INDIANAPOLIS – Dissolving barriers and creating real opportunity dominated discussions for more than 200 national, regional and local economic development professionals at the first-annual Purdue University conference entitled “Regional Development For Local Success: Innovations in Economic Development and Governance”.

“These people are brilliant,” said William Kittredge, a senior official from the Washington, D.C.-based Economic Development Administration (EDA), referring to the Purdue organizers. “There is some serious take-away information here that can make a difference in long-term development.”

While the two-day conference ended on Thursday, it didn’t conclude before serving up an all-star cast of presenters including Bill Testa of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, Jim Hunt of the National League of Cities, Mark Drabenstott of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City and numerous other national economic development figures.

“Regional economic opportunities transcend local geopolitical boundaries like county and state lines,” explained Vic Lechtenberg, vice provost of Purdue’s Office of Engagement and co-director of the Purdue Center for Regional Development (PCRD).

He added: “What we focused on here was to facilitate opportunities for broad networking and showcase best practices for real economic development on a national scale.”

The conference was the first of its kind for the PCRD. Lee Lewellen of the Central Indiana Corporate Partnership, which recently inaugurated a major initiative for aerospace and advanced manufacturing, held a session on “Using Regional Collaboration For Building a 21st-Century Economy in Indiana”.

The West Gate @ Crane technology park was highlighted because of its unusual location: a tech facility in a highly rural area of southern Indiana that happens to be located next to a $2 billion military technical facility called the Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC).

“Some pretty major changes had to occur in how people think and plan in order to make the West Gate a success,” explained Ron Arnold, executive director of the Daviess County Economic Development Corporation and a major player in the park’s development.

One couldn’t move about the second floor of the downtown Hyatt without bumping into an economist at least every third person. The EDA’s Kittredge, whose visit to Indianapolis was his first, added: “It’s amazing at what is going on here in Indiana.” He vowed to return to the Hoosier capital soon.

Raising the bar on workforce issues was a predominant theme particularly in light of the fact that Indiana is making no secret of its collective desire to be more competitive globally. To this end, Paul Mitchell from the office of Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels moderated a panel that focused on north central Indiana’s Workforce Innovations in Regional Economic Development (WIRED) initiative.

Mitchell briefly outlined how Indiana had gone through what he termed a “stealth decline” in which the state fell from a superior per-capita position in the 1950s to 91 percent of the U.S. average by the early 21st century. He said the current aim of the Daniels administration is to reverse that trend.

The WIRED initiative is actually national in scope and is run from the U.S. Department of Labor Employment & Training Administration. The $15 million Indiana version takes advantage of technical assistance from a cadre of experts.

From a growth rate, Indiana presently ranks 33 in the nation and previously was one of eight states with the steepest decline rates. The conference highlighted numerous means for Indiana and the Midwest to spur new regional partnerships and embrace collective global opportunities. Included in this mix was a renewed focus on entrepreneurial activity.

“Economies of the future will likely see more emphasis on organic growth of local innovation through entrepreneurs starting new companies and expanding existing ones,” said Lechtenberg, who serves as co-director of the PRCD with Sam Cordes, a nationally known expert on rural economic development.

Lechtenberg added: “While it will still be important, we will likely see less of an economic focus on recruiting existing companies and relocating them to a new region or state.”

Economic growth based on clusters of industry-specific companies was discussed at length as was a better means of technology transfer and intellectual property development particularly in rural areas, according to Cordes. Cordes served as an organizer of the conference.

“For states like Indiana to move forward, they need better information for making decisions,” Lechtenberg concluded. “Hopefully they got some of that here.”

Michael Snyder is principal of The MEK Group, a marketing and business development consulting firm that provides communications-driven strategies to increase market share, enhance productivity and build distinctive brand awareness. Snyder can be reached at msnyder@themekgroup.com.
Click here for Snyder’s full biography.

Previous Columns in 2006:
Lugar on Energy: ‘Oil Dependence is Dangerously Unsustainable’ (8/31/2006)
Indiana on a Roll: Moody Boost, $3.9 Billion in Funding, 15,000 New Jobs (8/24/2006)
Indiana: The Coming Middle East of Biofuels? (8/17/2006)
Japanese Tech, Manufacturing All-Stars Coming to Indianapolis (8/10/2006)
Hoosier Haverstick Approaches $100 Million, Targets Commercial Growth (8/3/2006)
Hoosier Expatriates: VC Chief James Eifert Wants You Back in Indiana (7/27/2006)
Indiana Life Sciences Driving Compelling Growth Environment (7/20/2006)
Indiana, India: Fresh Steps Toward New, Complex Tech Partnerships (7/13/2006)
Gov. Daniels on New Honda Deal: ‘Indiana’s Comeback is Under Way’ (6/29/2006)
Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels on Second Asian Hunt For Hoosier Jobs (6/22/2006)
Rolls-Royce Opening $145 Million Aerospace Center in Indianapolis (6/15/2006)
BioCrossroads Ponies Up Funding For Indiana Breast Cancer Research (6/8/2006)
Indiana Gov. Daniels Announces $105 Million Venture Capital Fund (6/1/2006)
TechPoint MIRA Awards Showcase Hoosier Best, Brightest Tech Stars (5/25/2006)
Indiana Super Park Takes Form For Rapid Technology Growth (5/18/2006)
Battelle Report: Indiana Life Sciences Confirmed as National Player (5/11/2006)
Chernobyl Disaster Spawns Online Humanitarian Effort in Indianapolis (4/28/2006)
Web Pages That Suck: Flanders Skewers Bad Fortune 500 Design (4/20/2006)
IEDC Record Success: ‘We’re Not Waiting For People to Call Us’ (4/13/2006)
Top Hoosier Biotech Leadership: ‘We’re Ready For Solid Growth’ (4/6/2006)
NSF SBIR Chief: Lucrative Hoosier Funding Opportunities Now Available (3/30/2006)
Indiana Advanced Manufacturing No Oxymoron, Says Purdue University (3/23/2006)
IU Informatics: Chronicling Google’s ‘Political Correctness’ in China (3/16/2006)
Indiana Emerging as Dominant Player in Global Biofuels Production (3/9/2006)
Indiana Fund Ponies Up Life Science Investment, Sets Stage For More (3/2/2006)
Indiana Nanotech Convergence Sets Stage For Real Transformation (2/16/2006)
Telecom, Cable Giants Square Off in Hoosierland Reform Brawl (2/9/2006)
Innovative Disruption: Hoosier Energy Breakthrough Coming? (1/26/2006)
Molecule IY573144: Real Start of a New Hoosier Life Sciences Era? (1/19/2006)
Sea Change Now in the Air For Technology Development in Indiana (1/12/2006)
Virginia Miner Crisis Communication: Lessons For Technology Executives (1/5/2006)
Click for 2005 column archive.

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