Articles on Economic Competitiveness

Includes business, entrepreneurialism, immigration, job creation and training, manufacturing, outsourcing, tourism, taxing, urban financing, and venture capital.

Midwest Health Care Startups Raise $810 Million in 2011
PR Newswire, January 30, 2012

Midwest health care companies attracted $810 Million in new investments across 178 companies in 2011 according to the BioEnterprise Midwest Health Care Venture Investment Report.  The total dollars attracted is up by ten percent from 2010; however it remains below the peak year of 2007.  Minnesota ($223 million), Ohio ($178 million), and Missouri ($169 million) led Midwestern states in attracting investment dollars; Minneapolis, Cleveland, and St. Louis were the leaders among Midwest regions.

America’s Permanent Dead Zones
Salon, January 27, 2012
The surprisingly low levels of unemployment in the Upper Midwest can partially be explained by low population levels, and therefore a low supply in the labor market. There is considerable anecdotal evidence suggesting dead zones exist in certain areas of the upper Midwest (Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, Michigan, etc), but the way data is collected in these states makes it hard to identify these areas.

Retailers Attracted to Omaha's Low Unemployment
Omaha World-Herald, Janaury 27, 2012
The Omaha-Council Bluffs area's retail market is picking up speed faster than in other parts of the country, experts in the industry said this week.

Business Groups Push Drone Aviation Industry as Jobs Generator
Minnesota Public Radio, January 26, 2012
The FAA in 2012 will establish six test sites for unmanned aircraft. North Dakota hopes to get one of those sites, and a group of Minnesota businesses is organizing to take advantage of the growing industry.

Tom Walsh: CEO Group Predicts 500,000 New Jobs in Michigan by 2020
Detroit Free Press, January 25, 2012
In an upbeat update of its 2009 Michigan Turnaround Plan, the Business Leaders for Michigan (BLM) group of CEOs projects that the state can add 500,000 new jobs and see personal incomes rise by $18,000 per person by 2020.

Midwest Hybrid Electric Vehicle Manufacturer Says It's Ready to Fulfill President Obama's State of the Union Blueprint for U.S. Jobs and Alternative Energy Technology Leadership
Sacramentio Bee, January 24, 2012
A Midwest-based plug-in hybrid electric vehicle manufacturer is calling on Congressional and media critics to put their partisanship aside and heed President Obama's call to create American jobs and spur the development of alternative energy technology by swiftly processing its loan application under the Department of Energy's Advanced Technology Vehicle Manufacturing (ATVM) Program – which Congress authorized in 2007.

Ethanol Firm Says ‘No Thanks’ to Fed Money
Des Moines Register, January 23, 2012
Poet, the ethanol producer that manages seven production plants in Iowa, turned down a $105 million loan guarantee from the U.S. Department of Energy Monday after it entered into a joint venture with a Dutch company to help with its new cellulosic ethanol plant at Emmetsburg.

'Right-to-work' Raises a Ruckus in Indiana
Stateline.com. January 23, 2012
Remy and other Indiana companies want right-to-work because the bill would make it illegal for businesses and unions to negotiate contracts that require all employees — even those who do not wish to be union members — to pay union fees as a condition of their employment.

Commodities Boom Fragile, Investment Adviser Warns
Des Moines Register, January 20, 2012
Midwest farmers shouldn’t assume that Wall Street will be in love with agricultural commodities forever, a New York investment adviser told the Iowa Land Investment Expo on Friday.

Can Water Save Milwaukee?
Atlantic Cities, January 19, 2012
Milwaukee has faced hard times since the industries that long-defined this Midwest city – brewing, tanning and meatpacking – mostly shut down in the 1970s and 1980s. In the last few decades, the city's middle class has shrunk by more than a third.

Area Cities Top List as Data Center Hosts
Omaha World-Herlad, January 19, 2012
Low-cost Midwestern cities like Omaha, Council Bluffs, Ames, Iowa, and Sioux Falls, S.D., stand to gain high-security data centers in coming years, according to a site location consultant for the data security industry.

