Annual Mid-America Competitiveness Conference
Thank you to those that presented and attended the 2009 conference held December 6-8 at the Intercontinental Hotel - Chicago!
View the Conference Onsite Program
Click on the links below to view many of the 2009 Competitiveness Conference presentations!
Sunday
Monday
- 9:30 am - Kasselman (listed at 10:45 am in onsite program link above)
- 10:45 am - Herron (listed at 9:30 am in onsite program link above)
- 10:45 am - Schjeldahl
- 1:15 pm - Starner
Tuesday
Competitiveness Conference Testimonials
"MAEDC Shows Economic Concern...and Hope!
Friends: I enjoyed attending and presenting at the recent Mid-American Economic Development Council (MAEDC) in Chicago. Topics from a number of national specialists ranged from our future, to ways to be more competitive in economic development, to site selection. The mood was understandably somber due to our challenging economic crisis, however there was an underlining spirit of hope, which came out in a variety of ways, such as:
• Midwestern states are not as bad off of many of our east and west coast neighbors, for example unemployment trends are modest and in some cases (North Dakota) heading down!
• Data centers have been and will again, after a brief lull due to financing, be hot. Expect continued big investment from some of the big boys (Google and Microsoft), but also from single users, especially hospitals due to their huge data storage needs.
• Wind power and many other green projects will remain hot!
• Workforce availability may be better now due to layoffs... but don't be lulled into a false sense of complacency (as I pointed out in the session regarding available labor). Some skills shortages still exist (probably a dozen community reps raised their hands when Futurist Ed Barlow asked which communities had shortages now) and will be back on a widespread basis again soon.
• Workforce "hope" was reinforced in the available labor session by Drew Conrad with the University of Northern Iowa and I. Communities that do proper workforce planning and, for example, conduct professional underemployment studies, are going to be better prepared for new project locations and expansions. Portions of this presentation will be posted on the website soon.
All in all, a very worthwhile session with great fellowship and networking. Keep up the good work, MAEDC!"
Deane C. Foote, CEcD, President, Foote Consulting Group, LLC
"I would like to invite you to attend one of the Midwest's premier economic development conferences that will be held on December 6th - December 8th in Chicago. Grubb & Ellis Company has been a strong supporter and sponsor of The Mid-America Economic Development Council's (MAEDC) winter conference where we believe there is a great opportunity to exchange ideas, learn about the best practices in the industry and share information, as well as grow your professional network. We've been impressed by the quality of the economic developers that have attended in the past. As an added bonus you can enjoy Chicago's Michigan Avenue during the holiday season. We're looking forward to seeing you in Chicago!"
Tracey Hyatt Bosman - Director, Strategic Consulting, Grubb & Ellis
