EDPros in rural areas EDPros in smaller, rural communities might be interested in reviewing a new strategy report produced by the Greater Yellowstone region. The report suggests that economic development is more than business recruitment. It proposes that small towns in Wyoming, Montana and Idaho can achieve economic success by providing good schools, fast Internet service, flight connections to major cities and access to outdoor places that are protected. Download the from this page. posted by Ed Morrison | New report on the importance of manufacturing The popular business press has mostly got it wrong about manufacturing. It's not dying, it's changing. And they missed one of the biggest economic stories of the 1990's: the extraordinary growth in productivitiy among manufacturers. The National Association of Manufacturers has commissioned an important report on the future of manufacturing. It underlines the importance of understanding the critical importance that manufacturing plays (and could continue to play) in our economic future. You can download it from this page. The analysis contends that manufacturing is “the heart of an innovative process that powers the U.S. economy to global leadership” and that “America’s unprecedented wealth and world economic leadership are made possible by a critical mass of manufacturing within the geographic confines of the American common market.” Today in our history of innovation In 1742, Benjamin Franklin invented the Franklin stove. The wood fuel burns on an iron surface over a cold air duct which heats air which then passes through baffles in the back wall. The heated air is released through vents on each side of the stove. Rather than patent it, Franklin chose to write about it in a book so that others could freely copy his design. posted by Ed Morrison | Web Watch: New site for Greater Rochester Tuesday, June 10, 2003 Greater Rochester Enterprise launched a new web site yesterday with a good, clean design. One feature looks interesting, but has not been launched: a "proposal generator" (under Site Selection Tools). Visit the site. posted by Ed Morrison | You want incentives? I'll give you incentives...how about $3 billion? Governor Locke in Washington State has upped the ante. He's proposing a 20 year, $3 billion break for Boeing. (He's no idiot...he's not going to sacrifice his political career by risking a Boeing bolt.) There's only one problem. The package is so big, it's risking a backlash. (Even Boeing lobbyists are squirming like a worm on a hot brick. They are saying they did not ask for the package and are not lobbying for it.) At the same time Locke is delivering a clear message to other states: "Don't mess with Boeing". Read more. posted by Ed Morrison | New Mexico's new technology corridor With a memorandum of understanding, Governor Richardson has connected Santa Fe's 12 research institutions into a technology corridor. The partnership is designed to accelerate technology transfer and business development, as well as increase research funding. Learn more. posted by Ed Morrison | Investing in expanding firms in Appalachia Rural venture capital firms are expanding in Appalachia. But, as one participant notes, providing capital is not enough. "We need to get past the cheerleading stage and into the coaching stage". Learn more. Today in our history of innovation... In 1902, Americus F. Callahan of Chicago received the first U.S. patent for a window envelope. In 1890, black American inventor Daniel Johnson received a patent for a grass catcher for lawn mowers. posted by Ed Morrison | Download this report Monday, June 09, 2003 The Committee for Economic Development has produced an excellent report on long term economic growth. If you do nothing else for your education this week, download this report and read it. (There's no test.) Download. posted by Ed Morrison | Building a strong investment case for higher education As EDPros, we should become strong advocates for expanding investments in higher education. There are both direct employment impacts and spin-off benefits from higher productivity and new businesses. Here's a good article on a recent presentation by the President of the University of Minnesota. Read on. You can check out your state's support of higher education on this web site. posted by Ed Morrison | Indiana's innovation economy: Will it change? Indiana's challenge to build a strategy for fuel cells highlights the central task of accelerating innovation: building connections. As one company founder notes, "Indiana isn't connected enough". Learn more The situation in Indiana is set to change. Energize Indiana, the state's plan to invest $1.25 billion over 10 years in stronger research and business development, kicks off this week. Read more. posted by Ed Morrison | Building quality places: Toledo's Arrowhead Park We all know about Research Triangle Park, but Toledo's Arrowhead Park also has a story to tell. The development of Arrowhead Park provides important insights to follow. It is a story of converting high planning and design standards into a competitive asset. Learn more Today in our history of innovation... Today marks the birthday of the fast food restaurant. In 1902, the Automat Restaurant opened in Philadelphia. The restaurant offered vending machine service. Later, Horn & Hardhart expanded the concept into a chain of Automats, America’s first major fast-food chain. Customers put nickels into slots in the Automats and turned a knob. In the compartment next to the slot, food revolved into place for the customer to receive through a small glass door. posted by Ed Morrison | Boeing's game of leverage Saturday, June 07, 2003 