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Posted in BizTechCommentaryEntrepreneurialismEventsFreeNewNewsPartyPreviewSusan Schaul
[ June 1, 2011; 5:00 am; ] Buzzing w/ Entrepreneurial Energy Shaker LaunchHouse Grand Opening Shaker LaunchHouse is throwing a celebration party -- a Grand Opening -- on Wed 6/1 from 4-7PM at 3558 Lee Road in Shaker Heights. U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown and Shaker Heights Mayor Earl M. Leiken are speaking in support of this business accelerator and the surrounding [...]Ed Morrison · New narratives in the Great Lakes Nation | Say goodbye to the Rust Belt
May 28th, 2011
Narratives are important for guiding open networks. They provide the emotional connections and coherence that enable members of the network to align, link and leverage their resources. Within the business world, as hierarchical, command-and-control bonds within corporations weaken, manager are learning the value of story-telling. (For those of you interested, Steven Denning’s work is most valuable.)
Within regional economies, we have little choice but to get really good at creating and managing narratives. It’s the only way to gain alignment across large, loosely joined networks that characterize a regional economy. When we gain this alignment — and put in place agile strategies to maintain the alignment — the power of the network (the so-called Metcalfe effect) begins to emerge.
We are seeing this movement toward creating and managing new narratives most clearly in the Great Lakes.
Globalization hit the metropolitan regions of the Great Lakes hardest for a simple reason. The states of the Great Lakes provided the core industrial wealth of the country. Beginning in the 1960s, improvements in logistics enabled global markets to integrate. The move in that direction accelerated with the Tokyo Round of Trade Negotiations in the 1970s dramatically reduced trade barriers.
As competition intensified, industrial companies, organized to manage stable mass production, struggled to adjust. The 1970s saw a major collapse in the U.S. steel industry. Through the 1980s and 1990s the U.S. auto industry continued to struggle. All this left behind a legacy which outside commentators labeled the “Rust Belt”.
By the early 1980’s, U.S. multinationals were busy constructing global manufacturing networks. (For about three years in the early 1980s, I worked for a corporate strategy consulting firm. We spent most of our time with General Electric, as GE managers try to figure out how to build global manufacturing networks in businesses such as appliances and electric motors.)
Over the past 25 years a new narrative has been struggling to emerge in the Great Lakes Nation. It started in my hometown of Cleveland.
By the late 1980s, the national press started to label Cleveland as the “comeback city”. When Cleveland landed the Rock and Role All of Fame in 1986, the new narrative seemed to be building some momentum. In the 1990’s Drew Carey, a Cleveland native, used his television show to proclaim every week “Cleveland Rocks!”
<div style=”background:#000000;width:440px;height:272px”></div><div style=”font-size:12px;”>Drew Carey Show – Long Version Theme #1 – Awesome video clips here</div></div>
(Oddly, civic leaders in Cleveland never quite understood the power of this new narrative, so they have hung their hats on a corporate and bland Cleveland Plus campaign. Much of the “Cleveland Rocks” momentum has been lost.)
By the early years of the new century, additional narratives begin the pop-up around the Great Lakes Nation. Youngstown provided one of the most interesting examples. A small group of young professionals, tired of the Rust Belt mentality, declared their commitment to “Defend Youngstown.” They announced to the elders running the city, “Stop talking about the steel mills closing down. We were not even born.”
Now we have more innovative and exciting narratives of the Great Lakes Nation. Michigan is the center of this work.
Some time ago, Michigan’s tourism development officials launched a highly successful “Pure Michigan” campaign that highlights the sustainability, water and beauty that form the core of the environment in the Great Lakes Nation.
Milwaukee has leveraged the water of the Great Lakes Nation most aggressively as a dynamic new economic base in a world in which water shortages will only grow. You can see this approach in the Milwaukee Water Council web site. Milwaukee is busy building out a water cluster in the Great Lakes by combining with other metros, like Dayton, that see potential in the emerging markets for fresh water technology.
Detroit has given voice another core set of activities and attitudes that define the Great Lakes Nation: We make stuff.
This gritty pragmatism comes through in this commercial, which echoes the attitude of Defend Youngstown:
Subaru in Indiana is combining the manufacturing heritage of the Great Lakes Nation with a commitment to environmental stewardship. Marrying these two themes starts to define how manufacturing will emerge as more “zero land fill” emerge in the region. At Purdue, it inspired a group of us to work on the first national certification for green manufacturing.
In the past month, the city Grand Rapids has taken another step forward with a dynamic video that highlights the creativity and energy in their city.
