Friday, June 06, 2003
The Central Arkansas Economic Development Alliance has secured $1.2 million in pledges over 4 years to launch a new regional economic development effort. The new regional group hopes to promote the region as "the New Center of the South". (It will take more money than that to build this brand.)
One of the promoters summarized the brand positioning: ""It's urban unplugged. It's Fortune 500 and it's $5 barbeque. It's high-tech connectivity and deals sealed with a handshake. It's every thing you expect from an urban center, but it's packaged in the values of a town square."
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.
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.
New regional group forms in Metro Little Rock
