DATE: March 16, 2005

Annual Meeting: How Cool is Greater Akron?
Hilton Akron/Fairlawn, 3180 W. Market St., Fairlawn
5:30 - 8:30 PM
Speaker: Rebecca Ryan, Founder, Next Generation Consulting, Inc.
Non-member Cost: $55.00 Member Cost: $55.00

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Ideastream's 03.06.05 Ideas program took an interesting look at economic development issues and opportunities in Akron, and how the city seeks to raise it's "cool" factor. They featured Elizabeth Sheeler, who returned home to Akron from Boston to work with the Akron Art Museum and ArtCetera because she feels she can have a bigger impact in her smaller home town than in a big city  she has started an after work arts party and networking scene in Akron - part of making the scene cooler there. The objective is to make Akron desirable to Gen-Xers  and the need is serious. Rebecca Ryan, an economic development consultant from Madison, WI, based Next Generation Consulting, has been hired to lead the Akron community to focus on their Gen-X quality of life  she notes only 4% of NEOs 18-24 have loyalty to this region vs. 25% nationwide, and only 35% of NEO residents in general feel there is good opportunity here for the young, vs. 69% nationwide. Gen-Xers are needed to replace Baby Boomers as they retire from the workforce, and Gen-Xers are the innovators needed to fuel the future of the economy, so not satisfying the Gen-Xers is very foolish.

Ideastream broadcast an interesting community discussion show called Ideas, Sunday at 11 AM (after broadcast of the City Club Forum, which is also excellent), which this week covered the Fund For Our Economic Future's annual report to the community, held last week at the Akron Inventors' Hall of Fame. The show featured a panel of foundation leaders talking about Voices & Choices, led by America Speaks (see related Plain Dealer article), a $3 million, 18 month initiative for facilitated dialogue among up to 100,000 area residents on their issues and views about the future of this region. The FFOEF believes this effort will help local leaders set agendas, and educate the public.

Are you the representative of a nonprofit organization? New to fundraising?
Learn how to get in shape to raise funds and how to
identify prospective funders. Find out how the Center's
resources can help you become a more effective grantseeker.

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The media's portrayal of hacking, hackers, and hacktivism
before and after September 11 - The intensified
national debate on the security of cyberspace after September 11,
2001 negatively influenced online political activism, which is now
forced to defend itself against being labeled as a form of
cyberterrorism. Many of these socially or politically progressive
activities remain unknown to the public, or if reported, they are
presented in a negative light in the mass media. These conclusions
are based on a analysis of of hackers, hacking, hacktivism, and
cyberterrorism in five major U.S. newspapers over a one-year
period.

REALNEO is a free open source social network established to
support dialogue and inclusion among all people interested in Northeast Ohio, at all levels. Visitors are
welcome to create an account and add content. Volunteers developing these social networking capabilities host this
oriantation on how to use these virtual tools for collaboration -
please join us all at the Peter B. Lewis building as we focus on
collaboration

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Dan Cuffaro, CIA IDSA Industrial Design Chair - for this last presentation in the "Young Artists Series", Dan speaks on "Innovations in Art and Design". Dan
explains he graduated from CIA in 1991 and, after working here until1994
(including for Greenlee-Hess), he spent 10 years in Boston, where he worked
up the Industrial Design industry to design director - his job then
included hiring young designers. In 2003 he was hired back to Cleveland as CIA
ID Chair, and he is redesigning the program to prepare students to thrive in
the design world he knows from the inside and out, in NEO and beyond.

You are invited to attend an air quality
workshop at the offices of the Northeast Ohio Areawide
Coordinating Agency (NOACA) to begin the public participation process for the
Ozone and Particulate Matter State Implementation Plans (SIPs).

As you
may already know, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA)
designated the counties of Ashtabula, Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, Lorain, Medina,
Portage, and Summit as in nonattainment for the new 8-hour ozone standard. The
USEPA designated Ashtabula (partial), Cuyahoga, Lake, Lorain, Medina, Portage,
and Summit as in nonattainment for the new fine particulate (PM2.5) standard.
These designations require that the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, with
local input, submit SIPs to USEPA that would bring Northeast Ohio into
attainment for both of these pollutants.

Please join us for a free,
public informational event that will include presentations on the air quality
issues that Northeast Ohio faces, talks by affected industries, discussion of
the Ohio EPA SIP development process, and an overview of potential attainment
strategies. Continental breakfast and lunch will be provided.

Tuesday, March 22, 2005
9:00
a.m. until 2:30 p.m.
NOACA Board Room
1299 Superior Avenue
Cleveland,
Ohio 44114

Please RSVP by e-mail
to Pam Davis at pdavis [at] mpo [dot] noaca [dot] org
or by calling (216) 241-2414, Extension 284. Your participation is appreciated.
We look forward to talking with you. 

