Center for Greater Cleveland's Future topics: Detroit’s Gamble: Lessons Learned, Robin Boyle, Associate
Dean and Professor, College of Urban, Labor, and Metropolitan Affairs,
Wayne State University; Gaming and Tax Revenue: Who is the House?,

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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.

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strategy and plan for the current Cleveland Institute of Art properties, where there are now poorly utilized, out-of-date facilities and surface parking lots, to be transformed into a new regional and global epicenter of creativity and economic development.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!

Participants at the 02.14.05 session 2 of the forum on The Economics of Early Childhood Development were asked to connect the dots from early childhood development to regional economic development. The goal of this interactive session was to broaden the discussion on early care in three ways... visit the NEO Childhood COIL for a wealth of insight on this initiative and next steps!

Today's Tuesdays@REI topic on "The Doan Brook Watershed Partnership" attracted the attention of many people and organizations, as the issues discussed connect to many important initiatives that concern water, as a natural resource and a source of positive economic impact.

[Picture (source) : Fishing in the pond near the former Mount Sinai complex at Rockefeller Park and Doan Brook]

A two-part forum on: The Economics of Early Childhood Development - see NEO Childhood for support site and services

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Below is a story about a company in LA that's doing exactly what companies and all medical service providers must do here - using open source VistA medical information management standards to transform healthcare. This is THE realization of the $125 million vision President Bush recently promoted here, and the understanding the Cleveland Clinic has embraced, and the certainty all other healthcare providers in NEO must recognize. Bottom line, if NEO's 100s of hospitals, clinics and medical centers and 1,000s of doctors get up to speed NOW, and collaborate, and turn their attention to excellence outside the operating room, and work strategically with enlightened IT professionals to embrace VistA region-wide, for the 4.4 million patients here, NEO will overnight become the global center of excellence in healthcare and the multi-billion-dollar medical information systems industry - for now, leadership, success, jobs and wealth go to some up-starts and VCs in LA. Read more...

Come and meet serial and aspiring entrepreneurs, supporters of entrepreneurship, community leaders, business leaders, deal makers, and investors at Northeast Ohio's premier networking event at Pickwick & Frolic. Make new contacts and connections while enjoying an assortment of drinks and hors d'oeuvres.Individuals from JumpStart's new portfolio companies will also be present to share their stories and insights.

Over 600 are expected. Space is Limited. Register Now!

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At the 02.08.05 Tuesday@REI on Intergenerational Learning, Catherine Whitehouse gave an exceptional PowerPoint (1.73 Mgs) on the Intergenerational School she directs - this is a globally unique "Charter School" with about 100 students - read more here and by reviewing the meeting transcript and other attendee notes and comments posted to REALNEO - please feel free to add your comments.

Betsy Merkel of REI introduced Peter Whitehouse, who
introduced the panelists and facilitators:

• Dr. Cathy Whitehouse, the wife of Peter Whitehouse, is a
  founder and the Principal of The Intergenerational School, the only such school
  in the world and a charter school serving eastern Cleveland.
• Kirstin Frei-Herrman is the Project Director of Experience
  Corps/RSVP of Greater Cleveland, a program providing an intergenerational
  tutoring program in the Cleveland Public Schools.
• Crystal Davis is from the Office of Family and Community
  Engagement, Cleveland Municipal School District, an office dedicated to
  stimulating family and community involvement in the education of our children
  and implementers of aspects of the No Child Left Behind program.

The facilitators for the panel discussion were Monica
Dumitriu and Betsey Merkel, both Consultants at REI.

The 02.08.04 Tuesday@REI continues an important collaboration exploring unique value in Northeast Ohio child development - today expanding focus to "Intergenerational Learning", which leverages the value of all ages learning together. Here we see notes on presentations and discussions featuring:

The Economics of Early Child Development initiative for Northeast Ohio kicked off February 01, 2005, with a fantastic forum at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, where 11 important community leaders representing organizations ranging from the Gund and Cleveland Foundations, Treu-Mart Fund, CCC, Cleveland Public Schools and Hanna Perkins, were moderated by REI leaders Ed Morrison and Roberta Waxman-Lenz in insightful presentations and Q&A on what NEO will look like in 2010, when we are the world-leaders in Early Child Development - join the over 160 attendees as we plan next steps at a special NEO Childhood Community of Interest Link here!

