As NEO looks toward sustainable development, our scientific research and engineering community should become involved in Earth friendly technology development - an interesting example was just reported out of MIT, showing fuel cells in a green light.

At the fascinating November 11 NEOSA/REI Future Forum, EcoCity Cleveland's David Beach discussed frightening challenges for our global ecology, and proposed the best place for anyone to start being a solution is at home - NEO. Let's make NEO energy sustainable, all agree. This week, Cleveland was also home to the Ohio Wind Conference and there 100+ global sustainability experts proposed NEO can develop a significant wind generation capacity, and become a center for wind power generation equipment manufacturing, expertise, and innovation. This is one well developed objective our millions of regional citizens should embrace - see notes posted from that important conference, which highlights valuable opportunities, and provides a foundation for actionable planning, all rooted at REALNEOWIND

I participate in a Harvard Law School open knowledge sharing program called H2O, which this week posed an inspiring issue regarding the origins and impact world-wide of Free and Open Source Software (F/OSS), which is the foundation of REALNEO. If you're interested in this subject (if you're into IT you should be), then consider the topic posed, take a look at my viewpoint, and feel free to visit Harvard H2O to review other viewpoints and the discussion. If you like what you see there - feel free to sign-up and participate, for free.

REALNEO Wind is covering and supporting the Ohio Wind Power conference
by posting all available insight from
this important event - held November 9 & 10, 2004 in downtown
Cleveland. See comments post at the close of the event and develop thenafter - all linked together at a special "Community Of Interest Link" at the REALNEO Wind Power COIL

Building a creative industry base in Northeast Ohio requires us to think in new ways. We're lucky, in that a number of other regions -- mostly in the U.K, Australia, and New Zealand -- have been moving in this direction.

Congratulations to Akron-based Ayalogic and Cleveland/NEO entrepreneurship catalysts Jump Start for good economic development news for NEO. We'll let Crain's Tech tell the story unfolding:

Crain's Cleveland reports growth and savvy development by a NEO logistics company, further distinguishing the region for SCALE (Supply Chain and Logistics Economy excellence. Read on...

REALNEO is developing Community of Interest Links (COILs) for Supply Chain And Logisitics (SCALE), to strengthen this already important sector of the NEO economy. A separate REALNEO site for this COIL will post this month - in the mean time, developments are posting in a REALNEO book linked here.

From Crain's Cleveland Business, a very cool story about a local industry leader taking the lead in alternative energy vehicles - an electric scooter, with many key components manufactured by NEO's Parker Hannifin.

If you visit their website and check out the product brochure you'll see this product is hot. May be a while before we see any in the streets of Cleveland... but perhaps we can convince Parker & Vectrix to make us one of the first communities for USA distribution (how about putting an assembly line here, as well?!?)... beginning in 1996... read on, in Crain's:

Crain's Cleveland reported today that Open Source programmers are in high demand, which means NEO universities and businesses should train and certify our residents for this opportune sector of the IT industry. The benefits go beyond skilling our folks for the new economy, as this will insure businesses in the area are able to find the workers they need to locate and grow here.

Here's an interesting addition to NEO energy-related economic development, reported in Crain's Cleveland today - "Ethanol plant will go into production by the end of 2004 in Medina". Congratulations to Liquid Resources, CEO Tim Curtiss, and Sky Bank for making this happen here and now, where and when the need is so great! Be sure to read the comment posted below, featuring an eye-opening editorial from Tim.

November 5, 2002 from 7 - 8 PM: Session 2 - Featured Speaker

As part of this exciting event, the CIA brought renowned writer and social theorist George Ritzer to speak about "Art,
McDonaldization and the Globalization of
Society". I had the pleasure to attend, and share the following observations about how his presentation fits our interest of nurturing regional economic development.

I received a notification today of the Milwaukee public housing's new "green" facility, which includes the nation's largest Green Modular Roof - inspiring!

SCALE is a little recognized world-class power-house "Cluster" of NEO's economy - it is our "Supply Chain And Logistics Economy" and it is globally respected, though nearly a secret in local circles.

