I don't know if it's my impending 40th college reunion, or what, but I'm becoming obsessed with how the aging workforce (meaning us baby boomers) are going to impact our regions and our economies. On the one hand, we're seeing leadership transitions all around us. In every community I'm working in, major organizations are facing the retirement of a large portion of their management teams. And, there are simply not enough folks younger than us to take on all of these roles.

To me, the answer seems obvious. Who said a person has to stop contributing at age 60 or 65 or 70 or beyond? In my college reunion book, entry after entry describes folks who are still vibrant, inquisitive, creative, entrepreneurial, and committed to their communities and their families. While I'm sure that there are many physical jobs that we will no longer be able to do, even if we could ever have done them, there are lots of other ways that we can be productive. Most baby boomers are technologically capable, and so the old canard about being out of it with regard to computer and technology skills probably doesn't apply. So, it's up to organizations to figure out how to reimagine their structures to maintain the skills and knowledge of older workers. 

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio's new universal pre-school program has grown to 65,000 children across all neighborhoods. At a cost of roughly $400 million a year, this initiative isn't cheap. The benefits of early childhood education are well known, but questions are being asked about the way this is implemented. Does providing free pre-school merely get the city to pay for education that wealthier parents would otherwise pay for themselves? A related study trying to decipher education statistics to see just how big the problem is suggests that 50-60 percent of 4 year olds are already in some structured pre-school, and asks what it takes to eliminate the free-rider effect. The Mayor's answer: "A truly universal program gives folks in low-income neighborhoods more opportunity than ever before."

Patent legislation has always sought to balance intellectual property protection with creativity and innovation. Too much regulation and cost can stifle patenting, while too little leaves room for patent trolls and others who infringe on patents. The Innovation Act currently being debated by Congress proposes changes to regulations concerning patent infringement lawsuits that would require a lot more information from patent owners claiming infringement. Some critics say that this legislation goes too far, and favors larger firms over startups and inventors. A second bill being proposed is called the Patent Act, and is supposed to be a more measured approach. But some believe that the Patent Act's language would leave foreign manufacturers free to illegally use patented technologies without any recourse. For details, see this Kauffman report HERE. 

Wait, aren't unicorns supposedly a myth? The term, coined in 2013, means startups valued at $1 billion or more. In 2011 there were six; in 2014 there were 33 and there are 32 so far this year. The average age of these "startups" is between six and eight years old, and have been through multiple rounds of venture funding, but have not yet gone public. Some well-known firms are included in this rarified company, including: Airbnb, Dropbox, Pinerest, Snapchat, Square and Uber. By the way, the average employment at these Unicorns is almost 700. Read more HERE.