Louisiana Has Second Thoughts About Clusters

This is an interesting one. A recent consulting report to the Louisiana Dept. of Economic Development says that its 'cluster effort' may be over-rated, and that development staff should go back to traditional business retention, expansion, and attraction activities.

Not being on the inside on this one, I don't know how well the cluster effort was or was not working in Louisiana. One thing I do know is that cluster development requires several years to show results, and that these efforts must be business-driven to succeed. Yes, the public sector can help create the right environment for clusters to grow, but businesses must lead these developmental clusters.

The other issue I see is that economic developers must change how they do their jobs if clusters are going to work. I look around the country and find too many states, regions, and communities trying to develop clusters like they have approached older business retention and attraction activities in the past. That doesn't work, and a new set of professional skills is needed to develop clusters.

Just a few observations from the North. More here.

Columbus Mayor to Citizens: Do More to 'Green' Up

The "green" lifestyle, that is leading an environmentally-conscious life, is not exactly something that Buckeye state citizens are known for.

Columbus Mayor Michael Coleman thinks Columbus should become a more 'green' city. I agree with him. Moreover, citizens across Ohio should work harder at this objective.

Everyone can do something everyday to treat the natural environment and themselves in a more healthy way. Remember: environmental protection is not neceesarily at odds with jobs and economic development. Here to read more.

Owens-Illinois' Future n Toledo

How many times can a community "save" a company? This is no Confucian riddle, rather it speaks to the cold realities of economic development that say communities must constantly work to maintain existing employers. My only question at this stage is "How much this time?" Here to read more.

Youth Retention Hinges on Jobs

Here is an interesting article reinforcing what many of us have been thinking about youth/young talent retention and attraction. This is a story from northern Iowa.

Increased Attention to Attracting Chinese Companies

Here is a very good one for all of you interested in whether Chinese companies can be interested in locating facilities and jobs in the U.S.

It's possible and many U.S. places are working hard at it. That is the message in a recent Christian Science Monitor article. It talks a lot about how Richmond, VA is approaching the effort, but refers to others' experiences as well. This is a very worthwhile read! Click here.

Downtown Raleigh Alliance

Here is an example of a well-developed downtown development program for a medium-sized city.

The Downtown Raleigh Alliance's mission is To market Downtown Raleigh to business prospects and investors; to serve as an advocate for projects necessary to revitalize and create a thriving urban neighborhood; enhance downtown as a place to work, visit, live and be entertained; and to raise awareness of downtown as an important office, residential, cultural and entertainment center in the Triangle.

Click here to learn more.

Fort Madison, Iowa Gets With "What-If" Technology

Here is an interesting article, illustrating what a smaller community can do when it wants to.

The CommunityViz Project in Fort Madison, Iowa is a geographical information system software program used to assist in development projects, will help officials answer what–if scenarios. The city, which will be the first in the area to have it, will join five other communities that already have it.

What happens if the City converts 25 acres of land to another use? The new software program will help produce some scenarios for local leaders to consider. More here.

Tennessee to Give More Attention to Workforce and Technology Investments

Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen recently unveiled details of his 2005 jobs plan, a package that includes $20 million in new funding for workforce training and an expansion of Tennessee’s technological infrastructure.

Bredesen’s jobs plan is part of a comprehensive agenda that allows the state to take the next steps after two years spent establishing its fiscal footing. The agenda, announced last month, continues the Governor’s focus on the fundamental responsibilities of state government: education, job creation, public safety and government efficiency.

More here.

One to Note

Operation TeenWork, a program that teaches Coachella Valley, CA teenagers and young adults between the ages of 16 and 21 how to fill out job applications, where to look for jobs and how to conduct themselves during interviews. More here.

This is a special interest of mine. Perhaps you read my recent article on youth and young adult employment, which was sent to all ED Futures subscribes last week.

Nano-Medicine in Cleveland, Ohio

The Cleveland region has long been known for its medical and healthcare strengths. It should be no surprise that the region's leading healthcare and research institutions are working on nano-medicine applications. You might find this recent article in Small Times about nano-medicine Cleveland-style to be of interest.

Progress Energy Supports Local Economic Development

Many utility companies have reduced their direct involvement in economic development. Here is an example of one that has stuck in there.

Progress Energy has provided grants to enhance economic development in three South Carolina counties. The company is providing $200,000 to support projects in Chesterfield, Dillon and Williamsburg counties.

Progress Energy (NYSE: PGN), headquartered in Raleigh, N.C., is a Fortune 250 diversified energy company with more than 24,000 megawatts of generation capacity and $9 billion in annual revenues.