Manufacturing Credit Vital to State
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, January 18, 2012
In the early part of this century, there was a prevailing thought that if Wisconsin was going to compete in the economy of the future, we needed to move on from our manufacturing heritage and embrace the new economy. The state should be grateful that our manufacturing community did not heed the advice of the experts as manufacturing has shown remarkable resilience in an economic recovery that still feels like a recession for millions of people.

Rising Factory Output Gives Economy a Lift
Fox News, January 18, 2012
"The Midwest continues to be a manufacturing leader," Norton said

Buy Michigan Initiative Sparks State’s Economy
Ferndale Patch, January 17, 2012
Say "bye-bye" to foreign products and buy Michigan! That’s what the owners of more than 30 Michigan-based companies and non-profits are hoping customers will do. They featured their products at the Great Lakes Showcase at the Southfield Westin Hotel on Monday.

Aon Will Lower Tax Burden in Moving Headquarters to London
Chicago Tribune, January 14, 2012
Chicago will lose the headquarters of one of its biggest and most high-profile companies later this year when Aon Corp moves its home office from its namesake skyscraper to London, partly to lower its tax burden.

Analysis: Obama Seeks Lift from Detroit Auto Jobs
Rueters, January 12, 2012
But this year, the energized venue was a formal launching pad for what is arguably the chief economic accomplishment of President Barack Obama as he approaches the 2012 election - the resurgence of U.S. automakers made possible by government intervention.

Detroit Unsure Over the Future of Green Cars
Breitbart.com, January 11, 2012
Sergio Marchionne, the head of Fiat and Chrysler, reiterated his doubts over the market, especially for electric cars, at the Detroit show, citing both the pricing problem and the availability of batteries.

Five Regions That Are Key to the US Economy
Today.com (MSNBC), January 8, 2012
Clearly the stimulus helped prop up certain regions, such as New York City, Washington and various university towns, which benefited from the financial bailout, lax fiscal discipline and grants to research institutions. But in the foreseeable future, fundamental economic competitiveness will be more important. Global market forces will prove more decisive than grand academic visions.

Gas-rich Ohio is In the Running for a $2 Billion Chemical Plant
Cleveland Live, January 5, 2012
A giant chemical plant that processes natural gas is coming to the Midwest and Ohio leaders hope the state's newly tapped gas deposits, coupled with growing industries that use gas products, make Ohio the favored location.

New Biotech Clusters in the U.S. Are Scrambling to Challenge Established Regions
Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News, January 3, 2012

Chicago and Denver scored highest in percentage of science and engineering graduates (fifth and seventh best, respectively); Houston, in NIH funding (seventh); Florida and Atlanta, in research space (seventh and third, respectively); and Indianapolis, in biomedical employment (sixth).

December 2011

Midwest Learns To Manufacture More With Less
National Public Radio, December 31, 2011
Most U.S. manufacturing came back strong this year. Nowhere was that more evident than across the Midwest. But even if it was a good year for industry, not many of the jobs lost during the recent recession returned.

In China, OnStar System Drives GM Sales
Detroit News, December 21, 2011
In addition to successfully resolving their first kidnapping, OnStar's Chinese operators are now handling more than 1 million calls a month. That is a third of what their counterparts in the United States handle each month, but there are about 6 million subscribers in North America compared with just more than 400,000 in China.

Oldenburg Group to Build Chinese Equipment in Midwest
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, December 19, 2011

It's not often that a Chinese company outsources work to the United States, but a Glendale firm has signed a five-year deal to build Chinese equipment here - a move that could create several hundred jobs.

Column: Unhappy Biz Leaders Speak Out
Detroit News, December 18, 2011
Protocol for Detroit's business community is that it stands mostly in the shadows, acting as an invisible hand that funds projects, backs candidates and helps shape the city landscape, but doesn't engage publicly in political discourse.

Many Michigan Business Tax Incentives Going Away; How Will the Great Lakes Bay Region Fare?
Michigan Live, December 18, 2011
The Michigan Economic Growth Authority, the state’s flagship development program that offered refundable tax credits to businesses that expanded or moved here, disappears Jan. 1. 

