Manufacturing Relies on the Strengths of American Communities

White House Blog
October 29, 2015

Summary: Throughout the country, America is seeing a resurgence in its manufacturing industry, once again, firms are growing and Americans are heading back to work.

Today, five years after we pulled our economy back from the brink of collapse, the heartbeat of American manufacturing continues to usher new products and new innovations to the marketplace — driving investments in new technologies that can provide the foundation for future U.S. leadership. In communities across the country, manufacturing firms are again growing and hiring, something thought impossible only a short while ago. Since February 2010, 865,000 new manufacturing jobs have been added – the first sustained job growth in the sector since the 1990s. And new manufacturing establishments have risen in the past two years, as manufacturing entrepreneurship unlocks new opportunities. We need to build on this progress, and we have a long way to go.

POWER Initiative: Collaborating at the Federal Level to Help Energy-Dependent Communities

Commerce Blog
By Jay Williams, Assistant Secretary for Economic Development
October 16, 2015

Changes in the U.S. power sector, largely driven by market forces, have negatively impacted many local and regional economies that have primarily depended on coal as a source of good jobs and investment. These communities are now in need of assistance to diversify their economies and train workers for new jobs.

The Obama Administration is committed to providing direct federal assistance to these communities to ensure that they are able to diversify their economies, create new employment opportunities, and equip the local and regional workforce with the skills that are needed to compete in the global economy.

Eight Teams Selected for Final Round of Innovation Challenge for Coal-Reliant Communities

NACo Blog
October 13, 2015

NACo and the NADO Research Foundation, with support from the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA), are pleased to announce the eight teams selected for the final round of the Innovation Challenge for Coal-Reliant Communities program. The selected teams—led by counties and regional development organizations and including a broad range of other public- and private-sector partners—competed for the opportunity to participate in this program, which offers resources to support places impacted by downturns in the coal industry. The Innovation Challenge program assists county and regional leaders with retooling local economies to be more resilient to changing conditions. - See more at: http://www.naco.org/blog/eight-teams-selected-final-round-innovation-challenge-coal-reliant-communities#sthash.yGeSMgIJ.dpuf