Saturday, September 11, 2004
When most of us think about textiles, we don't see a very attractive target for business development. After all, textiles moved from the Northern states to the Southern states in the 1950's. And for a couple of decades, the South has been losing textile jobs (despite efforts to slow the trend through trade agreements like the Multi-Fiber Agreement).
But what about non-woven textiles? Now this is a growth market, and Wake County, North Carolina is building a base to develop these businesses. Through a collaboration with North Carolina State, Wake County is launching a new economic development strategy targeted at these businesses. Read more.
Wake County's strategy represents a smart alliance with a local university.
Nonwoven fabrics cover a wide range of technologies. They include, for example, those handiwipes that you use to clean up kitchen spills. They are natural or man-made fibers that are not converted to yarn. They are bonded together by a variety of means, such as heat or adhesives.
Nonwoven fabrics have a wide variety of applications, such as clean room apparel, air conditioning filters, floor covers, diapers, and airline pillow case covers.
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.
Wake County goes after non-wovens