How a School District Landed at the Springfield Bargaining Table
Chicago News Cooperative, December 16, 2011
Crates and her school district had suddenly found themselves at the epicenter of Illinois’s latest political and financial crisis, described by one lawmaker as round-robin blackmail among Midwestern states.

A Snapshot of the Auto Industry
Minnesota Public Radio, December 16, 2011
The last Ford Ranger will soon rolling off the assembly line at the St. Paul Ford plant. We'll get a look at what's happening in the U.S. Auto industry across the nation. How does the St. Paul story fit in with what's happening in towns and cities across the country?

Can Robots Create Jobs?
Minnesota Public Radio, December 16, 2011
Newly formed trade group Robotics Alley says 10,000 jobs in Minnesota and the Midwest could be created in the growing robotics industry. But can the economy absorb robots without displacing humans?

Are Small Rust Belt Cities the Future of Green?
Atlantic Cities, December 16, 2011
Journalist and historian Catherine Tumber thinks smaller industrial cities, like Syracuse, New York, Flint, Michigan, and Muncie, Indiana, need serious attention and—"don’t laugh," she writes—could be instrumental in moving us toward an economically dynamic, low-carbon future.

Heavy Metal Is Back: The Best Cities For Manufacturing
Forbes, December 15, 2011
For a generation American manufacturing has been widely seen as a “declining sport.” Yet its demise has been largely overplayed.  Despite the many jobs this sector has lost in the past generation, manufacturing remains remarkably resilient, with a global market share similar to that of the 1970s.

Great Lakes Bay Region Not Represented in New State Workforce Task Force
Michigan Live, December 15, 2011
The Great Lakes Bay Region may be home to several powerhouse and innovative companies, but at least one local official worries the area is overlooked in the state’s quest to create jobs and develop workorce talent.

Mexican-Americans Aren't Moving Up, Study Finds
Chicago Business, December 15, 2011
Roughly half of the Mexican immigrants working in the six-county region have jobs in the food service, construction and manufacturing industries.

…Shall We Play An Incentives Game? (Midwest States Are)
Changing Gears.com (WBEZ), December 14, 2011
The incentives war between the Midwestern states has heated up over the past few months, especially between Illinois, Indiana and Ohio, which, are fighting over Sears and the CME Group.

Employment Outlook Best Since 2008 Nationwide and In the Midwest, Manpower says, but Not So Good in Michigan
Michigan Live, December 13, 2011
Among U.S. employers surveyed, Manpower calculates a 9 percent uptick in hiring in the first quarter of 2012. Employers in the Midwest region predict a 10 percent improvement, the strongest regional percentage nationwide.

Initiative to Fuel Business Startups in Iowa
Des Moines Register, December 13, 2011
The effort to build and grow new businesses in Iowa gets a boost today with the launch of StartupIowa, a statewide initiative that will create one large umbrella of organizations that aim to help entrepreneurs.

Obama Establishes Office of Manufacturing Policy
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, December 12, 2011
From Milwaukee's factory floors to Washington's think tanks, there is broad consensus that policy-makers have long neglected the manufacturing economy, even though manufactured goods account for 57% of the nation's exports.

Growing Companies Struggle to Find Help
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, December 12, 2011
A lack of qualified workers continues as a major concern for Milwaukee and Waukesha county manufacturing businesses, a new survey of business executives shows.

OTHER VOICES: State Can Regain Lead in Manufacturing
Crain's Detroit Business, December 11, 2011
The Midwest is a bellwether for the nation's economic health, and the state of Michigan has unique opportunities to retool itself to help drive a knowledge-based economy. We must now capitalize on two strengths: manufacturing heritage and our unlimited capacity of talent and innovation.

High-paying Tech Jobs Await, but Few Step Up
Argus Leader, December 10, 2011
The state faces a shortage of workers interested in skilled trades such as manufacturing, electrical work, machining and welding. Community, education and business leaders say it’s because of a false perception and image problem that make work associated with technical schools seem inferior to four-year college degrees in business or history. In reality, the technical jobs often are more lucrative.

