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Monthly Update is the email newsletter of the
Alliance for Regional Development. For more information or to
inquire about submitting content, please contact Kelly O'Brien at (312)
602-5148 or kobrien@allianceRD.org.
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A Word from President & CEO Kelly O'Brien
It’s not every day that someone sees
something magical occur. Calling the working team kick off
magical may sound extreme but that is the best word to describe
what I witnessed. Years in the making, the Alliance brought
together stakeholders from key constituencies from the tri-state
region to select actionable projects and start mapping out next
steps. These steps are being followed up on now.
Arriving at this point has not been easy, but
knowing the obstacles that have been overcome only strengthens the
resolve that we are on the right track. This region is poised to
lead the nation in regional economic development—a concept that
many other parts of the world have adopted. Yes, the OECD provided
a 300+ page roadmap and now the members of the working teams and
the Alliance management team will endeavor to make things happen.
President Obama, in his 2014 State of the Union
address, identified rising inequality as a national priority in
need of a solution. Reversing such inequality was the focus of the
recent OECD/Ford Foundation Workshop on Inclusive Economic Growth.
Examples were provided from numerous countries showing that it is
possible to reduce income inequality through policy interventions
while maintaining strong growth. As the Alliance undertakes asset
mapping and sector specific projects, it is important to remain
updated on cutting-edge programs and theories and bring best
practices to our work.
Never before has the world been so interconnected,
yet cross-jurisdictional collaboration in support of regional
economic development does not come naturally. Recently a farmer
told me that it can take up to 88 years for a walnut tree to
produce a nut. Some of the economic development “seeds” that are
now being planted we may not see in our lifetimes, but our
children will be grateful for our efforts. I know there are a lot
of naysayers, and to those I say stay tuned—with the continued
support of high-level stakeholders in government, academia, and
the private sector from across the tri-state region, great things
are underway.
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(Left to right:) Hunter Morrison, Director,
NEOSCC; Doreen Gonzalez-Gaboyan, Community Development &
Outreach, Purdue Center for Innovation through Visualization
and Simulation; David Leucinger, Economic Development
Analyst, WisDOT.
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Working Teams Begin Multi-State Effort to Implement
Territorial Review Recommendations and Other Collaborative
Initiatives
On March 25, the Alliance for Regional Development
welcomed more than 60 high-level leaders in business, government,
and academia from across Chicago's tri-state region to the Federal
Reserve Bank of Chicago to begin identifying opportunities for
collaboration that will help grow the regional economy. The
workshop served as the kickoff event for the Alliance's yearlong
foundational project to implement the recommendations of the OECD
Territorial Review of Chicago's metropolitan area, including
northeast Illinois, southeast Wisconsin, and northwest Indiana.
The daylong workshop was facilitated by Purdue Center for Regional
Development advisor Ed Morrison using Strategic Doing as a process
for outcomes.
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(Left to right:) Mike Mullen, Alliance
Illinois Chairman; Dr. Carmel Ruffolo, Alliance WI
Operational Chair, UWM & UWP; Dr. David Terrell,
Alliance IN Operational Chair, Ball State University.
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Transportation and Logistics strategy map.
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The leaders formed themselves into four Working
Teams and immediately began examining challenges and opportunities
for regional economic competitiveness in the key areas of Human Capital, Innovation, Transportation and Logistics, and Green Growth. The event was well-received by all in attendance,
many of whom remarked at how much work they accomplished in a
short time and how eager they were to help move forward the work
of their individual Teams:
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"I am happy to see the implementation phase of
the OECD Review had such a strong start and the Alliance working
team kick off was a true success. As someone who traveled with the
tri-state delegation to present the findings to the OECD before
the publication of the Review, I acutely understand the need to
convene leaders to join forces across state lines and get to work.
It's the only way we will see success and be globally competitive.
The Alliance can count on me and my team. Together, we are going
to make a difference."
-Hon. John
Dickert, Mayor, City of Racine, Wisconsin
"The Alliance for
Regional Development meeting on Tuesday was a positive
well disciplined exercise in Strategic Doing. The collaboration
and open participation brought forth great ideas that will result
in both short and long term pathways to attract and retain
business and grow talent for Wisconsin, Illinois and Indiana. I am
confident that the exciting strategies put forth on
Tuesday will serve as a model for the rest of the U.S."
