SSTI Digest

Across the U.S. people are working to build a more talented, skilled workforce, but often those efforts happen in isolation, separated from larger economic development efforts without engaging community and business leaders. A recently released playbook from the Aspen Institute and Futureworks, Communities That Work Partnership Playbook, aims to change a siloed approach and explores seven regional efforts to develop the local workforce for different industries and occupations. The playbook highlights key takeaways and is intended to provide guidance to others developing talent pipelines.  SSTI also talked with individuals in Milwaukee and Kansas City about their regional efforts to develop the talent pipeline.  The Communities that Work Partnership was jointly launched in April 2015 by the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) at the Department of Commerce and the Workforce Strategies Initiative at the Aspen Institute (AspenWSI) to document and accelerate the development of employer-led regional workforce partnerships across the country. Seven regional teams were selected competitively in July 2015 to participate in an exchange…

Twelve gubernatorial seats were up for election Tuesday, five of which were held by incumbents seeking reelection. Four of those – Montana Gov. Steve Bullock (D), Oregon Gov. Kate Brown (D), Utah Gov. Gary Herbert (R) and Washington Gov. Jay Inslee (D) – were reelected for second terms. In North Carolina, Democratic candidate and State Attorney General Roy Cooper has a lead of less than one percent over incumbent Gov. Pat McCrory. Gov. McCrory has not conceded and the result is pending a canvass of votes, which may not be complete until November 18. As of this publication, there are seven new governors taking office: ·         Democratic Congressman John Carney won the seat in Delaware. ·         Republican Lt. Gov. Eric Holcomb won in Indiana. ·         Republican and former Navy Seal Eric Greitens won in Missouri. ·         Republican Chris Sununu won in New Hampshire. ·         Republican…

The Delta Regional Authority  (DRA) released the Regional Development Plan III (RDPIII) – an economic development strategy to help guide DRA’s 252-county region’s economic growth over the next five years. In RDPIII, DRA identifies three goals and related action items to guide its economic development efforts in the Delta region: Improved Workforce Competitiveness – Advance the productivity and economic competitiveness of the Delta workforce; Strengthened Infrastructure – Strengthen the Delta region’s physical, digital, and capital connections to the global economy; and, Increased Community Capacity – Facilitate local capacity building within Delta communities, organizations, businesses, and individuals. In addition to the overall strategy, DRA also published eight state strategies for Alabama; Arkansas; Illinois; Kentucky; Louisiana; Mississippi; Missouri; and, Tennessee. Each state strategic plan includes state specific action items for DRA and a SWOT analysis as well as a profile of existing economic development efforts and key state demographics. 

Leaders in Des Moines, Kansas City, Omaha and St. Louis have teamed up to leverage their respective resources and help build an economic mega-region in the center of the country. The Heartland Civic Collaborative will focus on four main areas of opportunity: transportation, federal advocacy, life science and entrepreneurship. In the coming months, the collaborative plans to begin work on an entrepreneurial metrics dashboard for the participating metros and a map of life sciences research assets. The group also plans to improve the research commercialization pipeline for biomedical and bioenergy research. The initiative’s first event, around transportation futures, will be held next month. Learn more at: http://heartlandciviccollaborative.org.

Many governors around the country have begun laying out priorities for the next legislative session. In the coming weeks, SSTI will review gubernatorial addresses and budget proposals related to economic development. This week, we highlight developments in Arizona, Maryland, Missouri and South Carolina. ArizonaLast week, Gov. Doug Ducey released his $9.5 billion budget proposal for fiscal year 2017 and presented his second State of the State Address. The governor highlighted his office’s work in reducing spending, offered several tax-reduction proposals and pushed for additional funding for the state’s child safety system and a boost for K-12 education. Gov. Ducey also noted that immediately before his address, he signed an executive order creating the Governor’s Council on the Sharing Economy, to help encourage growth and innovation in this emerging economic sector. The council will develop recommendations to help improve the environment for businesses based on ridesharing and other peer-to-peer services. Under the proposed budget, the Arizona Commerce Authority would receive $48.7 million, including $21.8 million from the general fund and…

On November 12, Gov. Jay Nixon announced $1 million in state funding to ARCH Grants to provide entrepreneurial support to St. Louis startups. ARCH Grants is a nonprofit organization that provides $50,000 equity-free grants and pro-bono services to entrepreneurs who locate their early stage businesses in St. Louis. This is Gov. Nixon’s third announcement in two months awarding funds to the state’s regional organizations that make up Missouri’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. In September, Gov. Nixon awarded $1.19 million in grants to three Kansas City organizations to support the region’s startup community. Last month, Gov. Nixon also announced a total of $675,000 in state funding to organizations in Springfield. Read the announcement: https://governor.mo.gov/news/archive/gov-nixon-announces-1-million-arch-grants-support-st-louis-startups

