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Economic Development Matters Blog

The Columbus2020!

Adapting to the Needs of a New Economy

September 26th, 2011 by Kenny McDonald

There are 1,167 community colleges in the United States. Of the 12.5 million students, 61% are employed full-time, and once again they are at the center of the jobs discussion. We are blessed with great community and technical colleges within the Columbus Region. Whether our team is recruiting a new company to our Region, or assisting an existing employer, these institutions are at the heart of the discussion. There are multiple reasons. First, many of the jobs created today require certification and specific knowledge not gained from general education programs at colleges and universities. Many require certificates or specialized training programs, often directed by instructors with industry experience or even from the company’s own training staff. Second, the skills required by today’s industry – specifically in the fields of IT and manufacturing – continue to change very rapidly. Columbus State Community College and Central Ohio Technical College are excellent institutions and are helping the Columbus Region compete and prosper.

Community colleges are agile, quick to change, and very adaptable, but they need support and guidance. The Columbus Region’s Logistics Council was created to aid in the development and growth of the logistics sector in the Columbus Region, and it has a great partner in our area’s community colleges. This type of successful industry collaboration can help community colleges meet the challenges of preparing today’s workforce. It is also helping people change careers and get back into the workforce, many of which have been out of work for more than six months. A living example of this was provided to our team from the LogisticsART graduation recently, where Sherry Gassaway provided a moving speech that exemplifies this collaboration between our community colleges and industry officials.

Columbus2020! Update
Our team has landed in Japan and is meeting with over 20 companies this week in a continued effort to build relationships and increase international business in the Columbus Region. Our team will be hosting clients this week and also meeting with our regional allies from across the State of Ohio to continue to build the JobsOhio Network system.

Kenny McDonald
Chief Economic Officer
Columbus2020!
614.225.6060
km@columbusregion.com
columbusregion.com
@kennymcdon

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Getting Everyone on the Field

September 19th, 2011 by Kenny McDonald

My children are still young enough that their activities, particularly sports, are about participation. Everyone gets a shot, and everyone generally gets equal playing time. There are clearly children that are more talented, and there are others that really struggle. I am pretty competitive and grew up with three older brothers, so this drives me a little crazy, but I get it. What I find interesting is that the whole team celebrates when a goal, basket, or touchdown is made. The kids that struggle a bit are delighted to see their teammates do well. The kids that do well are happy that their friends are on the field with them.

Our economy and our cities work very differently however, with a widening gap between those doing well and those that are impoverished. According to an article by Timothy Noah, entitled the United States of Inequality, “From 1980 to 2005, more than 80 percent of total increase in Americans’ income went to the top 1 percent. Economic growth was more sluggish in the aughts, but the decade saw productivity increase by about 20 percent. Yet virtually none of the increase translated into wage growth at middle and lower incomes, an outcome that left many economists scratching their heads.”

I am attending the International Economic Development Conference annual conference this week and the conference is filled with economic development professionals, economists, workforce experts, etc. There are sessions on numerous topics that touch around the issue, but none that hit the topic directly. The first step is to have dialogue about this issue without victimizing the poor or villianizing those at the top of the income bracket. Second, let us recognize that economic development does not only happen because someone in Washington changes the interest rate or enacts a policy. It happens block by block and farm by farm. It happens when neighbors pick each other up, and when the smart kid that started the company hires his or her friend who needs a job. It happens when we make sure the kid down the street doesn’t quit school and someone gives him a chance. Let’s get everyone on the field, give them a chance, and narrow the gap.

Columbus2020! Update
Our team will be in Charlotte this week at the International Economic Development Council’s annual conference with a host of economic developers from around the world. We will also be attending the Farm Science Review in Madison County later this week, as well as traveling to Chicago to meet with companies and a few consulting firms to market the Region. Additionally, our team leaves for Japan on Friday for ten day mission to meet Japanese companies.

Kenny McDonald
Chief Economic Officer
Columbus2020!
614.225.6060
km@columbusregion.com
columbusregion.com
@kennymcdon

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Constructing a Dialogue, Improving our Economy

September 15th, 2011 by Kenny McDonald

To all of the Columbus2020! investors and allies that took time from their busy schedules last week to attend our event I would simply like to say thank you. We have terrific investors, and as Doug Kridler from The Columbus Foundation would say – smart people, open to new ideas, and the people that have them.

We will be providing the results of the Regional Economic Development Dialogue to our investors and our team will be diving into what we heard, but let’s review the themes of the day:

• Thanks to both the public and private sectors, the Columbus Region has resources to market the Region, connect with and leverage existing businesses, and accelerate entrepreneurial programs.

• The State of Ohio’s revamped economic system will include a lean office of development services and a private sector partner called JobsOhio built to be agile enough to act on opportunities for the entire state. The JobsOhio network will leverage regional public-private partnerships to help execute and align with communities across the state.

• Our breakouts showed that Columbus2020! investors are focused on practical solutions to our economic challenges (sound policies, efficient use of economic funds, and creative solutions that involve them).

• Finally – Hank Nothhaft spoke about focusing on the 80% that the majority of us agree upon to move forward, to find common sense solutions to complex problems and to forge ahead on the issues that we can control – not those that we cannot.

