In today’s economy, communities that sit back and “wait to see what happens” will lose out to communities that adopt flexibility, develop new skills, and aggressively pursue new opportunities. Communities must be creative and think in new ways to attract investment in their area.

According to the US Department of Commerce, advanced manufacturing accounts for 11% of employment in the country and 14% of the national GDP. The entire US private sector invests $193 billion annually in research and development, and a whopping 60% of that comes from manufacturing firms.

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One of our clients, a leading economic developer in the Southeast, used to think attending conferences and trade shows was a waste of time. And many other economic developers feel the same—with good reason. They’ve shelled out a good chunk of change to travel to the “Next Biggest Trade Show,” only to spend four or five days sitting in a booth, watching people walk by, watching business happen elsewhere. They don’t meet with any qualified leads, and they leave the conference in no different a position than when they arrived.

Others spend the conference with a bustling booth, meeting plenty of contacts—only to get home and realize none of the businesses they met with are a good fit for their area. Nothing much was accomplished at the conference, and the trip seems, in hindsight, to have been a waste of precious funds.

When you allocate money for a trip, you want to make the most of that money and the time you’ll spend traveling and attending the show. You want to meet with qualified contacts that will actually translate into leads for your area. To do this, you must do two things. First of all, you’ve got to get the word out that you’ll be attending the show. And next, you’ve got to set up pre-arranged meetings with businesses that are open to discussing your area. Scheduling meetings for the conference allows you to have your contact’s full attention, and it also allows you to confirm ahead of time that the business is actually interested in your area. You’ve got to do this early, though—before competing areas contact the businesses first.

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You don't need to be in a wind-producing state to attract renewable energy companies. You don't need to be in a state with tremendous amounts of sunlight each year to attract sub-suppliers in the solar energy industry.

What you must do is position yourself as a manufacturing hotspot to attract industries that make up the industry cluster--the sub-suppliers that are required to produce windmills and solar PV arrays as well as the industries that complement these systems.

We all know that renewable energy is the future. Green energy methods are growing quickly. But their influence is not limited to the future; they impact the immediate present. The new emerging federal government promises to place a much greater emphasis on green energy solutions. Thus, more federal funding will be earmarked for the development of renewable energy infrastructures on a national basis. Economic development agencies can position themselves to take advantage of these emerging trends.

There is one key element that will help you discern how to approach this industry, and that is what I call following the supply chain. I want to discuss a few examples of this with you to help you understand what I'm talking about.

More than half the states now have mandatory requirements specifying that electric utilities generate a certain amount of electricity from renewable sources such as wind, solar, and biomass. For instance, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has signed an executive order that requires utilities in his state to produce 33% of electricity from renewable energy sources by 2020.

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"As America’s electricity appetite continues to grow, it is critical that both government and the market come together to support policies that encourage the development of clean energy alternatives."
Duke Energy

Close to half of the states and the District of Columbia have adopted Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS) which requires electricity providers to obtain a minimum percentage of their power from renewable energy resources by a certain date.

These include, but are not limited to: Solar Water Heat, Solar Thermal Electric, Landfill Gas, Wind, Biomass, Hydroelectric, Geothermal Electric, Geothermal Heat Pumps, Tidal Energy, Wave Energy, and Ocean Thermal.

For example, Duke Energy proposes a $100 million plan to install solar panels in North Carolina.  Also, the Ohio Governor, Ted Strickland, has announced his Energy, Jobs and Progress plan which includes an advanced energy portfolio requiring at least 25 percent of the electricity sold in Ohio to be generated from renewable and advanced energy technologies by 2025.

This is a great opportunity for Economic Development Agencies to attract new investment, create jobs, and create an alternative energy cluster which would include manufacturing, transportation, and project construction. New projects in the Great Plains prompted Denmark’s LM Glasfiber to open a rotor blade manufacturing plant in North Dakota. In addition, wind turbine tower and component manufacturing have created jobs in several states.
Economic Development Marketing (EDM), an iGroups company, can help you develop your alternative energy cluster. We have developed an extensive list of companies, both domestic and foreign, involved in green energy technologies. EDM can help you reach these companies with your message detailing the benefits of locating in your region.

EDM has been assisting cities, counties, regional economic development groups, states, and provinces throughout the US & Canada develop marketing strategies to attract new investment since 1997. We are a single source for marketing strategies, target market studies, and investment attraction. 
States that currently have Renewable Portfolio Standards

http://www.eere.energy.gov/states/maps/renewable_portfolio_states.cfm
 

Economic Development Marketing (EDM)
(800) 595-7052 (619) 585-7052

flor@econdevmarketing.com
www.Econdevmarketing.com

Venture capitalists are investing billions of dollars in environmental technology.

According to a recent article by Cargill, “Environmental technology is predicted to be the second fastest growing sector in the world after IT over the next twenty years.” (Cargill is an international provider of food, agricultural and risk management products and services.)

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The Greater Antelope Valley Economic Alliance (GAVEA) has decided it’s time someone took a stand against the negative marketing campaigns against California being circulated by a few states. (Such as Nevada’s missing bear campaign.)

Sure some companies may feel the need to relocate from California’s major Metropolitan areas such as Los Angeles or San Francisco, but that doesn’t mean they have to leave the state.

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Economic Development Marketing announces the completion of a new website for The Central Alberta Economic Development Partnership.

"The website is a very important component of our marketing strategy and continues to be one of CAEP's most important marketing tools," advised Julia King, CAEP Chair. Although targeted to investors and site selectors, the improved information about Central Alberta will also help regional employers attract a much-needed labour force.

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What is the focus of your community’s economy? The time has come to transition from a knowledge based economy to an innovation based economy. The innovation economy is based on intellectual capital and the ability to translate ideas into new technologies, products and services faster and better than the competition. Consumers are demanding that their products be innovative, creative, and personalized. As a community, long term planning must begin in order to build the infrastructure necessary to attract talent, capital, technology, and entrepreneurs.

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Creating economic development is one of the most difficult tasks communities have in today’s highly competitive global economic environment. How do you generate leads, and what is the average cost for each lead? Look at these press releases:

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Today people are deciding where to live and bringing jobs with them.  Many people are now either moving or considering moving into rural communities because of quality of life issues and the high cost of living in America’s larger cities.  This trend will create new opportunities in rural communities.

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