Brewed Fresh Daily

Developing a sophisticated regional strategy does not have to be costly and slow.

Using an approach that we pioneered at the Purdue Center for Regional Development with the auto contraction in Kokomo, civic leaders in Florida’s Space Coast will be using strategic doing to build re-engagment networks.

These networks are designed to redeploy the skilled talent coming out of NASA and its contractors as the shuttle shuts down. About 8,000 people from the Kennedy Space Center are expected to lose their jobs.

Late next week, over 250 civic leaders will be convening to develop a strategy in a strategic doing workshop. This workshop leads participants through a set of exercises to develop the key components of a strategic action plan. Within a week of the workshop, we’ll have a first version of this strategic action plan. Read more in an editorial.

This is the type of fast strategic thinking — moving from idea to action quickly — that regions are moving to implement.

In today’s world, regions can develop sophisticated strategies quickly, if they follow a clear, concise discipline.

Lisa Rice, President of Brevard Workforce, is leading the charge to develop this regional strategy. You can see some of the issues we will be dealing in Lisa’s interview. She is one of the leading practitioners in the country that is working to integrate economic and workforce development.

The framework of re-engagement networks meets this challenge.

Here’s a white paper by Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership Advisory Board, led by CSU’s Ned Hill.

The paper outlines reasons for both concern and optimism regarding manufacturing’s future. The paper advocates development of national manufacturing policies, including developing metrics to measure return on investments in R&D and federal laboratories.

Innovation and Product Development in the 21st Century

The folks in Dayton have released the details of their program for the Dayton Water Conference. Dayton is building its position in this emerging market.

“Although innovation in water technology is taking place on a global level, there is a significant concentration of activity and thought leadership located right in the city of Dayton,” said Vincent Caprio, co-founder and Chief Operating Officer, Water Innovations Alliance. “We’re proud that the conference program at our 1st annual Dayton Water Conference will bring these global leaders to the table with those driving development on a local level.”

Dayton Water Conference

From the American Library Association:

When jobs go away, Americans turn to their libraries to find information about future employment or educational opportunities. This library usage trend and others are detailed in the 2010 State of America’s Libraries report, released April 11, 2010 by the American Library Association.

Download the report

None of this news inspires confidence.

Cuyahoga County might lift $4 million cap on medical mart payments

One person’s comments caught my eye:

I interviewed with MMPI about a year ago. I was flown to Chicago to meet with all the directors. The job I had applied for was Director of Sales. As I meet with all 6 people I had a very uneasy feeling. My last interview was Chris Kennedy (yes, of the Kennedy family). It was a very uncomfortable interview. It was apparent he did not have a clue about the medical market.

Perhaps so, but it’s difficult to make any kind of public assessment. This is a huge project without a business plan.

Meanwhile, Cleveland’s casino may be heading to the ditch. As explained by WKYC:

There are four plots of land on Huron Road under consideration for the Cleveland casino. That’s behind Tower City and Kulczyki said Rock is working with landowner Forest City Enterprises and hopes to have the location set by the end of 2010 and break ground in early 2011.

All of these parcels are remnants, hardly ideal from a development viewpoint. But these oddments are what Forest City chose, and Cleveland is locked in. That’s what happens when you convert the Ohio Constitution into a zoning ordinance.

Furthermore, Forest City’s history of negotiating big deals for Cleveland is dismal.

They could not get the Rock Hall to locate at Tower City (the logical location), and they couldn’t negotiate any anchors to its Tower City retail mall…which explains why Tower City has become a huge money pit.

The problem, I think, is that Albert Ratner appears to be one of those people who loves to negotiate so much that he has trouble making a deal. We’ll see if Gilbert can succeed where others have walked away.

In the meantime, the best hope for a sensible casino development is coming out of the Cleveland Coalition.

Steve Litt summarizes this promising initiative.

Of course, word on the street is that Albert is offended that some young citizens have the audacity to try to figure out how to make an attractive dress out of some oily rags.

But as Litt points out: “[The Cleveland Coalition's process] may also begin to change the way the public participates in discussions on the future of the city.”

Let’s hope so.

Cleveland might just be able to end this era of big goofball development projects.

NEO is getting closer to a regional brand.

New Web site — theplus.us — touts Northeast Ohio economic development effort

How video games build leaders




4 wild pitches

4 walks

1 hit batter

5 runs

11.25 ERA

Acta’s insight: “I don’t think he had his best command.”

Cleveland Indians lose season opener to Chicago White Sox, 6-0

* Can St. Louis compete?
* Can St. Louis compete? Finding a niche
* Can St. Louis compete? Time to act is now
* St. Louis needs to embrace immigration
* People, not firms, can turn economy around
* It seems we mostly agree on how we can thrive

A team, led by the Purdue Center for Regional Development, has developed some new, more flexible tools for understanding regional innovation and competitiveness. The project team, on which I served, represented a collaboration among Purdue, Indiana University, the University of Missouri and EMSI, an economic modeling company.

You can browse through the report below:

Crossing the Next Regional Frontier (2009)