Closed Auto Plants find New Uses Across Nation
Detroit News, December 9, 2011
But Michigan, which saw a massive contraction in the auto industry in the last decade, trails the rest of the country in the redevelopment of former plants. It remains home to the largest proportion of shuttered auto factories. The state has lost 105 plants since 1979. Forty-two of those plants, or about 40 percent, have found new uses, according to a Center for Automotive Research study released Thursday.

Can Technology Breathe New Life Into the Midwest’s Old Iron?
WBEZ91.5, December 8, 2011
The industrial Midwest might not be the industrial Midwest if it weren’t for the iron-rich regions of northern Minnesota and Michigan. These iron ranges have long supplied domestic steelmakers, depleting the highest quality ore along the way. Now, a plant in Minnesota is testing a process to dramatically upgrade the low-grade ore that remains.

Can Technology Breathe New Life Into the Midwest's Old Iron?
Michigan Radio, December 7, 2011
The industrial Midwest might not be the industrial Midwest if it weren’t for the iron-rich regions of northern Minnesota and Michigan. These iron ranges have long supplied domestic steelmakers, depleting the highest quality ore along the way. Now, a plant in Minnesota is testing a process to dramatically upgrade the low-grade ore that remains.

U.S. Manufacturing Policy in 'Disarray'
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, December 7, 2011
Unlike export powerhouse nations such as Germany and China, the United States' policy for manufacturing is in disarray, according to the latest blue ribbon report on American manufacturing and how to make it competitive.

Auto Jobs Boom Coming to Midwest
CNN Money, December 6, 2011
The Center for Automotive Research, a respected Michigan think tank, estimates that automakers and auto parts suppliers will likely need to hire about 200,000 workers by 2015 in Michigan, Ohio and Indiana, the nation's auto belt that has seen massive job losses in recent years.

Despite Progress, Vacant Buildings Dot Downtown
Detroit News, December 5, 2011
Quicken Loans Inc. founder Dan Gilbert's accumulation of downtown properties might soon restore life in several big, empty buildings in Detroit. But vacant, blighted structures will dot the central business district for years to come, real estate analysts say.

3 Reports on Economy See Positives for Iowa
Des Moines Register, December 2, 2011
Leaders of Iowa’s largest businesses say in a new quarterly survey that they're optimistic about the economy over the next six months, but they cautioned against expecting it to be the beginning of a sustained economic recovery.

BEDC Helping Position Brookings for Growth
Brookings Register, December 2, 2011
In the midst of the worst recession in modern times, Brookings has been able to maintain nearly full employment. And while housing starts have slowed, the community has seen almost none of the mortgage and foreclosure problems other parts of the country have had to endure. Apartments are now plentiful and homes in all price ranges are available and selling.

A $400 Million Carrot for Sears? Ohio Bids for HQ
Columbus Dispatch, December 1, 2011
If money matters, Ohio’s chances of getting Sears Holdings to move its 6,200-person headquarters to the state from outside Chicago could be getting better.

November 2011

Midwest is Bright Spot in U.S. Economy
Medill Reports, November 30, 2011
The Midwest manufacturing sector surged to a seven-month high in November, buoyed by increased auto output and high steel demand, according to a closely watched industry barometer released Wednesday.

A Steel Town Looks At Its Future, And Sees Rebirth
National Public Radio, November 30, 2011
The Great Recession has hit the industrial Midwest especially hard in recent years, from big cities to small factory towns. But now, in at least one small Illinois city, local leaders believe the worst is finally behind them.

Auto Industry Needs 190K More Jobs, Most of Them in Michigan, Analysts Say
Detroit News, November 30, 2011
The rebounding auto industry will need to add about 190,000 jobs by 2015 and most of the employees will be in the parts sector, said experts from the Center for Automotive Research in Ann Arbor.