Here are some useful resources that build the connection between early child development and economic development.

The 1998 Commission on the Future of the South report

Notes from the first Early Child Development Forum:

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A two-part forum on: The Economics of Early Childhood Development

 Awareness: Session; One February 1, 2005, 4:00-6:00PM, Cleveland Museum of Natural History on Wade Oval in University Circle

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"Monuments differ in different periods. Each age has its own."

"Maybe, just maybe, we shall at last come to care for the most important, most challenging, surely the most satisfying of all architectural creations: building cities for people to live in."

Philip Cortelyou Johnson: July 8, 1906 - January 25, 2004

What will NEO look like in 2010 if we focus on Early Childhood Development (ECD) supporting pregnant women, babies and children - for them and for economic development

Forum 02/01 is part of a process leading to regional action plan. Roberta Waxman-Lenz at REI, Joe Gauntner (sp?) Dir. Cuyahoga County Center for Family and Children and Joyce Bressler (sp?) at Starting Point.

In anticipation of the 02.01.05 REI forum on Early Childhood Development, being held at the Natural History Museum in University Circle, WCPN is featuring the topic on their 90.3 at 9 radio broadcast on 01.25.05 - tune in and get up to speed on this most critical issue for our community... and visit the NEO Childhood Community Of Interest Links for more insight!

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"A Biofuels Primer"

A presentation on the history and potential of biofuels in the energy equation. Topics will trace timeline from the pre-WWII chemurgy movement to current developments such as algal biodiesel and biomass pyrolysis for hydrogen production. Incorporating concepts that include well-to-wheel efficiency, end-of-vehicle-life landfill mandates and integrated biorefineries, a path towards sustainable economic development will be explored within the framework of industrial ecology.

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There is no experience to compare to hearing a genius present the future of the world's most complex situation, realizing that genius is leading NEO's most important institution, and is a leader of the world's most important industry, and will save our local economy.

Cleveland Clinic's incoming CEO Delos Cosgrove M.D. presented a full house at the Cleveland City Club with a clear vision on the current and future state of the healthcare industry that is critical to understanding global quality of life, economic development, and our region's national and global potentials - there will be no more important discussions initiated in this region this year.

Bottom line, while it is awesome the Clinic represents over 5% of our area economy, what is remarkable is they are a global leader in the largest and fastest growing industry in the world, and positioned to play a dramatically greater and changing role in our economy and their global industry. They offer much more than their $2.5 billion contribution to the 2004 regional economy, their 29,000 NEO jobs (65,000, with trickle-down), their $310 million in NEO taxes paid, and their $250 million in uncompensated services for area residents in need - the Clinic is our world-class leader in the industry most responsible for improving people's quality of life, and global productivity, at the time when the potentials of the greatest breakthroughs and innovations in the history of healthcare are just becoming apparent, and while more centralized and socialized policy is inevitable. While the fact is the Clinic is a world-class hospital, the true excitement today is not that the Clinic saves lives but that the Clinic is positioned to save the region's life, making Cleveland one of very few true healthcare capitals of the world.

A Community of Interest committed to the understanding North East Ohio's greatest strength is our cultural diversity, and that is the key to our sustainability as a community, society and economy

The 01/21/05 Financial Times has picked a decidedly hopeful NEO spin on the recent resignation of Peter Lewis from the board of the Guggenheim Museum, asking if this development marks opportunity for Cleveland - like $77 Million worth. It seems possible only if Cleveland starts acting in concert to demonstrate the innovative, sophisicated thinking Peter clearly expects around him. So far, we haven't impressed him, and it is clearly time to change our approaches and collaborate to show Peter NEO is worthy of his further support - plenty of other regions will try to do so and Peter is far from locked behind any of our gates - so let's think open, openly.