News Story Published On 3/24/2004 in Akron Beacon Journal. By Don Misheff and Alan Bleyer
Don Misheff, managing partner of Ernst & Young, is chairman of the Greater Akron Chamber of Commerce. Alan Bleyer, president of Akron General Medical Center, is chairman of the chamber's Advance Greater Akron Campaign. The Greater Akron Chamber of Commerce has launched a campaign it calls Advance Greater Akron, to help fund the chamber's expanding role in economic development for the Akron region. This is a very special effort for the chamber. In just a few words, the campaign's tagline, ``a game plan for winning in the global economy,'' captures both the rationale behind this effort and the impact it can have on this community. To win in the emerging global economy is no small matter. Winning in that very competitive arena demands concentration, commitment from both public- and private-sector leaders, a well-conceived game plan and the financial resources sufficient to help get the job done. We know that the chamber's current budget dedicated to economic development is inadequate to handle both the economic challenges and opportunities sure to present themselves in short order. When added to the existing five-year budget of $4.5 million, attaining the $2 million base-line goal of the Advance Greater Akron campaign will do much to bring Greater Akron in line with the economic development budgets of other communities of comparable size. These are the communities that actually compete with us in retaining and creating jobs and attracting significant capital investment. The game plan represents business not as usual. Our regional partners, especially Team NEO, of which the chamber is a founding partner, can now provide the power of a regional identity that will greatly enhance the work of the chamber in business retention, expansion and recruitment. The practical result will be a greater potential for the chamber to find, nurture and develop business expansion opportunities than would be possible for the chamber working as a lone organization. Introduced in the plan is a special initiative promoting innovation and the implementation of innovative techniques for our manufacturing sector. Innovation is now viewed as a business discipline rather than the random result of creative genius. The chamber plans to become a forum linking people, ideas and resources in a way that results in an innovation pipeline for area industry. Anticipated outcomes will include new approaches to product design, marketing and operations. For the chamber, such a pipeline could prove to be fertile ground for complementary and significant advocacy initiatives. That spirit of innovation extends to our overall game plan. For example, we are acting on leading-edge strategies directed at making Greater Akron a more attractive place for young professionals. Plans are under way to enlist the services of Rebecca Ryan, president of Next Generation Consulting Inc., to help determine and improve Greater Akron's "handprint," a seven-point index that represents our area's ability to retain its talented young people and attract others here as well. It was Ryan who so captivated the audience at the chamber's annual meeting with her presentation of ``hot jobs -- cool communities.'' Her concept of ``cool school,'' a practical orientation to introduce our business leaders to the wants and needs of young professionals, will help the chamber and this area reach out to a broad spectrum of young people. We all know that we must reverse this area's greatest export, our talented young people. The game plan calls for virtually doubling the number of jobs the chamber helped to create over the previous five-year period. The chamber will play a significant role in the creation of nearly $600 million in new capital investment, as well. Our goal of 7,550 primary jobs will lead to the creation of nearly 13,000 secondary jobs in the Akron region. Projections indicate that these jobs will generate $800 million in consumer spending over the next five years. The campaign, launched at the chamber's annual meeting on March 10, already has reached nearly 50 percent of its fund-raising goal. Over the next three months, we will be mining the business community to gain additional support. The success of this campaign is a clear endorsement of the important role the business community and public sector expect the chamber to play in winning in this global economy. The chamber's game plan looks to do just that. | 
