Thursday, January 23, 2003
Here's another innovation out of Iowa, a Community Vitality Center. Funded by the Department of Agriculture and housed at Iowas State University, the Center will undertake a number of initiatives to stimulate business development. The Board of Regents approved the Center this week. Center staff and ISU students will work with leaders in small and medium-size towns to establish networks that improve Iowa's competitiveness for attracting business and residents.
The Center, proposed by ISU Extension and Positively Iowa, a non-profit group, is already underway. The Center's governing Board has approved five projects. The first three projects are related to the theme of Community Vitality and Entrepreneurship.
The first project involves a series public deliberation forums called Community Conversations that were held at 10 regional sites across the state last fall. Local citizens and leaders who participated in these meetings are examining 3 different approaches that communities may take in supporting and assisting entrepreneurs and startup businesses.
Learn more from a recent article. Go
posted by Ed Morrison |
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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.
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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.
Iowa launches Community Vitality Center
