Monday, May 07, 2007
Here's an interesting example of an economic development organization entirely committed to helping micro-enterprises. The E-Bay economy makes these businesses even more promising for economic developers to consider.
You can visit the Jefferson Economic Development Institute (JEDI) web site here.
The article on JEDI starts with a strong lead:
"Clif Bar founder Gary Erickson spoke on the company’s history and commitment to the environment and its employees. He said he started the company with $1,000 and was offered some years later $120,000,000 from Quaker Oats, an offer he declined."
It turns out that privately-held Clif Bar & Co, which makes energy bars and other natural and organic foods and drinks, now has 170 employees and revenue of $150 million.
posted by Ed Morrison |
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.
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.
Nurturing micro-enterprises
