Bredesen outlines the map of economic development in Tennessee Thursday, March 06, 2003 Governor Phil Bredesen of Tennessee this week addressed a technology conference in Nashville, and he pointed out the new directions he hopes to take Tennessee economic development. Among his messages: technology-led growth will form a key component of his strategy. He will focus on regional strategies ("It's such a big state, and one size definitely doesn't fit all" ), and he will emphasize education ("I'm a firm believer that all roads in economic development certainly go back to education.") Bredesen, a physicist by training, made his fortune as an entrepreneur, launching HealthAmerica Corp. More recently he founded an educational software company called Bredex Corp., which McGraw-Hill Digital Learning bought last summer. Another good quote: "I guess I believe that all successful businesses have something in common: a long-term vision and a short-term focus." Bredesen will be an interesting governor to watch. In his inaugural address he proposed following a third way to govern: "One way is the expansive view: More revenue, more responsibilities for government. The second is a more restricted view: Cut expenses, fewer services." The third way focuses on the politics of the possible: "Let’s leave behind the predictable and stale debate between liberals and conservatives. Let’s take the resources that we have, and prioritize, and manage, and focus our energy on just doing things that count—on real results." This third way is very much in line with what effective EDPros do. 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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