A Short Note on the Anniversary of September 11th
According to a USA Today/Gallup poll ten years after the September 11th terror attacks, 28% of Americans say they have permanently changed the way they live as a result of that tragedy. What’s more, 58% believe that Americans overall have permanently changed the way they live. Let us never forget, and let these changes be for the better.

Columbus2020! Update
Our team is in Philadelphia this week, along with several others from Ohio to attend the Industrial Asset Management Council (IAMC) fall forum. IAMC focuses on the unique needs of major industrial companies as they manage and locate facilities. We are preparing for several site visits and are following up on several from last week.

Kenny McDonald
Chief Economic Officer
Columbus2020!
614.225.6060
km@columbusregion.com
columbusregion.com
@kennymcdon

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Closing Loopholes, Staying Ahead of the Curve and Saying Thank You… Again

September 15th, 2011 by Kenny McDonald

Our economic development system is beginning to close loopholes and cast a bigger net for opportunities. I am not talking about tax policy, no one needs that on a Monday morning, but rather the loopholes in our communications system. Our regional team is communicating everyday with our local and state allies, and more importantly each level of the system has a renewed focus on talking to its existing customers. Each week we are closing the communication loopholes that existed before and open transparent conversations are leading to solutions for those businesses seeking to grow or establish operations in the Columbus Region.

The Columbus Region continues to stay ahead of the curve. CSX’s recent announcement to invest $59 million into Columbus once again validates the Region’s importance to the logistics industry and the movement of global goods around the world. This investment deepens our roots as one of the most important inland ports in the world and will help to keep us ahead in the battle for the best infrastructure.

Finally, it is time to thank Honda once again. Honda has made a major investment in the Columbus Region and the State of Ohio. Honda directly employs thousands in Ohio, and indirectly several thousand. Not only will the investment make necessary improvements to its Ohio plants, but will also add world class technology that solidifies its commitment to the future.

Columbus2020! Update
This is a big week for our team. Wednesday morning we will host the inaugural Columbus2020! Regional Economic Development Dialogue, along with our public and private investors, allies, and key collaborators. The discussions are sure to be wide ranging, and at times, challenging. After a brief update by our team, Mark Kvamme and Christiane Schmenk will present the State of Ohio’s economic development strategy and roll-out JobsOhio to the attendees. We will have breakout sessions to hear about opportunities and challenges in the Region, and lunch will feature serial entrepreneur and best-selling author Henry Nothhaft. His recent book Great Again is driving a lot of “jobs” dialogue as is his letter to President Obama, just published this weekend. It is a lot to cover, but I hope all of you attending will stay the entire time. You can register to attend here if you haven’t already.

I believe that if we have these conversations each year we will be amazed by what we can accomplish in the next decade. Surely our Region and country will change a lot over that time, and your advice and counsel will help our team steer through the changes.

Kenny McDonald
Chief Economic Officer
Columbus2020!
614.225.6060
km@columbusregion.com
columbusregion.com
@kennymcdon

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High-Growth Companies in a Slow-Growth Economy

September 2nd, 2011 by Kenny McDonald

Last week, 11 Ohio companies were named to the Inc. 500 list and more than 50 Central Ohio companies were named to the Inc. 5000. This is great news for the Columbus Region and for those entrepreneurs toiling away to start companies in the incubators, laboratories, garages and basements across the Region. This is an excellent message for our business community because it shows what is possible, even in today’s shaky economy, for talented people with a plan and a dream.

Placing that many companies on the list is yet one more feather in our cap as a Region, but more importantly it is validation of the talent that resides within Ohio and the Columbus Region to innovate and build high-growth companies. The challenge this poses for our community is to help these high-growth companies become profitable, sustainable enterprises, and to help connect them with customers and markets worldwide. It is also important to let the world know where they came from and that our Region welcomes smart ideas and the people that have them!

We look forward to seeing many of you on September 7th for our Regional Economic Development Dialogue where we will discuss these ideas and more.

Columbus2020! Update
September arrives this week, the start of a very busy schedule that includes marketing the Columbus Region, ramping up our schedule of meetings with regional companies, building an agenda to accelerate entrepreneurial growth, integrating our strategy with the JobsOhio Network, and completing the staffing of the 2020! team.

As the Columbus Region grows in population and economic stature, it must move in an effort to increase awareness of our Region’s assets. To that end, Columbus2020! hosted five journalists this past week who write for publications including IndustryWeek, BNET, The Daily Green, The New York Times, E/The Environmental Magazine, American Manufacturing, Aerospace Manufacturing & Design, Today’s Medical Developments, Jiji Press (Japanese Wire Service), fDi Magazine and Journal of Commerce.

These journalists were interested in the manufacturing assets of our Region and visited with organizations including Honda, Scott’s Miracle-Gro, Worthington Industries and Battelle, as well as The Ohio State’s Center for Automotive Research, Edison Welding Institute, Accel Inc. and start-up companies at TechColumbus. One of the visiting journalists already posted an article as a result from his visit with Honda.

Kenny McDonald
Chief Economic Officer
Columbus2020!
614.225.6060
km@columbusregion.com
columbusregion.com
@kennymcdon

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