Volume 1; Issue 6

Sign up for the July 17 EDA Webcast Now!- 2:30 p.m. EST

To Register: http://edabroadcast.haverstick.biz

Seeing the Green: Bolstering Economic Development Strategies with Environmental Responsibility

Join host Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development Benjamin Erulkar and our guests to learn how economic regions can strengthen their competitiveness through innovative and "green" sustainable development strategies.

Guests will discuss regional strategies for conserving energy and increasing energy efficiency, while also boosting economic competiveness.

Panelists include:

Tom Darden, President, Cherokee Investment Partners

Ted Wysocki President and CEO
Local Economic & Employment Development (LEED) Council (Chicago)

W. Paul Farmer, FAICP, Executive Director and CEO
American Planning Association

Nancy McKeever, I-PLACE3S/Sustainable Energy Program Manager
California Energy Commission

To register, visit: http://edabroadcast.haverstick.biz

U.S. Chamber of Commerce Business Civic Leadership Center (BCLC)

The role and view of the business community in economic and community development has dramatically evolved over the decade.

Issues of interest include global competition, tight labor markets and environmental sustainability. In response, the Business Civic Leadership Center (BCLC), an affiliate of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, was established to advance the role of business in communities through a variety of programs and services.

BCLC creates networks that bring together corporate foundation heads and corporate citizenship professionals to communicate on common issues, share information and identify partnership opportunities. Currently, the BCLC has three active networks -- the Corporate Community Investment Program (CCI), the Disaster Assistance and Recovery Program and Global Corporate Citizenship.

The CCI program, established in May 2007, aims to advance the dialogue and partnerships among business leaders, policy makers, charitable organizations, economic developers and community planners. In fact, the U.S. Department of Commerce's Economic Development Administration (EDA) awarded a grant to the BCLC in October 2007, to examine the role of the business community in economic and community development. As part of this grant, BCLC is in the process of completing two unique tasks:

1) Conducting a survey -- in partnership with Indiana University's Center on Philanthropy -- to uncover trends in how, where, and why companies invest in their local communities; and

2) Hosting community forums -- which bring national companies together with local chambers of commerce, government agencies and civic organizations to identify opportunities for corporate citizenship to assist with local challenges and create positive change in the community.

Research results from the survey are anticipated to be released in the fall 2008. Additionally, BCLC has completed the first set of forums which were held in Boca Raton-Del Ray Beach, Florida; Houston, Texas; San Jose, California; Rochester, New York; and Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Findings from the forums will be used to develop a suite of best practices and recommendations for better community sustainability.

In addition to the CCI Program, BCLC's two additional networks provide an opportunity to address specific challenges and opportunities for businesses engagement. The Disaster Assistance and Recovery Program works to mobilize efforts to aid economic recovery following nature disasters. In 2007, some of the most civically engaged companies, including Microsoft, Office Depot and UPS, joined BCLC's working group, an expert network of disaster assistance providers and economic recovery specialists, to bolster corporate efforts to be an effective, long-term partner to communities that have suffered a major disaster. Its most recent report on this subject, "On the Brink: Re-engineering the Nation's Disaster Response Processes," was released on Tuesday, July 1, and features 27 contributions from corporate, government, nonprofit, and academic experts.

BCLC's Global Corporate Citizen Program, provides information and facilitates public-private partnership opportunities to help companies implement more effective and meaningful social and community initiatives in developing countries across the globe.

For more information on BCLC visit: http://www.uschamber.com/bclc/default

Save The Date: September 10, 2008
2:30 p.m.
Special One-Hour EDA Telecast/Webcast

An in-depth view of strengthening American competiveness through cluster development will be explored with premier guests:

Karen G. Mills, President, MMP Group

Michael Porter, Bishop William Lawrence University Professor, Harvard University

Deborah L. Wince-Smith, President, Council on Competitiveness