The free training program will cover the fundamentals of the New Economy (NE) for anyone with an interest in how Michigan got into its current economic circumstances, and what it will take to get out.
“Join us for this important event. The training promises to be informative, provocative and empowering,” said Pat Convery, president of the Howell Area Chamber of Commerce. “This session will help us understand how we can begin to rebuild our local economies--and learn something new in the process.”
The NE 101 training will cover:
• that "prosperity" means much more than simply dollars and cents.
• the basic concepts and tools necessary to develop a stronger local economy.
• the resources available to community leaders who want to attract and retain 21st century businesses and workforce.
• the chance to attend two follow-up trainings that build on this knowledge.
“While the nation has been facing an economic recession, the state of Michigan continues to experience its own, unique, considerably more challenging economic crisis,” said Glenn Pape, Regional Land Policy Educator at MSU’s Land Policy Institute (LPI). “Michigan’s economy was the poster child of the Old Economy, but the new reality of global competition, mobile talent, mobile capital and growth of a service-based economy, has left Michigan and its citizens desperately searching for a foothold in the New Economy. Michigan is at a critical tipping point regarding its economic future.
“Michigan’s economic crisis has wreaked havoc from one end of the state to the other, but it has also unintentionally created an unprecedented opportunity at the state, regional and local level to establish strategic and innovative economic development policies that will prepare Michigan to be resilient in the face of future challenges. The ideal level at which to work together to strategically achieve prosperity is the regional level, where communities share similar geography, resources, strategic assets, challenges and values. Regional strategies that are founded in strategic place-based assets and connected to the global economy are essential to moving Michigan forward in the 21st Century.”
NE 101 is a follow-up to the recent Livingston County New Economy Summit and is part of the development of a Strategic Growth Plan for Livingston County. The Summit was attended by over 400 local stakeholders, including business people, high school and college students, human service organizations, government and elected officials, religious leaders, health care professionals, entrepreneurs, inventors, realtors, library representatives, the media, senior citizens and residents.
“Livingston County sits at a crossroads. We can continue to wait for economic recovery to begin and follow the same path as before, or we can position ourselves to succeed in the New Economy,” said Convery. "In order for this initiative to be successful and a clear and realistic vision for Livingston County developed, we need a strong cross-section of the entire community represented."
The complete process for the Livingston County Strategic Growth Initiative will include educational events, stakeholder interviews, asset identification and analysis, and visioning workshops. A plan, with actionable goals and strategies to complete them, will be created by the end of the process, expected to take about nine months.
"We are very fortunate that MSU Land Policy Institute, with its expertise, will facilitate this initiative and bring its extensive data and trained professionals," said Convery.
According to the Land Policy Institute, the differences between the Old and New Economy are glaring and suggest a whole new mindset for growth and prosperity. Talent-driven small entrepreneurial companies are replacing large, stable companies as engines of economic prosperity and growth.
A changing dynamic environment is more attractive to knowledge workers than the rigid and predictive environment that old economy manufacturing plants demanded. Information, innovation and empowerment are replacing control and discipline as the modus operandi for success and prosperity.
