The idea of the partnership is to give a lift to the U.S. manufacturing economy by targeting funding to specific counties and local coalitions which then will work with manufacturers in their areas. Or, as the White House put it, the partnership will fund “designees’ plans to make targeted investments in demonstrably strong public-private partnerships to strengthen regional manufacturing. In addition, each designated community will also receive a federal liaison and branding and promotion as a designated manufacturing community to help attract additional private investment and partnerships.”
It isn’t clear at this early stage exactly what sort of opportunities this will open up for manufacturers. But as the regional interests reacted to news of the federal largesse, some of them—and the White House—provided clues to their plans.
In southeastern Michigan, for instance, application of the IMCP funds will be led by the Wayne County Economic Development Growth Engine, the Workforce Intelligence Network and the Center for Automotive Research and will be used to boost advancements in connected and automated vehicles, lightweighting, advanced powertrain, advanced manufacturing and supply-chain and logistics systems.
In southern California, meanwhile, the designation is expected to allow “a unique opportunity for the region to prove itself as a leader in the aerospace and defense industry,” said U.S. Rep Tony Cardenas, a San Fernando Valley Democrat. That region, of course, has been hit hard by a decline in defense manufacturing.
The winners in the first round of IMCP were:
Southwest Alabama led by the University of South Alabama
Southern California led by the University of Southern California Center for Economic Development
Northwest Georgia led by the Northwest Georgia Regional Commission
The Chicago metro region led by the Cook County Bureau of Economic Development
South Kansas led by Wichita State University
Greater Portland region in Maine led by the Greater Portland Council of Governments
Southeastern Michigan led by the Wayne County Economic Development Growth Engine
The New York Finger Lakes region led by the City of Rochester
Southwestern Ohio Aerospace Region led by the City of Cincinnati
The Tennessee Valley led by the University of Tennessee
The Washington Puget Sound region led by the Puget Sound Regional Council
The Milwaukee 7 Region led by the Redevelopment Authority of the City of Milwaukee.
The White House promised to launch a second IMCP competition later this year to designate the next round of communities. In the meantime, the administration “will work with all the applicant communities to help them strengthen their plans and to identify opportunities for communities to work with the federal government on their local economic-development priorities.”
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1:00 - 5:00 pm
Over 70% of Executives Surveyed Agree: Many Strategic Planning Efforts Lack Systematic Approach Tips for Enhancing Your Strategic Planning Process
Executives expressed frustration with their current strategic planning process. Issues include:
Steve Rutan and Denise Harrison have put together an afternoon workshop that will provide the tools you need to address these concerns. They have worked with hundreds of executives to develop a systematic approach that will enable your team to make better decisions during strategic planning. Steve and Denise will walk you through exercises for prioritizing your lists and steps that will reset and reinvigorate your process. This will be a hands-on workshop that will enable you to think about your business as you use the tools that are being presented. If you are ready for a Strategic Planning tune-up, select this workshop in your registration form. The additional fee of $695 will be added to your total.
2:00 - 5:00 pm
Female leaders face the same issues all leaders do, but they often face additional challenges too. In this peer session, we will facilitate a discussion of best practices and how to overcome common barriers to help women leaders be more effective within and outside their organizations.
Limited space available.
10:30 - 5:00 pm
General’s Retreat at Hermitage Golf Course
Sponsored by UBS
General’s Retreat, built in 1986 with architect Gary Roger Baird, has been voted the “Best Golf Course in Nashville” and is a “must play” when visiting the Nashville, Tennessee area. With the beautiful setting along the Cumberland River, golfers of all capabilities will thoroughly enjoy the golf, scenery and hospitality.
The golf outing fee includes transportation to and from the hotel, greens/cart fees, use of practice facilities, and boxed lunch. The bus will leave the hotel at 10:30 am for a noon shotgun start and return to the hotel after the cocktail reception following the completion of the round.
