PCRD

EDA Presents Global Marketing Broadcast

Jenna Wargo — 2008-09-10T09:39:48-04:00

On November 10^th, at 2:30 pm, the EDA will present a one hour broadcast entitled: C2C: From Clusters to Competitiveness - Propelling Regional Strategies for Success in the Worldwide Marketplace. The broadcast will explore how states and regions are using industry clusters to revitalize their regional economies and provide higher-skill, higher-wage jobs for their residents. This show will feature seven premiere members of the economic development academic and venture capital community. Panelists include:

Michael Porter, Harvard Business School
Deborah Wince-Smith, Council on Competitiveness
Karen Mills, Brookings Institution

In addition the EDA broadcast will feature special guests from around the country including Dr. Sam Cordes, Co-Director for the Purdue Center for Regional Development - Purdue University. Other special guests include:

John Baldacci, Maine Governor
Timothy Hodgdon, President of Hodgdon Yachts
Orjan Solvell, Center for Strategy and Competitiveness: Stockholm School of Economics

To register for the webcast go to: http://edabroadcast.haverstick.biz

Posted by Don Koverman

USDA Awards Two Indiana Companies Value-Added Grants

Jenna Wargo — 2008-09-10T09:39:12-04:00

Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer announced the selection of 144 recipients in 37 states and the territory
of Puerto Rico to receive more than $19.7 million in the Value-Added Producer Grant program. Included in this exciting grant awarded were two Indiana producers: ARK7 Fisheries LLC. and Erick & Jessica M. Smith.

The Value-Added Producer Grants may be used for feasibility studies or business plans, working capital for marketing value-added agricultural products and for farm-based renewable energy projects. Eligible applicants include independent producers, farmer and rancher cooperatives, and agricultural producer groups. Value-added products are created when the producer increases the consumer value of an agricultural commodity in the production or processing stage. For a complete list of Value-Added grant recipients please go to: http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/rd/newsroom/2008/09-2008-VAPG.pdf

Posted by Don Koverman

National Conference for Agribusiness set for Nov. 18 - 19th

Jenna Wargo — 2008-09-10T09:38:35-04:00

National Conference for Agribusiness set for Nov. 18 - 19^th

Want to know how to better understand your customers? Then you will want to attend the National Conference for Agribusiness set for November 18 - 19 at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. The conference will present the key themes that emerged from the Large Commercial Producer Survey recently completed. During the conference you will understand better the critical changes in producer buying preferences that will help shape your marketing strategies. Conference sessions include:

Today’s Large commercial Producer
Multiple Producer Segments
Larger than Large
The Distribution Channel
Communicating Value
Response of the Retail Channel
The Role of the Sales Force

To learn more or to register go to: www.agecon.purdue.edu/cab/programs/nca or call 765-494-4247

Posted by Don Koverman

Marketing Wind Resources through GIS

Jenna Wargo — 2008-08-18T06:26:00-04:00

Cascade County, Montana has initiated an aggressive marketing effort to tap the wind energy resources available in the county. The county is using Geographic Information System (GIS) to map and market the wind farming potential. This award winning program has attracted international investors from as far as Japan and Ireland. The GIS mapping of terrain, wind speed, wind power, transmission line, and land parcel help investors to do preliminary research on locations to establish the wind farms. Read about the program here. ESRI ArcNews Online published an article on wind potential mapping at Cascade County, Montana. Read here.

Posted by Indraneel Kumar

Indiana Arts Commissions Implements New Regional Block Grant Funding Plan

Jenna Wargo — 2008-08-15T06:31:00-04:00

The Indiana Arts Commission announced the implementation of a new regional funding formula designed to more equitable distribute public arts funding throughout the state. “This new funding formula was developed with the input of all 12 of our Regional Arts Partners, and represents their joint recommendations,” explained Lewis C. Ricci, IAC Executive Director. “The purpose was to adjust our regional block grant distributions in such a way to more fairly reflect the geographic size and population of each region, as well as its unique cultural needs.”

Recommended jointly by the 12 Regional Arts Partners and ratified by the Indiana Arts Commission at its June meeting in Fort Wayne, the new funding formula is almost totally based on region population as documented by the U.S. Census. The resulting formula will be applied each year based on available state funding for the Regional Block Grant. The new regional funding will be introduced in stages to allow for a period of budget adjustment. Fifty percent of the funding change will occur in Fiscal Year 2010, with 100 percent of the change taking place in Fiscal Year 2011. For more information on the Regional Block Grant revisions go here .

