Monday, August 13, 2007
Clusters take time to form, and they also require an anchor investment of some kind.
These anchor investments vary. Sometimes anchor investments take the form of large companies moving in. So, for example, an auto assembly plant attracts suppliers. In other cases, like Fairchild Semiconductor in Silicon Valley, the large anchor "breeds" spin-off start-up companies.
In other cases, the anchor investment can be a research facility focused on a new technology platform. That's what's happening in Ann Arbor with the Connected Vehicle Proving Center. Read more.
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:
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.
How clusters start