I'm not the only one who sees the Boeing deal as simply a way to leverage more incentives out of Washington State. Read more. It seems to be working. Governor Locke is proposing a $2 billion, 10 year tax cut. Boeing's tactics have put Locke into a political vice. Learn more. Here's a good article summarizing the competition. Read more. Today in our history of innovation... In 1980, the first U.S. solar power plant started operation. It was located at the Natural Bridge National Monument, Utah. With over 250,000 solar cells arrayed in 12 long rows, its 100-kilowatt output could provide the power needs for the buildings and facilities of that National Park. posted by Ed Morrison | New regional group forms in Metro Little Rock Friday, June 06, 2003 The Central Arkansas Economic Development Alliance has secured $1.2 million in pledges over 4 years to launch a new regional economic development effort. The new regional group hopes to promote the region as "the New Center of the South". (It will take more money than that to build this brand.) One of the promoters summarized the brand positioning: ""It's urban unplugged. It's Fortune 500 and it's $5 barbeque. It's high-tech connectivity and deals sealed with a handshake. It's every thing you expect from an urban center, but it's packaged in the values of a town square." Read more and visit the web site. The web site includes some fairly good interactive maps and site database. posted by Ed Morrison | Web Watch: The Pennsylvania Marketing and Planning Center Here's an excellent web site that uses GIS to support marketing and economic development. The data are a little old, but the design and presentation of information is clear and concise. This is an example of how we can use university-based resources to support our efforts. Go to the site. posted by Ed Morrison | Charlotte launches retention initiative The City of Charlotte is conducting a mail survey to identify problems in its business climate. It will take 30 days to get responses back and another 30 days to analyze them. Charlotte has hired a customer service company to head its retention efforts. The firm will be paid up to $40,000. Read more. Why not use the Internet? The survey would take days, not months and cost around 5% of what Charlotte is spending. Disclosure: This is one area that I am developing with interactive interview technology. That's the same technology that many of you used to sign up for EDPro News. (Click on the "Subscribe to free updates" link to the right .) I also recently used this approach to conduct a compensation survey of economic development professionals with IEDC. Today in our history of innovation... In 1850, Levi Strauss made his first denim jeans. posted by Ed Morrison | Building regional cooperation in Iowa Thursday, June 05, 2003 Building regional cooperation is not easy. But we'd better learn to like it. Regional negotiations represents one of the biggest challenges we face as EDPros. You might check the progress of folks around Waterloo, Iowa. Read more. posted by Ed Morrison | Philadelphia's innovation strategy Philadelphia is moving ahead with its innovation strategy. They are organizing volunteer teams to explore areas outlined in the region's technology roadmap. Read the article. You can download the roadmap from the Innovation Philadelphia website. posted by Ed Morrison | Pittsburgh initiative: Build connections to India A Pittsburgh initiative is moving to build connections with companies in India. In an earlier story this week, I mentioned Iowa's growing bioscience connections with Korea. Here's the real opportunity. Smart regions will be linking with pockets of industrial research and fast growth in other parts of the world. These connections will provide access to low cost, high quality research and a sophisticated, flexible, and technically sophisticated workforce. (For example, in the joint venture I help manage in China, we can hire graduate level electrical engineers for $500 a month or less.) Learn more about Pittsburgh. Today in our history on innovation... In 1977, first personal computer, the Apple II, went on sale. Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs invented the Apple II. The Apple II was one of three prominent personal computers that came out in 1977. Despite its higher price, it quickly pulled ahead of the TRS-80 and the Commodore Pet. posted by Ed Morrison | Limit incentives? Start by ignoring Boeing Wednesday, June 04, 2003 The Governor of Georgia wants to talk to his colleagues in Alabama and South Carolina about limiting incentives for big projects. Learn more. They could start by ignoring the Boeing deal. Boeing is shopping around for a new location for its 7E7 airliner. (Visit the project site.) Ten states are currently competing for the 1,200 jobs. (Boeing announced it was looking for a site for the assembly plant on May 16, and has given interested communities until June 20 to fill out a 27-page questionnaire laying out their qualifications.) My sense is that Boeing will end up expanding in Seattle (if it builds a new facility at all), but not before it sets up a bidding war to wring concessions out of the State of Washington. The Boeing deal doesn't smell right. You've got a company that lost $478 million last quarter in an industry that is way over capacity. They are conducting a highly public search, and they have disclosed an unusual amount of information. It looks to me like a replay of an old game. Some years ago, McDonald Douglas -- now a part of Boeing -- pulled a similar ploy by threatening to build an airliner in Taiwan, all in an effort to get more concessions from the feds. The idea of limiting