2012 Webinar Training Series

 Part 4: Creating Statewide Comprehensive Economic Development Strategies

Understanding the need to align goals and opportunities into a single document, several State Associations have been collaborating to create Statewide Comprehensive Development Strategies that align community and economic development, emergency preparedness, energy, affordable housing, technology, telecommunications, transportation and workforce development plans or a combination of these. Representatives from Alabama, Florida, and North Carolina will provide training on the methods that their State Associations are using to develop and implement statewide comprehensive development strategies.

Webinar Speakers include:

Jeff Pruitt – Planning Director, Top of Alabama Regional Council of Governments Alabama Consolidated CEDS – informed by the 12 Regional Councils in Alabama the CEDS brings together and “consolidates” the regional strategies from the various Regional Councils into a statewide strategy and provides a statewide perspective back to the Regional Councils to provide guidance in the preparation and implementation of their respective regional strategies.

Scott Koons – Executive Director of the North Central Florida Regional Planning Council The Florida Association of Regional Councils has been working with the state of Florida to coordinate their individual district strategies into the State’s Economic Development Strategic Plan.

Betty Huskins – Executive Director of the North Association of Carolina Regional Councils The North Carolina Association of Regional Councils is leading a collaborative partnership with assistance from the US Economic Development Administration, North Carolina Department of Commerce -Division of Community Development, the US Department of Housing & Urban Development and the SAS Institute of Cary, NC to create a statewide Strategy for Comprehensive Economic Development for North Carolina.

Click here to access presentation slides.

Click here to access the webinar video.

 

Part 3: Creating Asset-Based Strategies and Partnership

Creating Excellent Regional Strategies Webinar

This EDA Know Your Region webinar featured two regional development organizations that exemplify the Peer Standards of Excellence through their work to encourage private sector engagement, multi-regional development strategies, and leveraging regional assets to better compete on a global stage.

Tim Brennan, Executive Director of the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission (MA) presented on how his organization has utilized partnerships and economic development strategies to increase communication, spur innovation and target regional collaboration through the PVPC CEDS.

Chris Endresen- Scott, Director of Economic Development for the Puget Sound Regional Council (PVRC) presented on how engaging public, private, nonprofit and educational leaders has enabled the Partnership for Prosperity use teamwork and constructive approaches to support clusters and  innovation based economic development in their region.

Click Here to Access Presentation Slides

Links to the presentation video are below.

Click here to access the presentation video.

 

 

CEDS Peer Standards of Excellence

In January 2011, NADO brought together approximately 25 EDA-funded Economic Development Districts to share ideas with Federal partners and discuss innovative approaches to developing Comprehensive Economic Development Strategies (CEDS). The CEDS Forum allowed economic development stakeholders to set a pathway for transforming the CEDS  into living documents that frame regional visioning and strategy development, effectively leverage regional partnerships, and promote regional innovation.

The EDA Economic Development District “Peer Standards of Excellence” are meant to be guiding principles that will ensure that the 380 Economic Development Districts  share a common vision and mission of promoting economic prosperity, regional competitiveness, and quality of life through regional innovation, collaboration and strategic investments across America.

Click Here for to access the Peer Standards of Excellence

 

Part 2: Creating Asset-Based Strategies and Partnerships

Public-private partnerships can form dynamic foundations that support the development of  regional strategies built upon the strengths and assets of each community. As America looks to restore its manufacturing base and promote American exports, and as more states turn to regional organizations to pilot their bottom-up economic development strategies, it becomes even more necessary for rural areas to recognize their assets and develop networks that support economic growth, job creation, and increase competitiveness in the global economy. This webinar focused on how two regional development organizations used partnerships to advance small manufacturing clusters build on regional assets.

Christine Frei, Executive Director of the Clearwater Economic Development Association (CEDA) in Lewiston, Idaho presented on four of the partnerships that have been used to increase small manufacturing in her region.  CEDA has leveraged a partnership with the Northwest Intermountain Manufacturers Association on a number of projects including:

• Solidworks in the High School – exposes local students to manufacturing related occupations to encourage a rural workforce of manufacturers
• Snake River Boat Builders Export Program – which has provided viable foreign markets for the welded-aluminum jet boat manufacturing cluster in the region
• Ende Machine and Foundry/Craigmont Business Park – worked with a local manufacturer and helped establish the first lost foam foundry in the Inland Northwest; and
• American Manufacturer Network – helps increase military preparedness and create manufacturing business opportunities resulting in job creation in the Pacific Northwest.

Michael Eisensmith and Alain Ouellette from the Northern Maine Development Commission spoke about how their region has utilized partnerships with local businesses to create a network that led to increased investments and opportunities for their region. The Aroostook Partnership for Prosperity was essential in establishing goals and inventorying the indigenous assets that would offer northern Maine the best opportunities to meet regional economic development goals. Through Mobilize Northen Maine and their Jobs Accellerator Initiative, NMDC worked with APP to foster innovation in manufacturing natural resources and expand the renewable energy industry cluster found in their region.

To access the video recording of the webinar: Click Here!

To access the presentations slides click the following link:

Asset-Based Strategies and Partnerships

 

Part 1: Utilizing EDA Data Tools in your CEDS

Featuring Dr. Timothy Slaper from the Indiana Business Research Center and Rich Bryden from the Institute for Strategy and Competitiveness at the Harvard Business School, this webinar shows participants how they can utilize EDA supported data tools developed by the University of Indiana and Harvard University. STATS America and Clustermapping.us give economic development practitioners a cost-effective way to measure regional assets and build comprehensive development strategies that build upon those assets to create more competitive regions.

Webinar Recording: Click here

To access the presentations slides click the following link:

EDA Data Tools Presentation Slides