Posted by Don Koverman

SBA Re-Launches Office of Entrepreneurship Education

Jenna Wargo — 2008-08-14T14:10:12-04:00

U.S. Small Business Administration is re-launching one of its primary entrepreneurial training divisions to broaden its focus into a one-stop shop for information on how to start, maintain or grow a small business, including an emphasis on financial literacy. The newly named Office of Entrepreneurship Education will be a division of the Office of Entrepreneurial Development, which provides small business training, counseling and access to resources. The office will place special emphasis on agency’s youth entrepreneurship activities to help develop the next generation of entrepreneurs. For more information go here.

Posted by Don Koverman

Great Lakes Regional Collaboration

Jenna Wargo — 2008-08-06T08:54:26-04:00

Posted by Terri Lester

As I progress through my daily life, I had never given much thought to the Great Lakes and their importance until I started doing some research into regional efforts. I have discovered several interesting facts as well as important efforts that are being undertaken to restore and preserve the Great Lakes. For instance, I was amazed to learn that the Great Lakes make up one-fifth of the fresh water on the earth’s surface! Also, more than 35 million Americans receive numerous benefits from the lakes in drinking water, food, places to work and live, and transportation. Plus many enjoy fishing, hunting, swimming, boating. Native American communities rely on the natural resource for subsistence, economic, cultural, medicinal, and spiritual needs. Yet despite the reliance of many on the Great Lakes, they have not been adequately protected for future enjoyment or sustainability. One regional initiative with the sole purpose of protecting and restoring the Great Lakes to ensure its sustainability is the Great Lakes Regional Collaboration. The strategy the GLRC developed for restoring and preserving the Great Lakes is available at here. Or visit the GLRC website to learn more about the organization.

National Defense Spending Affects Rural Americ

Jenna Wargo — 2008-08-05T07:59:00-04:00

Posted by Don Koverman

The Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City has published an article by Chad Wilkerson and Megan Williams about how the continued increase in the national defense spending is affecting the economies of rural America. This increased investment is targeted to rural areas, such as the West Crane Base and Camp
Attebury, that contain some of our country’s largest military installations. Their research highlights the recent boom in rural defense spending, the nation’s near-term defense spending plans and the long-term role the military will play in rural economies. To view the full article go to here. To review the latest newsletter of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City go here.

Senate Committee Approves 14 Year Extension for SBIR/STTR Program

Jenna Wargo — 2008-08-04T08:53:01-04:00

Posted by Don Koverman

A U.S. Senate committee unanimously passed a bill that would extend by 14 years two federal programs that provide research funding for small businesses. The bill SBIR/STTR Reauthorization Act of 2008 (S. 3362) will now move to the full Senate after the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship passed it earlier yesterday.

The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and the Small Business Technology Transfer Research (STTR) programs, which were created in 1982, were scheduled to “sunset” in September. Under this bill, two federal programs would be extended through 2022 and 2023 respectively.

The Senate bill would raise SBIR and STTR award sizes from their current level of $100,000 for Phase I grants and $750,000 for Phase II grants to $150,000 and $1 million, respectively. This is also a departure from the House bill (H.R. 5819) which called for $300,000 for Phase I grants and $2.5 million for Phase II awards.

In making an announcement about their decision, the U.S. Senate Committee said that approximately one out of four projects that are funded by the SBIR program result in new commercial products or processes. Senator Olympia Snowe (R - Me.), a ranking member on the committee and co-sponsor of the
bill, indicated that “by increasing the percentage of federal research and development dollars these crucial programs receive, we will pump another $1 billion into our small business economy”

The bill will now wait for review by the full Senate, and if it passes there it would be returned to the House where the changes would be considered.

Economic Gardening: The New Frontier for Economic Development

Sam Cordes — 2008-07-24T08:00:00-04:00

Actually, "economic gardening" (EG) is NOT a new frontier. It has been around for 20 years....and preliminary results and successes are incredibly encouraging. I believe this approach has much more potential and much less downside than the traditional economic development strategy of industrial recruitment. For a good overveiw of EG and its potential.....as described by the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta go to here.