You are here: Home / Archives for Resources / Regional Innovation Projects

Cluster Mapping Webinar Now Available for Download

May 3, 2013 by Leave a Comment

The first in a series about various Data Tools developed with support from the Economic Development Administration, this webinar provided an overview of the U.S. Cluster Map and Registry  which contains data on the regional clusters that are driving the national economy. Through this website practitioners can access key information on industries by location and type, in both data and chart format, which can be useful for developing a regional economic development strategy. The registry provides a forum for organizations to identify other entities by geographic area that are directly or indirectly working to advance regional cluster initiatives. It is a useful tool for identifying potential organizations to partner with to advance regional cluster initiatives. Economic development organizations, practitioners, policy makers, and other stakeholders are encouraged to watch to learn how this tool can be useful in your planning and decision-making processes.

The webinar was co-hosted by the National Association of Development Organizations (NADO) and the Economic Development Administration (EDA).  It is part of a series that will occur in 2013. Future webinars will address other EDA-funded data tools, including Stats America, Triple Bottom Line, Regional Innovation Accelerator Network (RIAN), and more. The NADO Research Foundation is coordinating the webinars as part of its Know Your Region program which is funded through an agreement with the U.S. Economic Development Administration (#99-06-07548).

Please contact NADO Deputy Executive Director Laurie Thompson at lthompson@nado.org if you have any questions about this webinar, or the series in general.

 

Click here to download the Powerpoint slides from the webinar 

 

Filed Under: Latest Posts, Regional Economic Development, Regional Innovation Projects, Tools and Training, Webinars Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Revving the Economic Engine: South Carolina’s Auto Cluster

May 3, 2013 by Leave a Comment

The NADO Research Foundation has released the new report Revving the Economic Engine: South Carolina’s Auto Cluster (PDF).  Over the last 30 years, South Carolina has developed a flourishing, globally competitive automotive and ground transportation cluster which is a major engine of economic growth in the state.  While the impact of the auto and ground transportation industries on the South Carolina economy may seem obvious with the large presence of BMW and Michelin alone, the full breadth and depth of the auto cluster was not realized until 2011, when the University of South Carolina (USC) Moore School of Business published the first comprehensive analysis of this economic engine.  The analysis estimated an economic impact of $27.1 billion using 2008 data and supports over five percent of the state’s total employment.  For every one job created in auto manufacturing, more than three jobs are created elsewhere in the economy.

Report cover with female employee manufacturing carSouth Carolina has a reputation for being a competitive state among economic development circles, and the state also has significant transportation facilities such as the deepwater Port of Charleston, inland port in Greer that will open later in 2013, and rail and interstate corridors providing connections within the state and to nearby cities such as Atlanta and Charlotte.  The state’s workforce development system and the collaborative research campus at Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research are also assets that make South Carolina and the 10-county Upstate region competitive.

This report was produced through the NADO Research Foundation’s Center for Transportation Advancement and Regional Development under a cooperative agreement with the Federal Highway Administration.  View the report at http://www.nado.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/SCAutoCluster.pdf.

Other reports related to transportation released by the NADO Research Foundation in recent months include:

For more resources on rural transportation, visit NADO’s online clearinghouse at www.RuralTransportation.org.  To view other NADO reports, including recent releases on economic development, visit www.NADO.org.

To view PDF files, install Adobe Reader.

Filed Under: Featured Post, Featured Publications, Latest Posts, Publications, Regional Economic Development, Regional Innovation Projects Tagged With: , , , ,

Asset-Based Economic Development and Building Sustainable Rural Communities

January 30, 2013 by Leave a Comment

.

ICMA, in conjunction with the NADO Research Foundation, has released a three-part series focusing on asset-based economic development and sustainable rural development.  Asset-based economic development is a bottom-up approach to economic development that builds on existing local resources to strengthen local and regional economies. Asset-based economic development focuses on a community’s natural environmental, socio-cultural, and economic advantages and how these can be leveraged into sustained economic growth and productivity. It focuses on building capacity in communities and strengthening connections within regions.

Click the links below to download the individual reports:

 

Filed Under: Events, Featured Post, Latest Posts, Newsfeed, Regional Economic Development, Regional Innovation Projects, Rural Development

Presentation: Rethinking the CEDS and the EDD’s Role in Regional Economic Development

January 17, 2013 by Leave a Comment

NADO staff conducted a CEDS workshop for the Alaska Economic Development Districts and other local and regional economic developers in Anchorage on December 3-4, 2012. The presentation “Rethinking the CEDS and the EDD’s Role in Regional Economic Development” highlighted forthcoming changes to EDA guidance on CEDS development, an overview of statewide CEDS initiatives happening across the country, and EDD best practices. The workshop was hosted by the University of Alaska Center for Economic Development.