Another important thread is emerging. The Great Lakes Nation holds the highest concentration of top ranked research universities on the planet. Increasingly, we are seeing growing collaboration among these universities. Again, Michigan is leading the trend with the University Research Corridor.
These threads will eventually weave together to create a new narrative for the Great Lakes Nation, a region of proud history, whose charter was originally defined in the words of Thomas Jefferson and the Northwest Ordinance of 1787, also known as the Freedom Ordinance.
Pete Bigelow · Grand Rapids ‘Dying?’ Residents Disagree
May 27th, 2011
From 2000 to 2009, the city of Grand Rapids, Mich. lost 2.1 percent of its population, according to census data. That statistic is not refuted. Does that population loss merit a label of a “dying city?”
That’s an entirely different question.
In January, Newsweek listed Grand Rapids as one of its top 10 dying cities. It’s one of three Michigan cities to make the dubious list. But residents of the west Michigan city – Grand Rapidians? – did not appreciate the designation.
Citizens went on the offensive Thursday, responding with a lip-dubbedYouTube video set to the tune of Don MacLean’s “American Pie” that highlights some recent vibrant civic additions and hundreds of residents.
The video has become a gathering point for civic pride in the city and online, a development not unlike the good feelings Eminem’s Chrysler commercial conjured in Detroit following the Super Bowl.
Following the release of the video, Newsweek distanced itself from the “dying” remarks. On its Facebook page, saying that it had picked up the content from mainstreet.com and does not agree with the remarks.
“It uses a methodology that our current editorial team doesn’t endorse and wouldn’t have employed. It certainly doesn’t reflect our view of Grand Rapids,” the magazine wrote in a statement.
Pete Bigelow · Midwest Memo: Friday, May 27, 2011
May 27th, 2011
Eventually, the Wisconsin Supreme Court may have the final say over a law that restricts the collective bargaining of public employees. For now, the controversial legislation has been struck down.
A Dane County judge ruled Thursday that Republican lawmakers violated the state’s open meetings act when they passed the bill on March 9. In her 33-page ruling, Judge Maryann Sumi wrote, “transparency in government is most important when the stakes are high.”
Republicans should try to pass the legislation again, opines the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, this time with a “more reasonable approach.” The ruling is a big boost to Wisconsin Democrats and their efforts to recall Gov. Scott Walker, says the Washington Post.
Elsewhere in the Midwest today:
Amid the backdrop of declining population, Detroit Public Schools have altered their consolidation plan after receiving community input. Meanwhile, towns throughout Michigan’s Upper Peninsula are struggling to survive, writes the Associated Press.
Also in Michigan, Gov. Rick Snyder is expected to sign a $46 billion state budget, a move that comes without the usual high-profile wrangling, reports our partner station Michigan Radio. In Ohio, lawmakers see township consolidation as one way money could be saved in the future, Ideastream reports.
WBEZ says that lobbyists for Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel are already in Springfield representing his interests in the state capitol. The new mayor has limited time for action – the legislature adjourns Tuesday. Across Illinois, unemployment rates are dropping in metro areas, says the Chicago Tribune.
The number of homes in the foreclosure process declined nationally during the first quarter of 2011, but they still account for 28 percent of all sales. In Ohio, foreclosed properties sold for an average of $75,397, says the Akron Beacon Journal.
Pete Bigelow · Podcast: Oprah’s Impact and Food Trucks
May 27th, 2011
Welcome to our podcast that recaps our Changing Gears coverage from the past few days.
This was Oprah Winfrey’s last week hosting her top-rated television show following a 25-year run. Her “Favorite Things” list catapulted small businesses throughout the Midwest into the spotlight – for better or worse. Changing Gears reporter Niala Boodhoo joined us in the studio to discuss that impact and share what comes next for “Favorite Things.”
In her farewell segment for Changing Gears, reporter Ida Lieszkovzsky checks out the arrival of food trucks throughout the Midwest. The trucks, popular on the east and west coasts, have had trouble gaining traction in the region because of restrictive local laws. Local governments are now reexamining how to accommodate food trucks with new legislation.
We send best wishes to Ida as she begins a new chapter, and hope you all enjoy the Memorial Day weekend. Thanks for listening to this week’s podcast.
Ed Morrison · Welcome to Pottersville, Cleveland
May 27th, 2011
There’s some hope that some public officials are — at this late hour — questioning the impacts of the downtown casino.
While the Cleveland Landmarks Commission delays its decision on tearing down the Columbia Building, the words of Warren Buffet about casinos came to my mind from a 2004 interview:
“Government should not be in the position of ‘selling the needles’ for addictive products. It is ‘cynical’ of government to be encouraging its citizens to do things that will harm them.”
