Regional Leaders Recognize Talents of B-W's Center for Innovation and Growth
Calls for change are being made and heard throughout Northeast Ohio. The Center for Innovation and Growth (CIG) was launched in the Spring of 2006 so that all of B-W's students and faculty might contribute to economic change in the region and serve as a resource to communities needing help or guidance when seeking regionalized solutions to economic development issues.
One of the first calls for help received by CIG came in June from the Fund for Our Economic Future, a consortium of over 90 philanthropic organizations from across Northeast Ohio. It was received by Eric Fingerhut, B-W professor and director of economic development education and entrepreneurship, who quickly enlisted the help of the members of the B-W community who are active with CIG.
“What Voices & Choices is doing is unprecedented and offers all of us a critical window to economic transformation in Northeast Ohio,” said Fingerhut, who also serves as a State Senator. “It's an entrepreneurial effort, much like any start-up enterprise. Our combined skills in entrepreneurship and public policy related issues were a perfect fit for the Fund for Our Economic Future.
” Voices & Choices is being directed by AmericaSpeaks, in partnership with the Universities Collaborative, a consortium of Northeast Ohio universities. AmericaSpeaks is a nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C., committed to elevating the role of the people's voice in public decision-making.
The 18-month public initiative is enabling citizens of the region to create a shared vision and a common A Call for Action Regional leaders recognize talents of B-W’s Center for Innovation and Growth set of economic priorities through a series of speakers, panel discussions, town halls and a public information campaign. These forums are designed to gather broad-based ideas on economic priorities for the region. CIG and a team of B-W students were called on in June to help the Fund determine how best to take what was learned in the Voices & Choices process, integrate it into the overall regional competitiveness agenda, and see that the key findings accepted by the Fund for Our Economic Future are actually implemented. While the CIG presented initial findings to the Fund over the summer, they have now been asked to continue their involvement to the end of the year.
“The forums by Voices & Choices revealed what we already knew, which is the region has a wealth of knowledge, talent and energy,” said State Representative Jim Trakas, who was asked by CIG to join the project team because of his deep knowledge and experience in regional economic development issues. “The B-W team helped us prioritize the region's economic challenges, so that Voices & Choices can begin encouraging the region to focus its knowledge, talents and resources where these can have the greatest impact.”
Elissa Katz, MBA '05 and an independent business consultant who worked closely on these recommendations for CIG, said the B-W team helped shape an action agenda for transforming the region's economy that involves political, business and community leaders to ensure that they are fully on board and ready to act when serving the initiative's goals.
The ultimate goal of Voices & Choices, according to its Web site, is to transform the region's economy so Northeast Ohio will become a place where businesses want to locate, where people – young and old – want to live and build a career and family, and where residents feel proud and sure of their quality of life.
“I've got to believe that's a goal all us in the region share,” said Katz. “A focused plan that's effectively communicated will give needed encouragement so the region's economic priorities are addressed and goals realized.”
While the formal Voices & Choices process concluded this fall with the second Regional Town Meeting held in Akron on September 16, both the Fund for Our Economic Future and the Center for Innovation and Growth are committed to seeing the discussions turn into action that makes our region thrive.
“We are extremely proud to have played a role in such an important regional effort,” said Fingerhut. “We look forward to involving more B-W students, faculty and alumni in such projects in the future.”
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