Rethinking the CEDS and the EDD’s Role in Regional Economic Development (Download as PDF)

 

Filed Under: CEDS, Featured Post, Innovation Resources, Latest Posts, Newsfeed, Presentations, Regional Economic Development, Regional Innovation Projects, Rural Development, Tools and Training

Aligning Strategies to Maximize Impact: Case Studies on Transportation and Economic Development

January 17, 2013 by Leave a Comment

Report cover with truck driving on rural road, group of individuals at a groundbreaking ceremony, and a wind turbine in an open field.This report, written by the NADO Research Foundation, features 10 case studies from 11 states where regional planning and economic development organizations are taking steps to coordinate planning processes and investment strategies, partner with new entities to improve outreach and and implementation, document progress through metrics, and communicate results in an engaging way.

Projects from regional organizations across the United States demonstrate how the fields of transportation and economic development can complement each other and create an environment for increased collaboration and aligning of resources. Achieving multiple goals with a single project offers significant benefits as budget concerns continue to impact regional planning.

In particular, this report examines transportation planning through the lens of economic development and the Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS), a regional economic development plan. In 2011, the NADO Board of Directors adopted Peer Standards of Excellence for Economic Development Administration (EDA)-designated Economic Development Districts (EDDs). These principles, developed by NADO members, are intended to make the CEDS a more effective tool, beyond a compliance plan needed to access EDA funds. The Standards of Excellence promote a strategic planning and implementation framework that is results-oriented; focused on aligning and leveraging resources; inclusive of public, private, and nonprofit sector leaders; and emphasizes the importance of asset-based regional economic development.

The seven principles of CEDS Standards of Excellence are:

  1. Build resilient regions and capitalize on assets.
    Build more resilient economies and communities by focusing and targeting regional strategies on the existing and potential competitive advantages of each individual region.
  2. Align plans and investments.
    Foster a regional collaborative framework to strategically align public sector investments from federal, state, and local sources, as well as private, nonprofit, and philanthropic partners.
  3. Focus on data and analysis.
    Use modern scenario, data, and analysis tools and planning techniques that provide policy makers, stakeholders, and the public with evidence-based and factual based information.
  4. Link strategies and outcomes.
    Transform the CEDS process into a more strategy-driven planning process focused on regional visioning, priorities setting, and performance outcomes, rather than a broad-based encyclopedia or narrative of the region with a laundry list of random projects and programs.
  5. Increase collaboration among regions.
    Promote and support peer reviews and exchanges of Economic Development District planning professionals and policy officials with the goal of increasing collaboration across EDD boundaries, enhancing organizational resources, and positioning regional CEDS as more effective building blocks for statewide and local strategies.
  6. Adopt a communications strategy.
    Communicate in a compelling and modern communication style, including use of executive summaries, high quality print and online media, and social media.
  7. Collaborate on plans and implementation.
    Engage the public, private, nonprofit and educational sectors, along with the general public, in the development and implementation of the CEDS.

Click here to download the report (PDF)

A previous NADO Research Foundation report from April 2009 examined another element of the interaction between transportation and the CEDS. Role of Transportation Planning in the Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy Process presented the results of a national scan of EDDs to determine the extent to which transportation is incorporated into the CEDS. This report, Aligning Strategies to Maximize Impact provides more detail on collaboration among organizations and implementation of projects that create opportunities for linking transportation investments with economic development objectives.

Although the seven core principles of the Standards of Excellence were created with regard to the development and implementation of the CEDS, they also apply to broader regional planning processes, including transportation planning. As the case studies in this report show, investments in transportation promote numerous other goals outside of mobility, notably economic development efforts. A safe, efficient, and reliable transportation network provides essential infrastructure for a robust regional economy.

The most recent reauthorization of federal surface transportation funding reflects the increasing recognition of transportation as a means to an end, rather than an end in itself. Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century (MAP-21), signed into law in July 2012, emphasizes performance and outcome-based transportation planning that makes progress towards seven national goals, including freight movement and economic vitality. (1) Performance goals for improving passenger mobility are also embedded in the restructuring of several national programs with increased support for multimodal investments.

This report features 10 case studies on diverse transportation and economic development topics such as freight movement, cluster development, ridesharing, and project prioritization.  RDOs in these 11 states are implementing initiatives with regional impact. Each case also includes valuable takeaway lessons that can serve as a resource to others hoping to promote a stronger link between transportation and economic development strategies. Throughout the report, the best practice themes embodied in the CEDS Standards of Excellence are identified where they appear in these case studies as applied to transportation as well as economic development.

Filed Under: Featured Post, Featured Publications, Latest Posts, Newsfeed, Publications, Regional Economic Development, Regional Innovation Projects, Resources, Rural Development

The Rise of the Greek Yogurt Industry in Central New York

January 17, 2013 by Leave a Comment

This report, prepared for the NADO Research Foundation, highlights the emergence of the Greek yogurt industry in central New York over the past five years by providing a case study on asset-based development.

Cover of report, showing trucks entering and leaving Chobani yogurt production facility in central New York

.