Today, I attended a free demonstration by a leader of our SCALE - e-Ventus - showcasing their "sole-source" web-based supply chain management application MX Supplier - for more specifics, see event listing here and the e-Ventus website here - which is "custom built" for NEO's bread and butter economy... MANUFACTURING!

Let's beat Artsopolis (and Silicon Valley) and save NEO artists money. The following article plugs an arts portal in Silicon Valley that they claim is getting the attention of lots of other arts organizations around the country. I do use Artsopolis when in SF and the protal is good, but it is no better than we can do here - and we need this capability to promote one of our greatest regional assets... the arts!!!

I received an email today from area economic development leader Kevin Cronin that should be of interest of content creators interested to commercialize books, music and images. Nice service - don't know if it is cost competitive... and wonder, can't folks in publishing here compete with this, as self-publishing will continue to be a growing business (some folks will always want dead trees to read ;-)

Good information posted in today's Good Morning Silicon Valley newsletter - the most interesting reference is: "Typically, we have seen that the civil liberties and education levels of a
nation strongly determine its level of technology adoption..." - let's make the nation of REALNEO as good as Denmark, with great IT, education, and civil liberites for all!

To a large degree University of California in San Diego gets credit for
reinventing their regional economy, most visibly through their
"Connect" services. Below is an article from their latest
e-newsletter which highlights how much they do to connect early stage ventures
there with all levels of funding - from "food and rent" grants to
partnering with large pharmaceuticals. Important model and lessons to learn of
NEO to connect with the new economy!

In the words of Northeast Ohio Arts Educator of the Year Mary Beth Matthews:

As a little P.S. to all of Cleveland's chronic complainers who like to whine and say,

"Nothing ever gets done in this city"
"People have no vision here"
"Clevelanders don't know how to work together"
"It's all just a lot of talk"
"New ideas don't stand a chance."
"The Cleveland Schools suck."

At Max Hayes, we refused to get caught up in all of that negativity...We're makin' it happen...Ha!

Ha is right - it has just been announced Mary Beth and her students will install a major public arts project at the Soap Box Track, right down from her school,

I noticed an interesting ad on the NY Times website, from GE, saying "Put Your Imagination to Work - Invite your friends to Collaborate" so I clicked it and found they are providing a cool interactive Flash drawing application that allows one to several Internet visitors to collaborate on a "drawing" - you can change background, line and fill colors and shapes and create a sketch of an idea or concept, and save it and send it to friends.

An
Entrepreneur's Success Story:
Ray Holan and Biodiesel Cleveland

Neighborhood revitalization requires more than affordable housing,
more than the right retail mix...

by Frank Mills

There’s a fascinating article in the NY Times today on a
massive spike in funds raised by venture capital firms – a 78% increase in the
3rd quarter over the second quarter results. Folks in the VC game
see this as bad news, as the industry in over-funded and they literally need to compete for good deals to fund.
I’ve met with many VCs in Silicon Valley and the general position a year ago
was that there was 10 times more VC funding available than there were good
deals to fund – and that was well before huge ramp-ups of the past few quarters,
which have probably pushed this multiple near 20X… VCs literally can’t invest
their pledged funds fast enough, and that is a problem for them. It is safe to
say any good entrepreneurial venture is now very fundable and in fact in a
position to shop for best VC deals around the country.

Most people probably don't realize Cleveland is the origin of wind power generation - renowned Cleveland innovator Charles Brush invented and built the first wind power generator behind his mansion on Euclid Avenue in 1888.

Next week, Cleveland again becomes a leader in the wind industry by posting the Wind Power Conference, November 9 & 10 at the Sheraton Cleveland City Centre Hotel.

Read more about the conference and wind industry opportunities for our region at a special REALNEO provided just for that Community Of Interest Link (COIL) - linked from here!

I just received an update from the President of NEORUG - Northeast Ohio Regional User Group of Hewlett-Packard computers - on an exciting session featured at their upcoming Training Symposium and Vendor Show - Thursday Nov. 4 from 7:30 AM until around 6 PM.