Recently announced programs in the St. Louis and Minneapolis-St. Paul regions offer startups and major corporations new chances to connect and work together. Pioneered by Illinois’ Corporate Startup Challenge, these types of programs seek to build bridges between important components of the innovation ecosystem: revolutionary new products and services and established market leaders. ITEN, founded in 2008 as an initiative dedicated to servicing entrepreneurs in the St. Louis region’s IT ecosystem, announced its Corporate Engagement Program (CEP) earlier this summer with the intention of creating a closer relationship between corporations and startups in the region. Once startups apply to the CEP, ITEN works with their corporate partners to identify the ventures with the technologies, market focus, or solutions that are of the most interest to them or their customers. Once connections are made through events such as speed dating, individual matchmaking, or reverse pitch competitions, ITEN largely removes themself from the conversations. The founding corporate partners to be paired with startups are Daugherty Business Solutions,…

Kansas City is leaving millions of dollars on the table, funding that could fuel early-stage startups that are the key to creating jobs and economic growth, according to a new report from KCSourceLink and its partners. The report will serve as a roadmap to a new capital initiative led by the Kauffman Foundation; several regional economic and community development organizations; and, other stakeholders in the Kansas City metro region. The new initiative – We Create Capital – aims to increase the availability of microfinance, angel, seed stage, and venture capital for startups by creating better connections between investors, attracting venture capital to the region, and cultivating a deeper talent pool of people to manage venture capital funds. The plan also calls for increasing awareness about available startup funding sources including federal, state, local, and private sources. Read the strategy...

Over the past few months, SSTI has followed proposals issued by governors in their budget requests, State of the State Addresses, Inaugural Speeches and other events. Now that many state legislatures have begun approving budgets, the Digest will check on the status of these proposals, and examine the state of technology-based economic development funding in the states. This week, we review actions in Missouri and Montana. MissouriLate last week, Gov. Jay Nixon signed a $26 billion budget package, including $15.9 million for the core budget of the Missouri Technology Corporation (MTC) (HB 7). MTC funds the state's innovation centers and programs, as well as the Missouri Enterprise center. Another $2.5 million would be allocated through MTC for soybean and beef cattle industry research and commercialization. The final budget includes the $10 million proposed by Gov. Nixon for a public-private partnership supporting a clinic campus in Springfield, linked to the University of Missouri in Columbia. MontanaGov. Steve Bullock signed the state's $10 billion FY 2016-17 biennial budget (HB 2) last week. Over the two years of the budget, $15…

The Delta Regional Authority (DRA) announced the establishment of a consortium for research and innovation that is intended to have a long-term positive economic impact on the region. The 35-member consortium will be comprised of universities and other private and public institutions in eight states – Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, and Tennessee. DRA selected Arkansas State University to lead the consortium and bring together university research officers and local economic development leadership to support the commercialization efforts and economic impacts of research universities in the DRA's footprint. Founding members of the consortium include Delta State University, Louisiana State University, Mississippi State University, Southeast Missouri State University, University of Memphis and University of Tennessee at Martin. Read the announcement…

This week, governor’s in eight states released their budget proposals. Balanced budgets and fiscal austerity were undoubtedly emphasized by the governors, yet funding for STEM education and workforce development initiatives were increasingly popular. NevadaGov. Brian Sandoval’s education-heavy $7.3 billion biennial budget for FY 2016-17 includes considerable amounts of TBED funding, such as $10 million over the biennium for the Knowledge Fund. The Fund, which was created by AB 449 during the 2011 legislative session, provides grants that: establish technology outreach programs; recruit, hire, and retain researcher teams and faculty; construct research laboratories, facilities, and related equipment; and, provide matching funds for federal and private sector grants. Additional funding is also added to continue the Center of Excellence efforts to be a world leader in water technologies that focus on dealing with arid conditions. To support STEM education and professional development, Gov. Sandoval introduced the Nevada Ready 21 Technology Program. Funded with $48.8 million over the biennium, the program provides grants to middle and high schools to…

SSTI's Tech Talkin' Govs series has returned as governors across the country formally convene the 2015 legislative sessions. The series highlights new and expanded TBED proposals from governors' State of the State, Budget and Inaugural addresses. The third installment of this year’s series includes excerpts from speeches delivered in Delaware, Michigan, Mississippi, New Mexico and South Carolina. Read the first and second installments of this year’s series.   DelawareGov. Jack Markell, State of the State Address, Jan. 22, 2015“… This year, I ask the General Assembly, our schools, our colleges, and our businesses to join me in committing to the Delaware Promise. This is a new goal for our state. By 2025, 65 percent of our workforce will earn a college degree or professional certificate. Everyone will earn at least a high school diploma. …” “…First, we will create an initiative called Pathways to Prosperity, which will establish partnerships with Delaware employers, universities, and our K-12 system to prepare students for a bright future in key industries. High school…