Tuesday, December 23, 2003
Elkhart, tucked into the northeast corner of Indiana, is the center of our country's RV industry. For years, the former mayor stymied efforts at collaboration. Now that is all changing.
The Horizon Project is linking together commmunities across the county. The firswt partnership involves Elkhart and Goshen, the two largest cities. Now promoters of the Horizon Project are reaching out to smaller cities. Read more.
You can visit the project web site to learn more details about how this expanding partnership formed. Go.
The real challenge will come at the next level. Can Elkhart and Goshen develop partnerships with South Bend? Can Northeast Indiana develop a truly regional approach to economic development? That will be tougher. The leadership perspectives for Elkhart and South Bend differ, and in the past these differences have kept the comunities from collaborating.
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.
If you are using a news reader, here is the link to syndicate this site:
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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.
Elkhart moves ahead