Iowa Ranks in Top Five of 'Best Run' States
Des Moines Register, November 29, 2011
Iowa is the fifth “best run” state in the country, according to a new study by 247WallSt.com, a website that publishes lists and writes about business trends.

Region Turns to Clusters as Growth Strategy
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, November 27, 2011
Metro Milwaukee, which hardly discussed cluster strategy a few years ago, now has no fewer than nine at various stages of development. Whether they go anywhere or not, it's the longest roster of economic sectors that the region has ever pursued in any organized fashion.

St. Anthony: 'Robotics Alley' Signals Rise of a Hot New Industry
Star Tribune, November 27, 2011
An Edina-based firm was recently contracted to deliver 315 more of its "Recon Scout" robots to the Army for $4.8 million. That followed a $5.8 million order in August. "This has earth-shattering, life-saving potential," Lt. Andrew Borene said of the technology behind small robots that can literally be thrown into battle.

Forum Report Showcases NWI Advantage
NWI.com, November 26, 2011
The Northwest Indiana Forum has assembled a package of cost information to showcase the advantages of Northwest Indiana. The project focused on three key industry areas: advanced manufacturing; transportation, distribution and logistics; and office operations, including data centers and call centers.

St. Louis Draws Entrepreneurs From Across the Country
STLtoday.com, November 25, 2011
Like any good fishing trip, the effort to nurture entrepreneurs in St. Louis generates stories about the ones that got away. Too often, startup companies with promising technologies move to California or elsewhere in search of funding. In the past couple of years, though, St. Louis has landed some catches of its own. Lured by the area's rich research assets and a growing number of funding sources, entrepreneurs have moved here from places such as Louisville, Nashville and upstate New York.

The Lost Decade: Cook County Loses 26% of Manufacturing Jobs
Chicago Sun-Times, November 25, 2011
Cook County lost more than a quarter of its manufacturing jobs between 2000 and 2010, according to a new analysis.

Detroit’s Tech Town: An Incubator of Creativity
Miller-McCune, November 25, 2011
According to the latest census figures, Detroit’s population continues to plummet while its public school system remains largely dysfunctional and FBI statistics report an increase in violent crime after several years of decline. But Detroit, the buckle of the “Rust Belt,” is also a city of paradoxes. In the city’s midtown, an innovative project, Tech Town, stands out as living up to its motto, “Reigniting Detroit’s Entrepreneurial Culture.”

Next-Gen Funding: Startup Pioneers Form Angel Investment Fund
Crain's Chicago Business, November 23, 2011
Some of Chicago's best-known technology entrepreneurs, including Viewpoints Network LLC CEO Matt Moog and ShopLocal LLC founder Brian Hand, are coming together to form a new angel investing group called the Founders Fund.

Opinion: State Pushes Detroit Fiscal Review
Detroit News, November 23, 2011
The Snyder administration has set in motion the process that will place an emergency manager in charge of Detroit if Mayor Dave Bing and the City Council don't move quickly to strike a grand deal to right the city's finances.

Some Think a Gas Boom Can Reignite Ohio's Manufacturing Economy
Cleveland.com, November 22, 2011
Already, steel mills are expanding in anticipation of a shale gas boom in Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Spin-off industries are expected to spring up to supply the machinery, laborers, lodging and chemistry that energy production demands, and to exploit a new local power source.

Business, Community Leaders Gather at IU Kokomo to Discuss Regionalism
Indiana University Kokomo News, November 21, 2011
Nearly 100 business and community leaders gathered at Indiana University Kokomo on Monday, November 21, for a lively discussion on transforming the economy of north central Indiana, following the release of data from the Regional Benchmarking Study, commissioned by Chancellor Michael Harris.

Midwest Enjoys Some Tech Job Momentum
Crain's Cleveland Business, November 21, 2011
Cleveland gets a so-so ranking in Forbes.com's list of the best cities for tech jobs, but it's poised to improve as a result of momentum in the manufacturing and natural gas sectors.

