Commerce Blog
By Matt Erskine, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Economic Development
March 28, 2014
Earlier this week, I was honored to provide the keynote address at the International Economic Development Council’s (IEDC) 2014 Federal Economic Development Forum. Dr. Pat Gallagher, NIST Director performing the duties of Deputy Secretary and Mark Doms, Under Secretary for Economic Affairs, also participated in the forum. Both applauded the important work of the IEDC in fostering economic growth in communities across America.
The work that IEDC members are doing in communities here and around the globe is critical, timely and mirrors our philosophy at EDA: only by working together in effective, strong, and sustainable regional partnerships will we realize our collective economic vision.
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Commerce Blog
By Jeannette P, Tamayo, Chicago Regional Director, Economic Development Administration
March 28, 2014
I am both honored and humbled to have been asked to share my experience in the DOC Spotlight as part of Women’s History Month as so many extraordinary women, and their sons, contribute to our collective achievements.
As the Economic Development Administration’s (EDA) Chicago Regional Director, I am truly privileged to touch lives in extraordinary ways through the catalytic investments EDA funds and the hope and economic impact these investments bring to economically distressed communities across the nation. As the only federal agency with economic development as its exclusive mission, EDA promotes the economic ecosystems in which jobs are created. EDA strives to advance global competitiveness, foster the creation of high-paying jobs, and leverage public and private resources strategically.
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March 19, 2014
Communities understand what their needs are better than any outside organization. They understand that in order to affect real change, they need to work collaboratively with businesses, non-profits, and other government agencies. The Obama administration has been utilizing public-private partnerships in numerous initiatives, as well as promoting interagency groups and supporting collaboration across agencies. EDA is one of the agencies leading this charge, and, since fiscal year 2010, has invested in 65 collaborative investments throughout the country.
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NIST Manufacturing Innovation Blog
March 11, 2014
The cluster in East Tennessee entitled AMP!, has been hard at work connecting companies with resources made available through the AMJIAC funding. What is AMJIAC? The Advanced Manufacturing Jobs and Innovation Accelerator Challenge. Ten public-private partnerships across America received funding in 2012 in order to help revitalize U.S. manufacturing around the country through the growth of clusters. One of the awardees was AMP! – The Advanced Manufacturing & Prototype Center of East Tennessee.
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March 2014 Newsletter
Dear Friends,
After an especially long and cold winter, we here at EDA are ready for an exciting spring full of opportunities to promote innovation and strengthen the economy. Spring is all about new beginnings, and this issue of Innovate@EDA highlights what can bloom if you sow the right seeds.
You need the right conditions for healthy growth – and the same is true of economic development. Certainly, the essential conditions include a solid policy foundation. In our Q&A with Clarence Anthony of the National League of Cities, he discusses several policy issues that are critical in the economic development realm.
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March 2014 Newsletter
Clarence Anthony served as the Mayor of South Bay, Florida for 24 years. He is known as a creative and thoughtful leader in his community. He is considered an expert in citizen engagement and techniques that build a "sense of community" within cities. Mr. Anthony has been on the forefront of politics in the United States and internationally for the past 20 years, culminating with productive presidencies of the Florida League of Cities and the National League of Cities (NLC), respectively.
As NLC President, Mr. Anthony serves as the chief spokesperson of the oldest and largest organization of municipal officials in the United States, representing more than 1,600 cities and towns, as well as 49 state municipal leagues that are members of NLC. He also served as First Vice President of International Union of Local Authorities and as Founding Treasurer of United Cites and Local Governments (UCLG), the international voice for local governments, for four years. He also served as the Interim Manager for UCLG. He has continued his involvement with NLC by serving on the Building Committee.
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March 2014 Newsletter
Sowing the Seeds of Success: Kansas Wheat Commission
In the movie The Wizard of Oz, Dorothy clicks her heels together three times while saying “there’s no place like home.” She is leaving the magical Technicolor world of Oz for the familiar muted tones of home Kansas. Recently, thanks to the efforts from the Kansas Wheat Commission, there truly is no place like Kansas – especially if you’re talking about agricultural innovation.
Recent changes in weather patterns have hit the wheat farmers of the American plains hard. Decreased rainfall, increased temperatures, and generally more severe weather have made it difficult for farmers to keep pace with increased global demand for wheat. And the demand is staggering – America wheat brings in more than double the money that corn, soybeans, or beef and veal do. The Kansas Wheat Commission realized there was opportunity here, and they sought to bring together industry, educational institutions, and federal agencies in order to create the Kansas Wheat Innovation Center (KWIC).
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March 2014 Newsletter
March kicks off conference season in Washington, DC. Among the organizations hosting meetings in DC are: National Association of Counties (NACo), National League of Cities (NLC), National Association of Development Organization (NADO), and International Economic Development Council (IEDC). See below for more information about the meetings and policy priorities for some of EDA’s partner organizations.
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March 2014 Newsletter
Silicon Valley: The EDA Success Story You’ve Never Heard
Last week Secretary Pritzker traveled to Silicon Valley to meet with CEOs of several large tech companies, including Yahoo!, Tesla, and Google, to discuss Administration’s commitment to spurring U.S. economic growth, innovation, and competitiveness. This was the first visit to the Valley for Secretary Pritzker as a member of the Administration, but Commerce, and EDA specifically, has a long history with the region.
Everyone knows that Silicon Valley is a hub for technology, innovation, and cool new cutting edge products and services. Several of the companies born in the Valley have changed the cultural lexicon and added vocabulary to languages all over the world (how do you refer to searching the Internet again?). But, what most people don’t realize is that EDA invested in Silicon Valley before the tech boom, in effect helping to shape what the region has become.
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