|
The InterCity Visit on Twitter
|
Betty Lin-Fisher from the Beacon Journal created #AkrMil to track tweets sent regarding the InterCity Visit. Here are some of the highlights:
@blinfisher (Betty Lin-Fisher):
What Harley [Davidson] learned:#1 Be open to change.#2 Community is everything. #3 Keep in touch- now is social media. #4 Bring em together.
@blinfisher: Spkr Phillip Enquist: don't work in silos. Get used 2 various disciplines to prob solve. Ak ldrs have said they r breaking down silos.
@blinfisher: Paul Jones, co-founder wtr council: Who's running Akron if you're all here?
@dwimer1 (Derran Wimer):
Consistent message from Akron-Milwaukee inter-city visit: Collaboration is linchpin for growth.
@GrtAkronChamber:
Joe Kanfer: ABIA breathed new life and possibility to Akron.
@GreaterAkronYPN:
Brain drain is one very important reason why BizStarts in Milwaukee was formed!
@ElizabethBartz: Everyone in Milwaukee is so impressed we are here...and they all want to visit Akron.
@ElizabethBartz:
Talent Dividend For every 1% increase in residents with BAs, there is a $763 increase in regional per capita income.
@RyanPritt: As someone fascinated by city revitalization, I can't get enough of @blinfisher tweeting from the Akron-Milwaukee meetings.
@blinfisher: Milw Mayor Tom Barrett: Laverne & Shirley don't live here anymore. This city has changed. We are America's Fresh Coast.
|
|
InterCity Visit participants
|
|
Virginia Albanese
FedEx Custom Critical
Chair of Greater Akron Chamber Board
Elizabeth Bartz
State and Federal Communications
Robert Bowman
Deputy Mayor
City of Akron
Nicholas Browning
FirstMerit Bank
S. Theresa Carter
Omnova Solutions Foundation
Daniel Colantone
President and Chief Executive
Greater Akron Chamber
William Considine
Akron Children's Hospital
Dr. Frank Douglas
Austen BioInnovation Institute in Akron
Jeffrey Ferguson
Tallmadge Schools Superintendent
Linda Fuline
Summit County Educational Service Center
Robert Genet
Mayor of Barberton
Dr. Jay Gershen
Northeast Ohio Medical University
Martin Hauser
SummaCare
David James
Akron Schools Superintendent
David Jennings
Akron-Summit County Public Library
Eric Anthony Johnson
University Park Alliance
Joseph Kanfer
GOJO Industries
Michael Kolk
Cohen & Co.
Daniel Leslie
Northwestern Mutual
Christine Mayer
GAR Foundation
Vincent McCorkle
Akron General Health System
Anthony O'Leary
Akron Metropolitan Housing Authority
Donald Plusquellic
Mayor of Akron
Angel Presutti
Young Professionals Network
Greater Akron Chamber
Luis Proenza
The University of Akron
Russell Pry
Summit County executive
Robert Reffner
FirstEnergy Corp.
Thomas Strauss
Summa Health System
Kirstin Toth
GAR Foundation
Summit Education Initiative
Bret Treir
Vorys, Sater, Seymour & Pease
Maureen VanDuser
Summit Workforce Solutions
Rev. Curtis Walker Sr.
President of the Akron School Board
Theodore Walter
Fifth Third Bank
Jeffrey Walters
CBIZ Mayer Hoffman McCann
Derran Wimer
Summit Education Initiative
Bradley Wright
Roetzel & Andress
|
|
The mission of the Greater Akron Chamber is to drive economic development and prosperity for the people of the Greater Akron Region.
|
|
|
SPECIAL EDITION: Milwaukee InterCity Leadership Visit results
|
 | Daniel C. Colantone
President & CEO |
Welcome to e-directions, the Greater Akron Chamber's newsletter. This monthly publication focuses on success stories of local businesses and what the Chamber is doing to support economic development.
If you know someone who wants to be informed and engaged on economic development happenings in the Greater Akron region, please forward it to them. By working together, we all benefit.
Sincerely,
|
|
Beacon Journal article outlines
lessons learned |
During the Milwaukee InterCity Leadership Visit, most of the participants from Akron were focused on the people and places on the itinerary. But Beacon Journal business writer Betty Lin-Fisher, who was invited by the Greater Akron Chamber to participate with the visit, turned her attention the other direction. She was interested in how Akron's leaders interacted with each other.
