‘New economy’ requires adaptability
One thought crossed my mind when listening to keynote speaker David Ivan at last week’s St. Charles Downtown Partnership annual meeting at the Hotel Baker: Everyone in the Tri-Cities should be hearing this.
So let me share.
Ivan, a statewide coordinator for a Michigan initiative seeking to establish criteria for communities to support entrepreneurs and enterprise, explained the difference between the “old economy” and “new economy.”
After Ivan revealed his findings, it made me even more convinced that St. Charles, Geneva and Batavia do a lot of things very well, but more Tri-Cities residents need to know it and join in.
Ivan mentioned the “old currency” that used to drive a local economy included industrial plants and warehouses, and making capital available. The “new currency” vital to a community’s well-being, he said, is more about luring talent, knowledge and creativity into your town.
“You have to innovate and do things better,” Ivan said.
The “old economy,” Ivan said, was based on inexpensively attracting companies into your community to try to create a competitive advantage, and it was mostly a function of local government.
In contrast, the “new economy” is rich in talent and ideas, with communities making an effort to attract educated people through physical and cultural amenities.
“The new economy demands learning to adapt and forming partnerships as the keys,” Ivan said.
Ivan said engaging youth in their own community is vital, as well as projecting the image that you want young professionals doing business in your town.
“Those most responsive to change are the most likely to survive,” Ivan said, pointing to Dubuque, Iowa, as an example of a city that was struggling in the 1980s and now thriving from a concerted effort to attract young professionals.
The bottom line is this: We’ve got a great thing going in the Tri-Cities area, but we have to get more people engaged in it, and attract bright, young business minds.
Golf landscape changesThe transition from retiring Jim Wheeler to the new Pottawatomie Golf Course manager, Ron Skubisz, is now official. But Wheeler will provide lessons at Mill Creek Golf Course this summer.
Many readers have asked about golf instructor Rich Flores and his battle with cancer. Rich will undergo several weeks of chemotherapy and a bone-marrow transplant. We#146;re all praying to see him healthy again soon.
Our plastic world#147;Bag It ... Is your Life Too Plastic?#148;
That#146;s a good question the Batavia Environmental Commission would like to help answer about the amount of plastic bags in our lives. It#146;s also the name of the free movie they#146;ll be showing at 7 p.m. Saturday in the Batavia City Hall council chambers for ages 12 and older. Bring your own reusable containers for free popcorn and drinks.
A popular weekFeedback on the street indicated St. Charles Restaurant Week was a big hit, and many restaurants had brisk business with a flood of city postcards and ads from the Daily Herald.
We visited the Copper Fox in St. Charles, and I have three words to describe our terrific visit: Pork loin schnitzel.
dheun@sbcglobal.net