--Anne
Edmunds, Regional Vice President, ManpowerGroup
"I was very pleased to be invited to and be
part of such an important event, which is expected to produce
something of value for the tri-state region. Not only was it a
valuable daylong experience, but there are clear follow-up goals
and tasks with a timeline. I noticed that Northwest Indiana was
well represented. We at NIRPC look forward to continuing to work
closely with those on the Transportation & Logistics working
team leading to the Alliance’s Summit toward the end of
2014."
--Steve
Strains AICP, Deputy Director/Director of Planning, Northwestern
Indiana Regional Planning Commission
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Human Capital Working Team.
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In the early afternoon, each team presented its
initial ideas to members of the Alliance Management Team in a
"Shark Tank" forum. Mike Mullen, Dr. Carmel Ruffolo and
David Terrell served as "Sharks" and provided insightful
comments and critique for each of the four presentations. The
day concluded with concrete next steps for each Team to continue
its work.
The Working Teams will meet independently over the
next 12 months with the support of Alliance staff to draft
implementation plans including projects that are scalable,
replicable, and sustainable. All four Teams will come together
quarterly to share progress and ideas. Working Team participants
are asked to save the date of June 3, 2014 for
the first quarterly follow-up workshop, to be hosted by Purdue University
Calumet in northwestern Indiana.
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Transportation and Logistics Working Team.
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Green Growth Working Team.
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The Alliance Working Teams effort is a first-of-its
kind project to explore the potential for large urban areas to
cooperate across jursidictional lines to further the goal of
regionwide economic development. Upon completion in 2015, the work
of the Alliance and the Working Teams may serve as a pilot for
other regions facing similar challenges.
If you have any questions regarding the Territorial
Review implementation process or are interested in serving on a
Working Team, please contact Alliance President & CEO Kelly
O'Brien at kobrien@allianceRD.org or
312-602-5148.
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(Left to right:) Bo Kemp, Senior Advisor,
Office of the Mayor of Gary; Mike Mullen, Alliance Illinois
Chairman; Steve Forrer, Executive Vice President, AFCO.
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Alliance Invited to Serve in Advisory Capacity for
Gary Airport Redevelopment Project
In March, Alliance President & CEO Kelly
O’Brien was invited to participate in a stakeholder visioning
process to strategize the redevelopment of land adjacent to
northwest Indiana's Gary/Chicago International Airport. The
Alliance will provide a regional perspective to the visioning process,
which aims at moving forward key job creation and workforce
development goals for the airport and surrounding area. Earlier
this year, the Gary/Chicago International Airport Authority
unanimously approved a 10-year agreement with Virginia-based AvPorts
to manage the facility and a 40-year agreement with AvPorts'
parent company, Aviation Facilities Company Inc. (AFCO), to to
serve as the airport's exclusive real estate
developer. Alliance Illinois Chairman Mike Mullen served as a
senior development strategist for the investment team. The new
public-private partnership is planned to attract $100 in private
investment over 40 years, including $25 million within the first
three years, while maintaining full public control of the airport.
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Alliance Invited to
Participate in OECD/Ford Foundation Workshop on Inclusive Growth
Strategies
In February, President & CEO Kelly O'Brien was
invited to represent the Alliance at the OECD/Ford Foundation
workshop, "Changing the Conversation on Growth: Going
Inclusive," at Ford Foundation headquarters in New York City.
The second in a series of major workshops examining international
economic growth efforts and policies, February's gathering
explored methods for implementing strategies aimed at inclusive economic
growth in urban areas and the role urban governments play in
implementation. The Alliance also submitted an Op-Ed shared with
workshop participants underscoring the importance of
private-sector leadership in ensuring the success of
cross-jurisdictional economic development efforts.
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SAVE THE DATE: DECEMBER
19, 2014
The Alliance in partnership with the Federal
Reserve Bank of Chicago will host the second annual Summit on
Regional Competitiveness on December 19, 2014. The
Summit will serve as an opportunity to brief stakeholders about
the progress of the Alliance Working Teams and regional economic
development. This high-level event will serve as a showcase for
the power of cross-jurisdictional cooperation to move regional
strategies forward. More information will be announced in the
coming weeks.
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