Here comes the 7 Rivers Region Wednesday, November 13, 2002 Yesterday, EDPros launched a regional collaboration that includes three states on the upper Mississippi. The new "7 Rivers Region" brand name will promote an area that includes seven counties in Wisconsin, two in Minnesota and one in Iowa. Go Here is a map of the region. Dan Kapanke, one of the leaders of the effort, promotes themes of regional cooperation: "For the 7 Rivers Region to continue to thrive, its imperative that all of our communities work together to build a strong economy and compete with other regions. Together, we can compete globally by strengthening our work force, reinforcing our infrastructure and attracting new investments." EDPros launched the brand at a regional summit, "Building Success: Tools for Collaboration". You can learn more about the regional brand by downloading additional materials. The materials include a useful a presentation that builds support for the regional brand and the logo. Go. This effort demonstrates how communities outside major metro areas can collaborate to compete. For this effort to thrive, leaders will now need to build collaborative relationships between the 7 Rivers Region and other regional economies, both here and abroad. They can also learn from other regions, like the "Right Corner of Texas" web site that I reviewed recently. posted by Ed Morrison |		This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License. links Some Background on EDPro Weblog The purpose of this weblog is to help economic development professionals -- EDPros -- keep up with the changes sweeping our profession. Strap on your goggles. It's a whole new game. There are no experts any more. The only place to learn about economic development is from other EDPros who are doing it. One other point: the prevaling approach (paradigm, if you like) in economic development is shifting from competition to collaboration. There are a lot of reaasons underlying this shift, but here's the important insight: You, your community, and your region will do better by collaborating and sharing information. So, spread the word...Share the knowledge. Tell a friend about EDPro Weblog. If you are using a news reader, here is the link to syndicate this site: Here's the link if you are a bloglines subscriber: Speaking and workshops on Open Source Economic Development As the idea of Open Source Economic Development starts spreading, more people are asking about it. Visit the I-Open web site to learn more. My colleagues and I are happy to explain the basic concepts in a talk or a workshop. E-mail Susan Alshuler if you'd like to learn more about workshops and speaking. Background on Ed Morrison Download some background information on me here.

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