Interstates Turn 50

There were no Wal-Marts in 1956, no Ramada Inns or Best Westerns. Cross-country travel most often meant the railroad and only about two-thirds of adult Americans had a driver's license.

But that America began to change on June 29, 1956, when President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the law launching a massive new federal project that had been his dream for decades: the Interstate Highway System.

Read more about how the interstates have changed America.

Tucson group leads new fuel initiative

A few stations in the Tucson area and Maricopa County carry E85 ethanol and bio-diesel fuels, and the Tucson Clean Cities Coalition recently met with representatives of the Lower Colorado River Resource Conservation and Development Council (RC&D) to bring the fuels to pumps in the Northwestern region. Read more here.

Trends in Industrial Distribution

Industrial distributors are facing an identity crisis, uncertain of their value-add and profit model. This is concerning, because their most important customers and suppliers know what they want from distributors and are working hard to get the results they expect. If industrial distributors want to have a hand in determining their future, they will need to reconnect with critical customers and suppliers, understand their goals, and work aggressively to carve out a new approach for adding value from the middle of the supply chain.

These conclusions emerged from an analysis of Industrial Distribution’s 59th Annual Survey of Distributor Operations. The study chronicles a wide spectrum of distributor experiences, predictions, and business results. Over 750 executives offered their views on market trends, operations, investments, profitability, and the actions of their most important customers and suppliers.

Read more from the survey analysis.

KC GIves $50 Million to Support Stadiums

A state board signed off on a plan to provide $50 million in tax breaks for renovations to the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals stadiums.

A legislative proposal to direct money to the stadiums from the state’s income tax on athletes and entertainers failed last year, so Gov. Matt Blunt backed a new plan to help fund the projects through these tax breaks.

Read more here.

Fires Keep Tourists Away from Sedona

Sedona area economic development and tourism officials are working to get their tourists back after forest fires have slowed tourist visits. Read more here.

Arizona State Releases Economic Impact Study

Arizona State could be adding as much as four billion dollars a year into the local economy by 2020.

An economic impact study commissioned by the school shows planned expansions on A-S-U's main campus and A-S-U Polytechnic in Mesa will spur dramatic growth by adding thousands of jobs and students.

Read more here.

Science Parks to Meet In Research Triangle Park

The International Association of Science Parks has never met in the United States – until 2009. And Raleigh will be the host. The Research Triangle Foundation of N.C. said earlier this week that it would host the IASP’s annual World Conference in 2009 as RTP nears its 50th anniversary. Read more here.

Your Second Life

Americans are increasingly concerned about their retirement years. The Japanese have a different approach to the retirement phase of life. Rather than using the word ‘retirement’ to define the final stage of life, Japanese has the concept of “Second Life,” which is the period of time in your life when your family responsibilities have changed and you can focus on your ‘inner peace’. It is a time for getting closer to your soul and dispensing your wisdom to benefit younger generations, and even those your age or older. I rather like this concept. Don't you?

Honda Lands Big in Indiana

A $550 million Honda Motor Co. assembly plant will help the Japanese automaker meet a growing North American hunger for its cars and help invigorate a state hit hard by manufacturing job losses, officials and analysts said.

The southeastern Indiana plant _ part of a $1.18 billion global expansion _ eventually will produce 200,000 vehicles annually, increasing Honda's North American production to 1.6 million a year.

"We believe that the great state of Indiana has what we need to continue that success: an outstanding community of people, excellent transportation systems and the necessary infrastructure to support industry," Koichi Kondo, president of American Honda Motor Co., said during Wednesday's announcement in Greensburg.

Four other states _ Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin and Illinois _ vied for the plant and its 2,000 jobs after Honda announced in May it would build a plant in the Midwest.

But Indiana, which has lost 98,000 industrial jobs since 2000, persuaded the company to build on 1,700 acres west of Greensburg, midway between Indianapolis and Cincinnati on Interstate 74.

Read more here.
Needless to say, my home state (Ohio) did not win the deal. My congratulations to Indiana!

Retirement Economics

Click here to download a very informative presentation on retirement economics. (1.3 MB file) This is important stuff.

Click here for a good speech by the FRB on retirement and the economy.

Looking Ahead: Spiritual Economics

Click here to read an interesting article about spiritual economics. I know...this is a new one for economic development. Think about it. What is the chief horizon beyond "mind?" It's spirit.