incentives regionally is starting to take hold. Alabama is close to a deal with Mississippi and is in early stages of talks with Florida about giving joint incentive packages to draw companies to their shared state borders. Learn more. posted by Ed Morrison | Networks of service providers for entrepreneurs We're starting to see new efforts at using the web to provide entrepreneurs with quick access to business development services. For example, the State of Kentucky has its Entrepreneur Resource Navigator. Kansas City is the latest example with a project called KCSourceLink, The National Entrepreneur Center of Kansas City. Learn more. posted by Ed Morrison | Baltimore's new technology incubator Baltimore is launching a new technology incubator. Emerging Technology Center @ Johns Hopkins Eastern, will be on the third floor of an old high school building, which is owned by the Johns Hopkins University. It is a collaborative effort involving the university and several city, state and federal agencies. EDA is investing $200,000. Read more. If you are interested in technology incubators, download the most recent benchmarking report from the Department of Commerce, Technology Administration. (Remarkably, the TA has not optimized its files for download, so the original benchmarking report is huge: 4MB. I have reduced the size to 1MB, and you can download it from this page. Thanks to Don Iannone for pointing out this report in his weblog.) Today in our history of innovation... In 1896, the first road test of the first Ford car was delayed an hour because the car was wider than the door of the shed in which Henry Ford built it. With an ax, he ripped out the door frame. After that problem was solved, he made a successful first test run with his car on a nighttime drive through the streets of Detroit. This self-propelled vehicle, the Quadricycle , had four wire wheels that looked like heavy bicycle wheels, was steered with a tiller like a boat, and had only two forward speeds with no reverse. posted by Ed Morrison | Texas legislature passes enterprise fund Tuesday, June 03, 2003 Texas has passed a $295 million Enterprise Fund for economic development. The purpose of the fund is to back various initiatives, including keeping Sematech in Austin. Learn more here and here. In response, Sematech has indicated it will stay in Texas, even though it has moved one of its research programs to Albany. Still, when you compare Albany and Austin, I'm impressed that Albany has fashioned an economic development strategy that is right for the times. Meanwhile, Austin has been either flopping around with Richard Florida inspired gibberish about "keeping Austin weird" or paying hand-wringing consultants worried that there won't be "the next big thing". posted by Ed Morrison | Iowa builds biotech connection to Korea Here's an example of the type of international economic development we'll see more in the future. Iowa is using Iowa State University as a lever to build a biotech business base with Korean companies. They have executed a research agreement between the university and one of South Korea's largest biotech companies. The agreement represents a critical step in convincing South Korean companies to develop a hub in Iowa, based out of ISU's research park. Read more. posted by Ed Morrison | Research on business incentives Here's a thoughtful interview on the impact of incentives on business location decisions. Read the article. posted by Ed Morrison | Purdue proposes advanced manufacturing institute for Indiana This Institute proposal is no small deal. Purdue is proposing to raise $59 million in startup costs from private sources including foundations and corporations. The institute business plan projects break even in the seventh year of operation. It projects to generate about $30 million in annual revenues from then on. Seventy-five percent of annual revenue is expected to be generated from contract work that might be done for the federal government. Read more. Today in our history of innovation... In 1965, Major Edward White II bcame the first American astronaut to make a spacewalk. He spent 20 minutes outside the Gemini 4 capsule during Earth orbit at an altitude of 120 miles. A tether and 25 foot airline were wrapped in gold tape to form a single, thick cord. He used a hand-held 7.5 pound oxygen jet propulsion gun to maneuver. posted by Ed Morrison | Smaller cities and entrepreneurship Monday, June 02, 2003 Smaller cities may have an opportunity to build tighter entrepreneurial networks. That's one picture that emerges from new report by the Wisconsin Policy Research Institute. The report examines why employment in the Green Bay area grew by 34% in the 1990s, more than twice the metro Milwaukee rate of 15%. Read some additional background or download the report. Quote from Green Bay's mayor, "Green Bay is a smaller community, a closer-knit community. Entrepreneurs need that. Even though they're on their own, they need that support." posted by Ed Morrison | Extending the Tampa Bay brand Tampa Bay is trying to extend its brand more deeply into the region. This commentary gives you the background. posted by Ed Morrison | North Carolina's incumbent worker training Here's some background on North Carolina's new incumbent worker training program. Employers can receive up to $50,000 to train current employees. Learn more. Today in our history of innovation... In 1883, the first electric elevated railroad in the U.S. completed its trial trip. The railroad went around the outer edge of the main exhibition building of the Chicago Railway Exposition. posted by Ed Morrison | |
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