“For every lucky person there are hundreds of thousands who just keep feeding the kitty and, net, it’s a big loser for the citizenry.”
and another from this interview:
“I think that for a state to essentially prey upon its citizens, create more of these addictions…I just think it’s wrong. I think it’s cynical on the part of the state to raise money from people who basically can’t afford it by promising them a dream that is not going to come true.”
(If you are interested, here are more of his views…)
In my experience with casino developers, they don’t give a flip about downtown revitalization, urban design, historic preservation, gambling addictions, and other matters that shape a community.
They want to build a cocoon to move people into the casino, grab (on average) 80 bucks or so out of their wallet in a controlled atmosphere (slightly cooled and — with the Harrah’s casino in Shreveport — plenty of oxygen pumped in to keep people awake, no clocks), then move them back to their cars.
(When I asked one casino manager for the Horseshoe Casino in Shreveport whether he ever gambled on his day off, he looked at me incredulously, “Are you kidding? It’s a sucker’s game.”)
The business is about as cynical and predatory as any I know (payday lenders come to mind).
It’s a tribute to the single minded dedication of Al Ratner, Joe Roman, Forest City and the Greater Cleveland Partnership over the past decade that we now have one of these businesses right in heart of Public Square.
Congratulations, or something.
I’ll go with Buffet.
Ed Morrison · Scope of activities for Automation Alley
May 27th, 2011
Automation Alley is one of the more interesting and important regional business development initiatives in the Midwest. Theyt recently released their annual report for 2010.
Here it is.
Ed Morrison · Network connects smaller colleges, universities to business
May 27th, 2011
The Innovation Network in Central Pennsylvania links smaller colleges and universities to business. The network helps businesses gain access to the resources — research with commercial potential, faculty, students — embedded in these colleges and universities.
Visit the web site.
Micki Maynard · Wisconsin Union Law Struck Down
May 26th, 2011
The law that caused thousands of protestors to descend on Madison, WI, has been shot down. But the legal battle won’t end.
Associated Press photo
Dane County circuit court Judge Maryann Sumi said today she is freezing the law, called Act 10, because Republicans legislators on a committee did not follow the state’s open meetings law.
The law, championed by Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, 
significantly limits collective bargaining rights for state employees, except for police and firefighters.
There was no court hearing before Judge Sumi issued her 33-page opinion. According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Sumi wrote, “The Legislature and its committees are bound to comply with the open meetings law by their own choice. Having made that choice, they cannot now shield themselves from the provisions that give the law force and effect.” She was appointed to the bench by former Gov. Tommy Thompson.
Scott Walker recall table, Madison Farmer's Market
Union supporters, what’s your next step? And people who support the bill, tell us what you’d like to see happen now.
Micki Maynard · How Hollywood Made it Snow in Ann Arbor in May
May 26th, 2011
All across Michigan, homeowners are mopping up from torrential rains. But in downtown Ann Arbor, there is snow. Movie snow, that is.
"Snow" in downtown Ann Arbor
Why? It’s for the movie Five Year Engagement. The film has been shooting all over the area for the past weeks, according to On Line Vacations, one of our favorite sites for tracking movie productions. AnnArbor.com says the production company sought permission from the city to take over sidewalks and streets downtown this week.
“Parking for the production team’s trucks on South Ashley, between William and Washington streets, was requested from today at 3 p.m. to Friday at 12 p.m. On Thursday, between 11 a.m. and 9 p.m., the team’s trucks will be parked on North University, between Thayer and Fletcher. And on Thursday (beginning at 4 p.m.) and Friday (ending at 6 a.m.), South Main St., between Liberty and Washington, will be closed for filming, as will two alleys between Main and Ashley, and Liberty Street between Main and Ashley.”
The Real Seafood Company, a downtown fixture, told patrons on its Facebook page that it has canceled sidewalk seating due to the movie shoot, “as the movie is set in winter.”
It’s part of what Changing Gears calls the film factory that’s revved up in our region. And, if you’re going to have an engagement in these parts that lasts five years, at some point, presumably, it’s going to snow.
To be sure, this isn’t the kind of snow that falls on Broadway stages and television Christmas specials. This movie snow is basically fabric wrapped around a backing. And in the case of the big snow pile at the corner of Liberty and Main Streets downtown, it’s styrofoam, which has been painted to look like dirty snow.
But from a distance, and with the magic that cinematographers can do with their lenses, it kind of, sort of, looks like snow. At least it does if you squint and use your imagination.
Spotted any movie magic in your area lately? Tell us where, when and what.
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