Advance Northeast Ohio

Out of the many Voices and Choices forums and participation by thousands came four goals for advancing Northeast Ohio:

• Business Growth & Attraction

Northeast Ohio’s first-ever regional marketing campaign, Cleveland Plus, launched in April. The campaign was specifically designed to promote the assets throughout Northeast Ohio, particularly in Akron, Canton, Cleveland and Youngstown.

To learn more about this campaign and how you can use Cleveland Plus in your marketing or promotion, visit www.clevelandplus.com.

• Workforce Preparation & Educational Excellence

The biggest challenge facing growing companies is finding qualified workers. To help Northeast Ohio employers in the high-tech and health care sectors, NorTech created a Web site that highlights available jobs. Visit www.NEOTechJobs.com for info.

Manufacturing offers great career opportunities in Northeast Ohio. That’s why MAGNET has launched its "Dream It! Do It!" campaign. Learn if manufacturing should be in your future; visit www.dreamit-doit.com/NortheastOhio/.

• Racial & Economic Inclusion

Several organizations throughout Northeast Ohio are collaborating on a Minority Business Accelerator to help established minority-owned business enterprises dramatically grow their employment and sales. If you think your business would benefit from the Accelerator’s assistance, contact the Commission on Economic Inclusion at 216-592-2345.

• Government Collaboration & Efficiency

Is your local government saving money through joint purchasing? Check with your local officials to see if your community is taking full advantage of group purchasing and shared services offered by NEOSO.
Is tax sharing in our future? The Northeast Ohio Mayors and Managers Association is embarking on a study that will explore whether our region would benefit from communities sharing tax revenue on a regional level. To learn more, visit www.neoso.org.

Advancenortheastohio.org

Business Growth or Not?

It’s getting tougher for new companies to find financial backing. Venture capitalists are investing in more-experienced businesses because it takes too long for young firms to go public, delaying payoffs on the investment. The average wait is almost nine years, double the time it took in the 1990s.

Mergers or buyouts are now the norm for firms needing financing. That usually means a smaller payoff for entrepreneurs and investors than when a company goes public. Fewer IPO opportunities also mean it’s harder for an innovative idea to get a foothold in the marketplace.

Kiplinger 5/07

Building Livable Communities (AARP)

It is hardly surprising that, year after year, when we ask people where they want to live as they age, they say, "In my home." They do not want to live with relatives, in a nursing home or in an assisted living facility. "My home" is the preference of nearly 90 percent of people 50 and older. It makes sense. Yet there are daunting barriers for aging at home for many men and women. The dwelling itself may be one of them; the ability to get around may be another.

We are concerned about this for obvious reasons. If the barriers prove to be insurmountable, then staying at home is no longer an option, and the individual’s independence and participation in the wider world are compromised, if not eliminated altogether. If people have no means of transportation, they’re prisoners in their own homes.

Our response is to encourage the development of what are called livable communities, neighborhoods that are suitable for people of all ages. There is no one formula for them, but there are common elements of affordable and appropriate housing, public transportation, community services, nearby shopping and medical services, job opportunities and recreation. These features make it easier for people to remain independent and take part in civic and social life, a key to successful aging.

In creating livable communities for people 50 and older, we will create them for all. We are committed to developing such places because we value the ability to age with control over and choices about the way we live.

Write Great Places to Live, AARP, 601 E St. NW, Washington, DC 20049 or greatplaces@aarp.org 6/06

Study identifies drivers of NE Ohio economy

Factors that drive the region’s economy for better or worse are: workforce skill and education levels; business activity among smaller establishments, ethnic diversity and minority business ownership; and income equality, according to the study, Dashboard Indicators for the Northeast Ohio Economy.

The Fund for Our Economic Future commissioned the study as part of a multiyear effort to promote a common and focused economic development agenda for the Akron, Canton, Cleveland and Youngstown areas.
Policy makers, business people, civic organizations and the public can use the results to understand reasons for the region’s economic performance and to guide choices for programs.

The W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research in Kalamazoo, Mich., and Kleinhenz & Associates, a business and economic consulting firm based in Cleveland Heights, wrote the study with help from the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland and the Universities Collaborative, a coalition of six local universities. For a copy of the study, go to www.futurefundneo.org.

4/06