Proximity to markets and supply has made central New York a key location in Greek yogurt production. With 1,400 new jobs created by two yogurt makers alone, Chobani and FAGE USA have changed the economic landscape for the region and provided a new outlet for hundreds of dairy farms in the state and nearby areas.  Chobani was founded by an entrepreneur and had only five employees in 2007, but with a quick rise to prominence now employs 1,000 in central New York and consumes 4.5 million pounds of milk per day.  FAGE’s presence in rural New York, on the other hand, is the result of foreign direct investment as the Greek company decided to establish a North American presence rather than continue to export product from Greece.

Regardless of their differing origins, both firms, and others entering the field, rely on access to transportation and logistics systems to move goods, services, and people in a timely and cost-effective manner.  As the report states:   “If ‘location, location, location’ is the mantra of real estate, ‘location, transportation, and logistics’ is the driving force in economic development.”

Click here to download the report (PDF)  

 

Filed Under: Featured Post, Featured Publications, Innovation Resources, Latest Posts, Newsfeed, Publications, Regional Economic Development, Regional Innovation Projects, Resources, Rural Development

Performance Metrics Matter

January 16, 2013 by Leave a Comment

.

Performance Metrics Matter, a publication of the National Association of Development Organizations prepared by the ViTAL Economy Alliance, explains how performance metrics can be used to create a more effective CEDS for a regional economy.

A Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) is more than a mandatory report for opening doors to federal funding, especially through the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA). It should be an opportunity to formulate effective strategies that transform a region’s economy by creating or retaining wealth and increasing prosperity.

This white paper discusses how performance metrics can be used to create a more effective CEDS for a regional economy. It includes real-life examples of how performance metrics have been used by various Economic Development Districts (EDDs) and other regions assisted by ViTAL Economy to address unique conditions and transform their region’s economic performance. It also demonstrates how performance metrics are the first critical step in creating meaningful strategies in a CEDS and how they can improve an economic region’s ability to meet the new NADO’s Seven Principles of CEDS Standards of Excellence.

Click here to download the report (PDF)

 

 

Filed Under: CEDS, Featured Post, Featured Publications, Innovation Resources, Publications, Regional Economic Development, Regional Innovation Projects, Rural Development

Development District Association of Appalachia Impact Brief

July 18, 2012 by Leave a Comment

The Development District Association of Appalachia (DDAA) had developed a new publication with the assistance of NADO. The Executive Summary of the report focuses on the role of the DDAA’s Local Development District in fostering regional strategies, partnerships, and solutions. (View the new DDAA publication.)

The DDAA comprises the network of 73 multi-county development districts (LDDs) serving the 13-state, 420-county Appalachian region. Guided by the principle that local governments and communities can accomplish more by working together rather than individually, the DDAA serves as a catalyst for partnership, progress and prosperity throughout the Appalachian region. LDDs provide the  knowledge and expertise to connect local governments with the private sector, leveraging the necessary resources to reduce isolation and drive the Appalachian region into the global economy.

Development District Association of Appalachia: Jobs and Sustained Economic Growth, Workforce Readiness, Modern Infrastructure Asset, Quality of Life, Vibrant Communitieswas designed as a tool that can be utilized to market your regions, brand the DDAA and Appalachian Regional Commission as crucial federal partners, and showcase innovative and important projects that have positioned the region to compete in the global economy.  Through partnerships and collaboration, DDAA’s network of LDDs has been integral in reducing poverty and isolation while increasing access to technology and advancing the region’s workforce. The network of LDDs have prepared the Appalachian region to advance the Obama Administration’s stated goals of creating an economy built on American manufacturing, American energy, and skilled American workers.

In the recent years the members of the DDAA have:

  • LDDs have administered over 9,500 grants and projects with proven accountability and results, totaling more than $6.2 billion in pass-through and programmatic funds, during the past two decades.
  • The combined business development loan portfolio invested more than $523 million in gap financing for businesses and entrepreneurs. We have made more than 3,500 business loans, leveraging an additional $1.3
  • billion from the private sector in underserved regions and for companies and entrepreneurs struggling to secure traditional bank financing.
  • Almost 70,000 jobs have been created or retained, and 125,000 workforce clients were prepared to contribute to the region’s economy as a result of our LDD programs.
  • Some 3.6 million seniors benefited from aging programs administered by LDDs in parts of the region, including through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Area Agency on Aging program.
Filed Under: Featured Post, Featured Publications, Latest Posts, Newsfeed, Publications, Regional Economic Development, Regional Innovation Projects, Resources

2012 Workshop Series Slides

June 15, 2012 by Leave a Comment
Filed Under: CEDS, Events, Presentations, Regional Economic Development, Regional Innovation Projects, Resources, Tools and Training

2012 Know Your Region Webinars

June 15, 2012 by Leave a Comment

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

Filed Under: CEDS, Events, Regional Economic Development, Regional Innovation Projects, Resources, Tools and Training, Webinars
Next Page»