Message From Deputy Assistant Secretary Matt S. Erskine

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.

Our success story this month is very literally about planting seeds to watch them grow. Read about the Kansas Wheat Commission’s work to advance wheat farming and preserve wheat production in America and around the world.

Springtime also means it is conference season in DC. Many of EDA’s partner organizations are having meetings here in the Capital, and we’ve included some helpful information about what our partners are focused on for 2014.

Secretary Pritzker visited Silicon Valley last week to discuss the Administration’s support of innovation and entrepreneurship. You may hear “Silicon Valley” and not think “distressed community,” but back before the tech boom, EDA invested seed capital to help the Valley blossom into the tech mecca it has become. Read about it in this month’s highlights section.

The weather is starting to heat up, and so is our work here at EDA. There are many exciting things ahead in 2014, so please keep a look out for future announcements about upcoming grants, programs, and events.

Thank you for your continued interest in and support of our work at the U.S. Economic Development Administration.