What she noticed was encouraging. The potential for collaboration between the city's leaders, which Lin-Fisher describes as "often cited as something unique to Akron," was electric as individuals had the chance to share ideas without constrictions of a formal setting. This included open discussions between leaders of competing companies.
Before returning to Akron, the entire group participated in a 30-minute discussion to highlight what they had discovered. Ideas rose to the top, such as creating more opportunities for Akron's schoolchildren to interact with businesses that represent the region's critical industries, emphasizing opportunities for young professionals and supporting Greater Akron's industries and natural resources.
Once the participants have had a chance to let their experience fully settle, their goal is to reconvene and discuss strategies that will promote the betterment of Akron's future.
Lin-Fisher's entire recap of the InterCity Visit is available online.
|
A place for young professionals: Akron & Milwaukee
|
At 6,000 members strong and ten years of experience, FUEL Milwaukee is regarded as one of the most successful young professional organizations in the country. It has a strong connection between the social, career-oriented and community aspects that are important to the younger generation of workers. Angela Presutti, the director of Akron's YPN had the chance to meet with FUEL's executive director, Corry Joe Biddle, and find out just what has driven success for Milwaukee's organization.
Despite the difference in size and age-YPN communicates with 730 individuals and is two years old-the two organizations face the same challenges, according to Presutti: finding new and creative ways of engaging young people and working with limited time and financial budgets. She also noted that both have the same primary goal of marketing the region.
"FUEL has a terrific integrated employer program that allows young employees to join for free under their company's corporate membership," said Presutti. "It's a benefit to employees and helps employers recruit and retain talent." Incorporating a similar program as well as focusing on the HR community are two goals that she has been developing in YPN.
Presutti and the other InterCity participants also learned about two talent incubators, Spreenkler and BizStarts, that aim to empower young workers and help them start long-lasting careers. Similar programs implemented in Akron would likely have long-term benefits to developing and retaining talent in the region.
|
| Milwaukee: Itinerary Highlights |
Tour one showed the group how Milwaukee is transforming their downtown into a place to live, work and play.
- Historic Third Ward/Read St.: home of Milwaukee's Arts and Fashion District, Third Ward Riverwalk and the Milwaukee Public Market.
- Great Lakes Institute: University of Wisconsin research facility.
- Pabst City: Transformation of old Pabst brewery into apartments, offices and entertainment spaces.
Tour two focused on initiatives for developing the next generation of innovators and creators.
- Discovery World: An educational and entertaining place with interactive exhibits and aquarium.
Tour three incorporated several topics on educating the future workforce.
- Manpower Headquarters: The home of ManpowerGroup, a global human resource specialist.
Tour four was of the rebirth and redevelopment of the Menomonee Valley.
- Harley Davidson Museum: The rebranding of this company and museum led change for this region of Milwaukee.
Other stops included the Milwaukee Chamber of Commerce, Edelweiss Cruise Line and the Milwaukee Art Museum.
|
|
Comparing Milwaukee's water industry to Akron's BioInnovation
|
Both Akron and Milwaukee are drawing strategic economic advantage from a core strength in scientific technology combined with a local industrial heritage: water for Milwaukee, bio-medicine for Akron.
Milwaukee has the Water Council and the Great Lakes Water Institute. The Water Council was created by leaders in business and education to align the fresh-water research community and water-related industries, establishing the region as the World Water Hub for research, economic development and education. The Water Council has convened water companies and research clusters to train talent and build partnerships across sectors and geographic boundaries. The Great Lakes Water Institute is a University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee research facility that provides the state with a focal point for research, education and outreach on the Great Lakes and other aquatic and environmental resources.
Akron is combining intellectual and industrial resources in healthcare and higher education with the skilled workforce and materials science derived from the rubber industry. This strategic alignment can transform our region into a model for biomedical discovery and enterprise. The Akron Biomedical Corridor, a 506-acre campus that arcs around downtown Akron, connects the campuses of three world-class hospitals and borders The University of Akron campus. The Austen BioInnovation Institute (ABIA)--a collaboration of our three hospital systems with Northeast Ohio Medical University (NEOMED), The University of Akron and the Knight Foundation--focuses on biomaterials and medicine, medical device development, healthcare education and clinical and community health improvement.
Milwaukee has done a good job of communicating its water story, according to many participants, and Akron needs to work on a similar widespread, easily understood branding of our biomedical strengths. |
|
|
