The Knowledge Economy

Tim Nelson, Northwestern Michigan College

Northwest Michigan's Transition to the Knowledge Economy Workshop was held on January 27, 2009 in Traverse City. Over 130 people gathered at the Hagerty Conference Center to better understand how Northwest Michigan can compete in the new, global economy.

The workshop provided a Knowledge Economy orientation and introduced two new indicator projects that are in process for the region.

Participants heard from leaders in three categories -- agriculture, energy, and manufacturing -- about the opportunities and challenges each industry faces in the knowledge economy.

Tim Nelson, Northwestern Michigan College, spoke about the background, perspectives, and considerations of the knowledge economy.

Ken Corey, Michigan State University, presented strategies and practice of the knowledge economy. He particularly focused on getting the audience members to think about how to adopt and adapt good ideas from outstanding examples in other locales.

Jaclyn Miel-Uken, Northwest Michigan Council of Governments, presented information on the development of the Knowledge Economy Index.

The Agriculture Industry Panel included Patty Cantrell, Michigan Land Use Institute; Don Coe, State Agricultural Commission; and Wendy Wieland, Northern Lakes Economic Alliance.

The Energy Industry Panel included Bob Gluszewski, Consumers Energy; Mike Hess, Mariah Power; and Steve Rawlings, DTE Energy.

The Manufacturing Industry Panel included Dan Dorn, Opti Temp; Mike Hess, Mariah Power; and John McLeod, Classic Instruments.

An electronic survey was taken at the workshop. Nearly 75 percent of the audience expected the region to make noticeable progress in the Knowledge Economy over the next 5 years and 95% said that they were hopeful about the region's economy, which caused the audience to erupt in applause.

 

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Did you attend the conference? If so, please take a moment to evaluate the conference and share your opinions on the Knowledge Economy and economic development strategies for the region. Click here.

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Energy Panel: Bob Gluszewski, Steve Rawlings, Mike Hess

The following materials were presented at the Knowledge Economy Workshop in January 2009 and remain the sole possession of the copyright owner. Items published here are by permission of the original copyright owner.

 

Workshop Handout  includes agenda, speaker bios, and primer on the Knowledge Economy.

Audience Survey Responses

Tim Nelson Presentation  background, perspectives, considerations

Ken Corey Presentation  strategies and practice

Jaclyn Miel-Uken Presentation  Knowledge Economy Index

Don Coe Presentation  Agriculture Industry Panel

Wendy Wieland Presentation  Agriculture Industry Panel

 

 

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Click here to provide feedback on Knowledge Economy topics.

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Click on image to view video presentation.

	Tim Nelson Northwestern Michigan College Background, perspectives, considerations
	Ken Corey Michigan State University Examples to ignite ideas
	Jaclyn Miel-Uken Northwest Michigan Council of Governments Regional Knowledge Economy Index
	Agriculture Industry Panel Discussion Patty Cantrell, Don Coe, Wendy Wieland
	Energy Industry Panel Discussion Bob Gluszewski, Mike Hess, Steve Rawlings
	Manufacturing Industry Panel Discussion Dan Dorn, Mike Hess, John McLeod

 

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