Events Calendar
In This Section
Most Read Stories
Man robbed at Tallmadge Avenue eatery
Four teens restrain man, take items from his Akron home
Another winter punch heading toward Ohio
Complaints against officer keep coming
Police: Ohio girl dies after fall into snow bank
Cuyahoga Falls residents come home to find burning couch on balcony
Blogs:
First Bell - On Education:
No City of Akron basketball tonight
Pets:
Pet telethon re-airs
The Heldenfiles:
Chipmunks "Squeakquel" on DVD/BD March 30
Akron Zips:
Late surge gives Zips ugly road win
Tribe Matters:
Blogmail response on Hafner
Cleveland Browns:
Stallworth's contract terminated
Balanced Ledger:
QB in Browns future: another mock draft
Kent State Sports:
KSU Notes – February 9
Cleveland Cavaliers:
NBA Power Rankings from Around the Internet
Buckeye Blogging:
Buckeyes grab 18 players on signing day
Varsity Letters:
Garfield at Buchtel basketball
All Da King's Men:
Palin At The Tea Party Convention
Blog of Mass Destruction:
Republican Pre-Conditions
Akron Law Café:
Citizens United v. F.E.C. (Part 4): Kennedy's and O'Connor's Basic Approaches to Constitutional Decisionmaking – Top Down and Bottom Up
Car Chase:
Collector Car Hobby Loses One of the Best—Jim Roll
Let's Talk Real Estate:
Decisions Decisions: Credit Cards or Your Mortgage?
Ohio Travels with Betty:
Loucile is looking for a Lake Erie getaway in June for three kids, ages 1, 3, and 5.
Sound Check:
Talk of the Town – Top entertainment picks for the weekend
HRLite House:
Track HR Research
Akron Gamer:
'Tecmo Bowl' recreation of Super Bowl XLIV
See Jane Style:
Do IT this week: Layering
The next step in driving regional economic development
Published on Sunday, Nov 29, 2009
The task is to build on the work of the Fund for Our Economic Future, a collaboration of the region's philanthropies that pools resources and directs funding to organizations such as Team NEO, a marketing organization, and JumpStart, which provides seed money for high-tech companies to reach quickly their business potential. As Brad Whitehead, the president of the fund, recently told the Plain Dealer, the hope is that a regional council of business leaders eventually can be created, serving as a vehicle for setting priorities and directing funding.
For six years, the fund has worked to help stimulate thinking about the region's future, and has distributed some $38 million. At this point, broad goals set, the fund is concentrating on raising money, with Whitehead uncertain about its future. What a regional council of business leaders offers is a way to drive the economic agenda. With money tight, such a group also could work with companies facing multiple funding requests from development groups, establishing a long-term fundraising plan that reflects consensus on the region's priorities.
Recent reports confirm that the region's economic development efforts are paying off through growth in high-tech employment while other economic sectors suffer job losses. Yet estimates are that just 9 percent of all workers in the region are employed in firms where technology plays a significant role, close to the Midwest average.
A sharper focus will be needed to keep moving ahead. It is important to keep money flowing to organizations with a solid record of laying the groundwork for future growth. Vital, too, is a close alignment of efforts, thus getting the most bang for the economic development buck.
Get the full article here.
Comments
Click here to post your comments