CouponCabin Wants To Move Back to Chicago — If State Suspends Internet Tax
Crain's Chicago Business, November 18, 2011
Illinois became the focal point of the fight over Internet sales taxes. While costs are cheaper in Indiana for CouponCabin.com, one of several online marketers that fled the state after Illinois cracked down on collection of sales taxes from Internet retailers this year, it's been harder to find qualified workers for the high-tech firm.

Business Park Plans Advance
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, November 17, 2011
Plans to transform a former rail yard just south of the Harley-Davidson Museum into a business park for water technology companies, while converting a nearby former warehouse into an incubator for water tech start-ups, received separate approvals Thursday from the city Redevelopment Authority.

Have State Tax Credits Worked for Iowa?
Des Moines Register, November 15, 2011
More than two years after the state film office debacle, most of Iowa’s 35 tax credits are not being tracked for their effectiveness in spite of a sizable cost to taxpayers: at least $160 million.

Snyder: Simpler Biz Tax Already Creating Jobs
CBS Detroit, November 14, 2011
Gov. Rick Snyder Monday defended his decision to do away with most state tax breaks and said his simplified business tax code is already paying dividends in new jobs.

Company Towns, After the Company Leaves Town
National Public Radio, November 14, 2011
The residents of Huntsville, Alabama may soon need to start exploring new careers, with budget cuts looming at NASA. And it's not just Huntsville. This is a familiar story in cities across the country, like Muncie, Indiana, Flint, Michigan, Youngstown, Ohio, entire towns reeling when a manufacturing plant shuts down or a major industry moves overseas. What happens when a city's major employer just disappears?

A Vision of the Des Moines Riverfront
Des Moines Register, November 13, 2011
Here’s a warm thought for a cool fall day as winter approaches: As early as May, you could be dining and drinking in shirt sleeves on a floating dock on the Des Moines River downtown.

Where City Factories, and Now Babies, Die
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, November 12, 2011
Infant survival and economic competitiveness tend to move on the same sliding scale. Study after study reveals survival chances increase in communities and nations with rising wealth and stability - just as young life is threatened by economic crisis and upheaval. In onetime industrial stronghold Milwaukee, one baby under the age of 12 months dies for every 95 who live, making it one of America's most fatal cities for infants.

Transforming the Twin Cities Into a Robotics Hub
Twin Cities Pioneer Press, November 11, 2011
Robotics Alley, the first regional conference on robots, has an ambitious goal - to transform the Twin Cities into the hub for a Midwestern robotics industry that stretches from North Dakota, through Minnesota, Iowa and Wisconsin to Illinois.

Poverty Rate Doubled in the Midwestern Rust Belt Over Past Decade
ABC News, November 3, 2011
More people – 46.2 million - live in poverty today than at any other time in American history. And compared to the 1990s they are more likely to be white, live in the Midwest, have a high school diploma and own a home, according to a Brookings Institute report released Thursday.

Milwaukee 7 Will Work to Polish Manufacturing's Image
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, November 2, 2011
Three weeks ago on the fourth floor of a Milwaukee office building, a roomful of business leaders met with Gov. Scott Walker to air a chronic complaint: the difficulty that manufacturers have finding qualified or willing job candidates.

U.S. Small Business Administration Lending Soars in Michigan
Michigan Live, November 1, 2011
U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) lending posted strong growth during the past year, with Huntington Bank alone more than doubling the volume of government-backed loans it wrote, leading Michigan as the top SBA lender for the 2011 fiscal year.

Reports Showing Slow Going for Factories
Twin Cities Star Tribune, November 1, 2011
Monthly measures of manufacturing activity painted a mixed picture for October, with slow growth continuing across the nation while a slight contraction of activity was reported in Midwestern states.

City May Aid Water Tech Park
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, November 1, 2011
Milwaukee would spend $6.2 million to help transform a former rail yard just south of the Harley-Davidson Museum into a business park for water technology companies, under a new proposal from Mayor Tom Barrett's administration.