Here's a sample:

"At the center stage of the debate of what economics should be all about there is a fundamental fact we must not forget; i.e., that we, human beings, are living on this Planet not just in the pursuit of material welfare. And, therefore, 'material welfare' is only one aspect of 'human welfare'. So, in this rapid transformation process, one of the questions we must address today is whether the economics we practice today will be the economics we will be practicing in the future. Furthermore, whether we would be able to formulate economic policies and programs that are essentially void of, or indifferent with regard to, the spiritual dimensions of people's lives. In my view, the answer is a flat "No". But the story does not end here and, thus, it is important to establish few grounds to enable us to understand the full implication of the type of transformation everyone is looking for."

The Active Boomer Retiree

Read this: "That’s par for the course for boomers who have reshaped America at every turn, says Marc Freedman, author of “Prime Time: How Baby Boomers Will Revolutionize Retirement and Transform America.”

“This new generation is not only expanding the definition of activity and expanding the definition of retirement, they are actually creating something entirely new — a stage of life that hasn't existed before,” Freedman says.

In a recent survey by Pulte Homes, 50 percent of baby boomers said they plan to purchase new homes for retirement. Of those, two-thirds are relocating for a better lifestyle, which explains the boom in active retirement communities like Sun City, near Hilton Head Island, S.C.

Source: MSNBC

Note: Economic developers should be paying a lot more attention to these issues.

Economic Development Should Give Greater Attention to Retirement Issues

Adventurous retirement is what I seek! How about you? No gated community isolated from the world for me.

Read this: "Once upon a time, retirement meant one thing: uprooting yourself to a warm locale where crime was low and doctors were abundant, and then living happily ever after playing bridge and bacci ball.

But over the years, those well-worn roads to the homogenized retirement communities in Florida and Arizona have sprouted several less traveled by-trails. "A lot of boomers are striking out in unique paths," says author David Savageau, who is finishing up his sixth edition of "Retirement Places Rated." "They don't want terry cloth or line dancing or early bird specials."

Source: Fortune/CNN Money

Recommendation: Economic developers should help people in their communities to better come to terms with retirement issues. We are too silent on these issues, focusing instead on getting people to work more and harder in life.

Avoid the Common Career Change Mistakes

I know a lot of people who would like to engage in more meaningful work in their lives. Career change is a big deal. Career changers can make some big mistakes. What are they? Here is some advice from career expert Randall S. Hansen.

First what are the questions going through your mind?

"Are you considering changing your career? Are you bored, fed-up, lost, or otherwise unhappy in your current career? Are you facing a crossroads at which you need to decide between staying in your current field and moving to a new one? Do you have skills that you are not using in your current career? Have you been promoted to a point where you are no longer doing what you love?

Changing careers is one of the biggest decision job-seekers face, and with many possible outcomes and consequences. Before you make that jump to a new career field, consider these common career change mistakes so that you can avoid them as you make the transition from one career to your next."

Read more here at Quintessential Careers.

Mid-Late Career Shifts: Accenting What You Know

Again, this article is aimed at how we as economic and workforce developers help folks in the mid-late career shift arena. This is an important issue. We seem to be obsessed with retaining and attracting young talent in communities. I find that not enough attention is being given to the mid-later career shifter.

Career strategists give a lot of attention to identifying the skills that people possess. For the late career shifter, he or she has a mountain of skills to draw upon. The first step in identifying them. Then finding the right new career opportunity in which to apply them. Let's look at the starting question: What Are Transferable Skills?

Career expert Richard Nelson Bolles pioneered the idea of transferable skills in his perennial best-seller What Color Is Your Parachute? A Practical Manual for Job-Hunters and Career-Changers. According to Bolles, we are all born with skills we take from job to job. These transferable skills can be broken down into three categories: people (communicating, teaching, coaching and supervising), data (record keeping, researching, translating and compiling data), and things (operating computers/equipment, assembling and repairing).

If you take the time to identify your transferable skills, you can convince employers that you have the core skills necessary to excel in your new career choice.

Read more here at Monster.com.

12 Steps to Making a Successful Mid-Late Career Change

What steps should mid-late career changes follow to ensure their successful transition to their next job or career?

According to Mike Scully in a recent article on the JobDig, here are the key steps:

In our twenties and thirties we make career transitions in order to achieve success. At midlife, as we recognize our mortality, we tend to reflect on the gap between the reality of our lives and the dreams we once had. Follow these steps to bridging this gap as you re-envision the second half of your life:

1. Determine If It’s Time for a Change. Are you bored by what you’re doing now? Do you feel drained and exhausted by your day? Are you unsatisfied even after you’ve accomplished something? Have you lost interest in things that used to excite you? Do you wake up dreading the day about to unfold? Do you feel as if you worked hard but didn’t get what you really wanted? Are your talents being squandered? Are you angry and resentful about what you "have to" do?

