Come to a celebration of REI's past and Northeast Ohio's Open Source Future

We will be having a party to demonstrate an important point: Building our future prosperity is exciting, engaging, and fun. Join other civic entrepreneurs to share stories, get connected, and enjoy NEO's home brew.

Jim Harris has posed a critique of Open Source Economic Development. Read more.

Here's my response to his main points.

Earlier this week, The 21st Century Growth Policy Team unveiled its recommendations on how Columbus should grow. The City of Columbus assembled the Team, a group of around 80 community representatives.

With all the recent developments, I missed mentioning a major new award for civic entrepreneurship in Northeast Ohio. Here's the press release that Case issued.

E4S Founder, Holly Harlan, Receives First SBC/REI Civic Entrepreneurship Award

Cindi Deutschman-Ruiz of WCPN ideastream put together a good story on the emerging Second Curve economy in Cleveland. She managed to blend different viewpoints and avoid the trap of separating the world into competing camps.



Northeast Ohio will be transformed by open networks of collaboration with colleges, universities, and libraries in the middle of these networks. Our region created enormous wealth with industrial strategies. Now, to build our future prosperity, we need to shift our focus to networks, knowledge, and collaboration. 

There is an article ( http://www.cbc.ca/cp/business/050630/b0630102.html ) from the CBC ( http://www.cbc.ca ) that talks about a new Toyota plant opening in Ontario. The combination of a well-trained and educated workforce, a comprehensive national healtcare plan (which saves employers money) and proximity to other employees led to choosing the Canadian facility over possible American options

One of the most telling statements is this one, made by Gerry Fedchun, president of the Automotive Parts Manufacturers' Association:

"The level of the workforce in general is so high that the training program you need for people, even for people who have not worked in a Toyota plant before, is minimal compared to what you have to go through in the southeastern United States,"

Here's part of the rub with the downtown business community. I don't think our downtown business leaders know how (or perhaps why) a research university shapes the economic frontiers in today's economy.

It is not the first time that I have ruffled a few feathers.

Open Source Economic Development encourages the formation of open networks of innovation: clusters.

For the past seven years, I have been developing this model of economic development. We have been applying it in Northeast Ohio with some remarkable success.

In a recent article in the Cleveland Plain Dealer, posted to the NEO Excellence community, business editor Paul O'Donnell wrote "I really didn't need Forbes magazine to tell me that Cleveland ranks 113th out of 150 metropolitan areas for best places to jump-start a business or career". Based on Forbes' analysis of our assets, O'Donnell observed one would conclude "the region is predominantly populated by reasonably educated engineers who spend discretionary income on the arts or sports, who work at companies that pay well but aren't hiring, and who live in safe neighborhoods filled almost exclusively with native Northeast Ohioans."

Here's a fast report on the opening of the 14th annual Community Technology Centers Network CTCNet. Read more.

French sociologist Gustave Le Bon once said, "The masses live by,
and are ruled by, subconscious and emotional thought process. The crowd
has never thirsted for the truth. It turns aside from evidence that is

From pundits to populace, everybody seems to agree that Northeast Ohio needs to step out in a new direction, using the creative arts to drive a new economic resurgence. So why are we talking about the same old models of massive public construction, like a convention center, to bring about this new economy?

Messing With the State Constitution?

Secretary of State Ken Blackwell wants to pass a constitutional amendment to prohibit public governing bodies, the state, local and school board spending combined, from spending greater than the Midwest Consumer Price Index, population growth, inflation or 3.5% above spending for the prior year.  Sounds complicated? This a formula for gridlock, a procedural requirement that will tie the legislature and the Governor in knots, an odd goal for someone who wants to govern.

Our colleagues at Cleveland State are presenting an important forum on the importance of diversity to student outcomes.

Date and time:
Tuesday, April 26, 2005
4 - 6 PM
Levin College Atrium, Glickman-Miller Hall
1717 Euclid Avenue.

Last week, the UN issued an important report on the future of our environment. The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment is focused on improving our insights into the environmental consequences of development.

Here is an idea worth exploring. Phoenix has agreed to stop giving away lucrative sales-tax dollars by signing a deal that creates a "no-incentive zone" with neighboring cities of Tempe and Chandler.

Sustainable development is a growing trend in economic development. Cities that move toward sustainable practices will have an inside track on these expanding markets. NEO is ideally positioned to capitalized on this opportunity.

Key Bank has awarded $1 million to Cuyahoga Community College to establish "Key Entrepreneur Development Center." The Center should become a regional hub for business development.

Here's an announcement on the Cleveland Botanical Garden Flower Show, the largest outdoor flower show in North America. It takes place May 27 - 30.

The Akron Beacon Journal does a good job in covering economic development issues for our region. Here's a story on the shifting use of economic development incentives. Read more.

Here's a good article from the Akron Beacon Journal on the changing job landscape in Northeast Ohio. Read more.

Forest City Enterprises is the lead developer in the new Illinois Technology Innovation Campus announced by the governor this week. Forest City’s Boston-based University, Bioscience and Technology Group will manage the project.

The third of my students this semester who has taken on a topically-focused blogging assignment is Jennifer Mack. She is a double major in music and management, and she still finds time to track down really interesting references to music in business contexts, and to the business of the music industry.