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Ed Morrison opens the session explaining how his research has identified
telework as an important process and lifestyle shift that will have an impact
on our economy here, as it has impact world-wide. He shows several recent
expert based articles showing how the business world, government and academe
have gravitated around aspects of this issue.

The RAMTEC session had a remarkable attendance of leaders in education, workforce
and economic development and all aspects of manufacturing, drawn from many
counties throughout NEO - full house. REI Executive Director Ed Morrison
introduces the context of this session from his historical perspective
working with GE and in manufacturing, and observing manufacturing in NEO decline in many
ways - challenges are many - some manufacturers don't employ optimal practices
- lean manufacturing - basic common sense in regards to management. Some
manufacturers don't invest in product development - automation solutions - are
operating in isolation from each other - this decreases competitive strength opportunities.

American Society for Training and Development (ASTD) and Michael Wyatt, Director of Training and Tracy
Rohrbaugh, Associate Training Coordinator for Matco Tools.  Topics include: Capturing the stake holders; Understanding your companies planning and budget cycle; Developing a 1 year and 3-5 year implementation plan; The role of continuous improvement in training. $25.00 members $35 nonmembers. Registration 440-835-3579 or email at astd [at] apk [dot] net

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How would you recreate downtown Cleveland? What do
you think downtown Cleveland should look like five years from now?
These were the questions put to those who participated in the second

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A group of NEO civic entrepreneurs are launching a new economic development initiative called RAMTEC - Regional Automated Manufacturing Technology and Education Center - initial supporting documentations is posting in this book, and the initiative is under support at http://ramtec-org.bryght.net

Check out this site: Vision Downtown -- it sounds like it is reporting on grassroots activism going on to redesign downtown Cleveland into a quality, connected place.

"Telework:
Building New Technology Applications for Northeast Ohio"

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Learn how other regions have been successful in creating ready-to-go,
pre-permitted properties for development. Cleveland Neighborhood
Development Coalition, Shorebank and Westside Industrial Retention and

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Ohio Department of Transportation officials and their consultants will be available to answer questions about Innerbelt alternatives that are planned from 4:30-8:30pm.

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If you are interested in developing the brainpower of our next generation of northeast Ohio residents and workers, please come read about the Northeast Ohio Breastfeeding Education and Advocacy Network!

I happened to catch the NOVA program "A Daring Flight" onÂ
Louis Blériot developing the first airplane to cross the English Channel, which in fact revolutionized the airplane industry at its beginning. Lessons Louis learned from Dayton's Wilbur Wright made this possible, and over the years following his Wright "schooling" Louis gained nearly every flight record in existence, with a plane that exceeded the Wright Brothers' accomplishments, becoming the most popular airplane in the world at that time. Understanding that transformation in time, place and industry offers many lessons for NEO now, in our transition.

Case's Weatherhead School of Management Center for Regional Economic Issues (REI) and other community leaders support an initiative to distribute used computers and ease access to free or low cost Internet access for area residents in financial hardship. The first community being supported through this vision is East Cleveland, where REI drives ECHO - "Extending Community Home Online" - as part of an East Cleveland 2010 community redevelopment initiative. This effort is not in social service for the poor of East Cleveland but a critical initiative for economic development for this entire NEO region.

Sustainable urban development innovations and best practices in Mt. Pleasant. Sponsored by Urban Paradoxes, defending and creating dynamic urban neighborhoods that have inherent sense of place.

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NOTES POSTED FROM SESSION. Fascinating, whirlwind two hours focused on NEO as a global center for applied cognitive learning, arts, technology and their convergence. This Tuesday@REI brought together the Dean of Arts and Sciences at Case, Mark Turner, the Chief Information Officer of Case, Tom Knab, the Chief Information Officer of the Cleveland Museum of Art, Len Steinbach, and the Director of Integrative Studies, Department of Neurology, Case, Peter Whitehouse, M.D. REI Executive Director Ed Morrison makes introductions and moderates... share in the outcomes...

The Center for Regional Economic Issues promotes the understanding economic development begins with the unborn child, and many area community leaders realize effective early childhood development improves the economy. Two recent benefits of this enlightenment are a community of interest called NEOchildhood, pursuing a wide range of childhood development related opportunities for Northeast Ohio, and NEOBEAN, creating the Northeast Ohio Breastfeeding Education and Advocacy Network - all for parents, family, employers, policymakers, educators, researchers, caregivers and ultimately children. Good work!.Â

Cleveland Institute of Art interior design senior Joe Stanley has developed a comprehensive strategy and plan for the current Cleveland Institute of Art properties, where there are now poorly utilized, out-of-date facilities and surface parking lots, to be transformed into a new regional and global epicenter of creativity and economic development. Visit his community of interest dedicated to this project - neomainstreet - to see the model, plans, and a remarkable vision for developing exactly the innovation and quality connected places NEO needs for the future!