October 2011

Iowa's Job Losses Hit 29 Counties Hardest
Des Moines Register, October 29, 2011
Jasper County is one of 29 counties in Iowa battling persistently high unemployment rates — at least 25 percent higher than the statewide annual average.

Walker's Latest Venture Capital Plan Scraps CAPCOs
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, October 28, 2011
The most notable part of Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker's proposal is what it does not include: participation by certified capital companies, or CAPCOs. Those controversial out-of-state firms lobbied heavily to be included but have been dogged by criticism over their past handling of state money under a previous venture capital program.

Chicago Gains Big New Trade Show After Labor Reform Deal
Crain's Chicago Business, October 28, 2011
Chicago has reaped its first big dividend in the wake of reinstated labor reforms at McCormick Place, luring a show expected to bring 27,000 attendees.

Cash-Strapped State Could Lose $100 Million in CME/CBOE Deal
Crain's Chicago Business, October 25, 2011
As the Illinois Senate prepares to act on a proposed tax break to keep CME Group Inc. and CBOE Holdings Inc. in town, the price to the cash-short Illinois treasury is becoming clearer: at least $90 million, and by some accounts even more.

Artopolis: The State of the Creative Nation
Entrepreneur, October 25, 2011
Omaha's traditional economic base, historically, was manufacturing, railroads and livestock. By 2000, it was clear: Omaha--like the nation--needed to embrace higher-end services, like architecture, graphic design and web development. The problem, of course, was that promising young architects, graphic designers and web developers didn't want to live in Omaha.

Institutions Need to Collaborate to Turn Research Into Jobs, Report Says
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, October 24, 2011
Institutions must work together to transfer technologies from academic research laboratories to those who will use them to create businesses and jobs, and ultimately boost southeast Wisconsin's economy, says a report released Monday by the Public Policy Forum.

Ohio Needs to Attract Venture Capitalists
Cincinnati Enquirer, October 23, 2011
Coastal venture-capital firms are starting to learn of Ohio’s strengths in health care, information technology, logistics and consumer marketing, Mark Kvamme told readers of The Cincinnati Enquirer in an online chat last week.

Growth In Transportation Anticipated In Northern Wisconsin, Minnesota
Ashland Current, October 20, 2011
High-paying jobs with benefits. That’s always the battle cry in Northeastern Minnesota and Northwestern Wisconsin. Despite the recession, more of those coveted positions are likely to emerge, but not in headline-grabbing technology positions.

Cleveland Fed Leader Cites Concerns About U.S. Development
Toledo Blade, October 20, 2011
The president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, one of a dozen or so people who help guide the nation’s monetary policy, told a Toledo audience Thursday that while technological and productivity advances have helped manufacturers improve their costs, the nation and the region are falling behind in their “development of human capital,” forcing companies to locate elsewhere.

Animation Festival Expands to Showcase Growing Industry
Brookings Register, October 19, 2011
International, national and local artists can enjoy the experience during the SDSU Visual Arts Department’s third annual Animation Festival Thursday, Oct. 20, through Saturday, Oct. 22, at various locations around Brookings, South Dakota.

Demand Grows For Skilled Trades Jobs
Detroit News, October 18, 2011
At a time when Michigan's unemployment rate has increased for four straight months and is more than two percentage points above the national jobless rate, there is growing demand for construction and skilled trade workers in Metro Detroit and throughout the state.

U.S. Manufacturers Looking for 600,000 Skilled Workers, Survey Says
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, October 17, 2011
American manufacturing companies cannot fill up to 600,000 skilled positions, even as unemployment numbers hover at historic levels, according to a survey released Monday from Deloitte & Touche and The Manufacturing Institute.

A Very Brief History of the Midwest Magic Bullet (Part 1)
Michigan Radio 91.7FM, October 17, 2011
History is full of the search for magic bullets, those quick tickets to jobs and economic prosperity. Cities across our region have put great hopes and resources into magic bullets. Some have soared; many have backfired.

Illinois' Business Climate Outshines 'Its Neighbors'
Crain's Chicago Business, October 17, 2011
Lost amid headlines about rising corporate taxes, companies threatening to leave the state and rival governors wooing others is an important fact: Illinois is a better place to do business than surrounding states.

