This problem will not be solved by any bureaucracy. It requires leaders who see the world as it is and are willing to drive change.
-Jeff Immelt, chairman and CEO, GE
Part of an economic developer’s job is to listen and observe. To not only look at the data, but to determine if your community and business leadership is confident, weary or fearful of what is around the corner.
We’ve been listening a lot lately and we are sensing a bit of each of these emotions. Some leaders are confident and fearless, some are weary from a slow recovery, and still others harbor deep fears about where the economy is heading. The workforce tends to mirror these sentiments, as evidenced by recent consumer confidence polling.
Last week’s job report surfaced real doubt in our economy, and the world’s problems aren’t getting any easier. In periods like these it is wise to look to those who have visibility into how the global economy is really performing, which disruptive technologies are taking hold and how we can solve problems. Chairman and CEO Jeff Immelt of GE, one of the largest companies in the world that is involved in nearly every sector of the economy, recently authored an insightful article addressing these very things. His advice should be deeply considered, especially the emphasis on local solutions.
Let’s have a great week!
-Kenny McDonald
One Columbus Update
- Congratulations to the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide and the City of Dublin on hosting one of the best golf events in the world. Thank you for making the Columbus Region shine!
- Last week, our team joined with the City of Dublin and the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide to host the Leaderboard breakfast, a morning address for business leaders held in celebration of the Memorial Tournament. This year’s event featured a great dialogue with Jimmy and Dee Haslam of the Cleveland Browns and Skip Pritchard, CEO of OCLC, one of the Columbus Region’s most innovative companies.
- Last week, the Kauffman Foundation revealed that Columbus is No. 1 in scaling up startups. Congratulations to Rev1 Ventures and the entire Columbus Region startup community! It is great to see this type of recognition for our community. It does not come without a lot of hard work by numerous organizations and entrepreneurs.
- Columbus was named Intelligent Community of the Year in 2015, and next week the Intelligent Community Forum will present its international Summit in Columbus. Mayors, CAOs, CIOs and economic development officers from around the world will gather in our community.