Progress Energy: http://www.progress-energy.com

California Cities Race for Stem Cell Center

Several California cities plan to offer inexpensive or free office space in hopes of luring the state's prestigious stem cell headquarters. San Francisco, Sacramento, Los Angeles, San Diego and other cities are jockeying for the headquarters.

What's the big deal? First of all, the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine will dole out $3 billion in research grants and open a 15,000-square-foot office with a maximum of 50 employees. Then, here is always the image benefit and anticipated local economic spin-off effects. More here.

Spanish Regions Progress Stymies Bid for EU Bucks

Some say that Spain has become the victim of its own prosperity in the wake of rapid economic development since joining the European Union, with a number of regions passing the threshold for eligibility for development funding from Brussels. The good news is that economic progress is being made!

On the basis of gross domestic product per capita figures for 2002, released recently by the EU's statistics office, only Extremadura in the southwest and Andalusia in the south remained below the ceiling of 75 percent of the average GDP per capita in the 25-member bloc to qualify for so-called Objective 1 regional funding, which is aimed at bridging the gap between the bloc's richer and poorer areas. Read more here.

Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to Bethlehem: $15 Million

Not bad. I'm sure these funds will come in handy as fuel for the Bethlehem area's economic revitalization efforts. Read more here.

Tucson Area Looks at New Regional ED Model

So far, not a lot of details are available, but click here to see what the local newspaper editors have to say about the new Regional ED Corp.

Tribal Economic Base Diversification

Maybe you missed this one--a good report on how three Oklahoma tribes have approached economic base diversification.

Having worked with some tribes on these issues, I can say it is not easy, but it can be done. There is more to the Native American economy than gaming facilities.

Click here to download the EDA-funded report.

Top 500 Universities World Ranking

The latest SSTI Weekly calls attention to a report by the Institute of Higher Education at Shanghai Jiao Tong University that ranks the top 500 universities worldwide.

Download the data and learn more about the study by clicking here. (This is useful data.)

Science Park Study: Summary and Some Cautions

A recent research study says that many regions support local knowledge clusters in the hopes that geographic proximity will promote technology diffusion and enhance industrial competitiveness.

The study, from Italy, suggests the effectiveness of such clusters or science parks depends upon the nature of the firms and institutions involved. suggest science parks tailor their efforts to capitalize on local characteristics and potential customer base. Efforts to promote geographic knowledge clusters based solely on proximity will fail to realize significant knowledge diffusion and will not boost the region’s economy.

Here is my take on this one. First, only those areas with sizable technology and science bases will be able to do as the researchers suggest and succeed. Second, it's fine to help local companies and entrepreneurs, BUT the science park must be nationally and globally competitive to survive and thrive. Simply developing a locally-focused park will not cut it in most areas.

Download the paper here. (Note: save it to your computer rather than simply downloading it in the open mode.)

One to Think About...

"A group of MIT engineers wanted to model the biological world. But, damn, some of nature's designs were complicated! So they started rebuilding from the ground up - and gave birth to synthetic biology." Click here to read more.

Corporate Social Responsibility

We have been giving some attention to this important issue for some time. Corporate social responsibility (CSR) has blossomed as an idea, if not as a coherent practical program.

CSR commands the attention of executives everywhere—if their public statements are to be believed—and especially that of the managers of multinational companies headquartered in Europe or the United States. CSR, if it is nothing else, is the tribute that capitalism everywhere pays to virtue.

This is an issue that economic developers should give greater attention to by helping companies become more socially responsible. Don't you think?

Read more here.

Industry Outlook 2005

In case you missed it, you might want to check out Business Week's new outlook for industry this year. Lots of useful guidance on where things appear to be headed. Click here to read more.

I Say "Good!"

When choosing books for her reading classes at Longfellow Elementary School in Great Falls, Montana, the teacher, Corri Smith, keeps an eye out for the ones with pictures and characters that look like her students. At Longfellow, where more than half of the students are Native American, that often means stories about Indians written by Indians, Smith said.

I think this is important to Indian and non-Indian children alike. As one who has learned valuable life lessons from Native American culture, I really agree with this one.

Here to read more.

Smaller California Counties Feeling Some Pain

Click here to read the story. By the way, I find this in several other states as well.

Let Me "Stress" One Thing...

Business owners all over the world are much more stressed than just one year ago, according to Grant Thornton’s 2005 International Business Owners Survey (IBOS). Research with more than 6,000 business owners in 24 countries shows that stress levels had rocketed by more than a third. Click here to learn more.

Concord, Vermont Goes for Broadband

We must be connected--and at high speeds--to the rest of the world to develop future businesses and jobs. That is what the economic development officials in Concord, VT are saying. Click here to read more.