Editorial: Community Bankers Eager to Help Rebuild Economy
NWI.com, October 16, 2011
A remarkable event occurred last month as more than 600 business, labor, academic and community leaders gathered to formulate the way forward for Northwest Indiana.

Ohio Needs This Bridge Too
Toledo Blade, October 15, 2011
As they look to the future, Beachwood leaders are weighing an economic action plan that acknowledges the need for regional cooperation, sharing services and succeeding along with the neighbors.

Free-Trade Deal Could Boost Big 3 in South Korea
Detroit News, October 14, 2011
President Barack Obama will visit General Motors' Orion Assembly Plant today to tout a free-trade deal with South Korea, but the jury is out on whether that pact will significantly boost U.S. auto exports.

Bustling Beachwood Eyes Economic Regionalism
Cleveland Plain Dealer, October 13, 2011
As they look to the future, Beachwood leaders are weighing an economic action plan that acknowledges the need for regional cooperation, sharing services and succeeding along with the neighbors. 

Obama, South Korean Leader to Visit GM plant, Tout Trade Pact Friday
Detroit News, October 11, 2011
President Barack Obama and South Korean President Lee Myung-bak will visit General Motors Co.'s Orion Assembly Plant on Friday to tout the U.S.-South Korea Free Trade Agreement.

Cook County Ices Health Merger with Chicago
Crain's Chicago Business, October 10, 2011
Cook County leaders are saying “no thanks” to a merger of public health operations with the city of Chicago, potentially setting up a showdown between Rahm Emanuel and Toni Preckwinkle as they scramble to slash costs to close massive budget deficits next year.

Will We Grow Our Great Ideas?
Cincinnati Enquirer, October 8, 2011
Every year, researchers, professors and students are making groundbreaking discoveries at the region’s nationally ranked and federally funded institutions. But too often still, inventors are compelled to take their discoveries and ideas out of town or drop them altogether.

Michigan Tops Nation in New High-Tech Jobs
Detroit News, October 7, 2011
After eight years of decline, Michigan added technology jobs last year, gaining the most high-tech workers of any state, according a report released this week.

Illinois Posts Big Loss in Tech Jobs
Crain's Chicago Business, October 5, 2011
Illinois had one of the worst declines in high-tech employment in 2010, when tech companies nationwide shed about 2% of their jobs.

Help Wanted: Why Manufacturing Temps Are In Demand
Changing Gears, October 4, 2011
These days, this phrase is a commonly overheard: There are no jobs. But it turns out, that’s not entirely true.  Yes, the manufacturing sector lost six million jobs last decade.  But now, staffing agencies that place temporary workers in manufacturing say business is booming.

Report Offers Direction For Midwest's Displaced Auto Workers on How to Navigate Career Change
Indiana University, October 4, 2011
The final piece of a major research project aimed at helping displaced auto workers in Indiana and other Midwest states focuses on how they can be helped to find other career paths and how to best pursue them

Keywell Tracks Down Intellectual Capital For Chicago Ideas Week
Crain's Chicago Business, October 3, 2011
Chicago Ideas Week sprouted from Brad Keywell's experience running last year's TEDxMidwest technology symposium, but it's rooted in the Groupon Inc. co-founder's love of eclectic gatherings.

Detroit Trade Show Spotlights Manufacturers
Detroit News, October 2, 2011
Manufacturers from China, Taiwan and other countries are coming to Detroit this week to meet their American counterparts at a trade fair of auto, auto parts and machine tooling firms.

Midwest Migration Shows Net Gain Here
Fort Wayne Journal Gazette, October 2, 2011
From 2005-2009, more people moved to Indiana than moved out, according to U.S. Internal Revenue Service data.

Milwaukee Area's Job Growth Leads U.S.
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, October 1, 2011
Led by a robust manufacturing sector, the metro Milwaukee area has emerged as one of the nation's leaders in job growth this year, U.S. Labor Department figures show.