2. Write Your Mission Statement. Ideally, work is an expression of who we are. A meaningful and satisfying career meshes with our values, our talents, and what is important to us. Think of someone who is living the life you most envy. What is it about his or her life that you wish were part of yours? Write the euology you’d like someone to deliver for you. What contributions would people say you’ve made to the lives of others and to the world.

3. Inventory Your Accomplishments. This is often very difficult for those of us taught not to brag. But affirming your valuable experiences reminds you of what you do well. It serves as a compass and provides refueling for the journey ahead. Write down all you’ve accomplished in all of your life roles. What a resume!

4. Inventory Your Competencies. List everything you’re good at. Ask others to help out. Don’t restrict yourself to job tasks. If you’re good at convincing your partner to do things your way, that’s evidence of your persuasive skills. Putting together a social event showcases your leadership and organizational skills. Are you an effective manager of your family’s finances?

5. Inventory Your Satisfactions. Just because you’re good at something doesn’t necessarily mean you find it satisfying. Do you get the greatest satisfaction from doing tasks that mirror your interests? Do you enjoy working as part of a team? Do you prefer activities that produce tangible results?

6. Inventory Your Values. What matters most to you? Consider values like autonomy, altruism, power, financial gain, intellectual stimulation, affiliation, leadership and service.

7. Make a List of the Things You Love to Do. If money were not an issue how would you spend your perfect day? Think of the physical settings you’d like to be in, the people you’d want to see, the activities you’d engage in, the pace at which you’d move and whether you’d seek relaxation or excitement.

8. Gather Information. Take your list of accomplishments, competencies, values and passions and find careers that fit your personal description. Search the Internet. Read the classifieds. Go to your public library. Most colleges have career libraries filled with descriptions of careers you’ve never heard of. Create a list of options—include every job that intrigues you, regardless of whether you have the required skills for it.

9. Do Informational Interviews. Talk to people who do the kinds of work you’ve identified as interesting. Call your alumni association, contact professional associations, and ask your friends if they know anyone. Ask people what it’s like to do their job, what they love and hate about their work, and how they landed where they are. Ask fearlessly but respectfully.

10. Narrowing Your Focus. As you gather information, your focus will narrow. When you’re down to just a few possibilities, research for details. Try volunteering or taking a short-term, part-time position to see how your potential new career might feel.

11. Learning New Skills. Get training or education to keep up with the quickly changing marketplace. Think in terms of skills instead of credentials. Contact the nearest college or university to find out about adult education programs. Most schools accommodate work schedules and offer special programs to prepare returning women students for the college classroom.

12. Get Support. Making career transitions requires a lot of emotional support. Don’t hesitate to ask family and friends for help. As children leave home you’ll be renegotiating your role in the home: Incorporate your career-change needs into these negotiations. Discuss the time and support you’ll need. The best way to get your family on board is to explain why making this change is so important to you.

Mid-Late Career Displaced Workers

An increasing of mid-late career workers are finding themselves in the job market--not because they want to, but because they have lost their jobs due to corporate restructuring and a host of other factors.

Where should we send these folks for help? Here are a few resources that AARP suggests:

Age Discrimination at WorkWorkers should get and keep jobs based on ability, not age. AARP talks about age discrimination and what to do about it.

Can You Be Fired? Your Employment RightsDoes your boss need a reason to fire you? What about discrimination? Know your job rights and the laws that may protect you.

Increase Your Chances of Surviving a Job LayoffFind out what steps you can take to increase your chances of surviving a job layoff.

Laid Off or Displaced? Get HelpBeing laid off is especially hard when you are older. AARP explains the benefits and services that may be available to those laid off or displaced.

Lost Your Job? Know When to Fight BackIt's hard not to feel helpless when you're laid off or fired from your work. AARP shows how to fight back to get as much help as you can.

Outplacement Services after a Job LayoffMany employers offer outplacement services with a layoff. AARP explains these services and how they can help you find your next job.

Transition Assistance after Job LossIf you lose or leave a job, you may qualify for financial and other help. AARP explains some possible benefits.

Typical Reactions to Job LossIt's hard to deal with the feelings you get when you lose your job. AARP gives tips on dealing with your feelings, de-stressing, and getting help when you need it.

Unemployment Insurance BenefitsMany workers who lose their jobs are eligible for unemployment benefits. AARP explains how to know if you're covered, how to apply, and what to expect.

Source: AARP