NCDS Recent News

Fund to Create 'Stronger Core Economy' for Manufacturing

Friday, July 03, 2020

INDIANAPOLIS - Indianapolis-based Elevate Ventures is providing additional details around a new fund to support Hoosier manufacturing. The $3 million Smart & Advanced Manufacturing Focus Fund was first announced last week by Governor Eric Holcomb as part of his COVID-19 relief efforts. The fund, which is being managed by Elevate Ventures, aims to "provide investment, entrepreneurial support resources, and thought leadership to manufacturers and manufacturing entrepreneurs." The venture development organization says the goal is to support those seeking to grow new ideas in the manufacturing sector. Read full article.

Manufacturers key to economic recovery

Wednesday, July 01, 2020

With the nation in the midst of a recession following 128 months of economic expansion, many are asking how we will find our way out. Turning to a long-time strength for the nation and relying on our manufacturing industry is one way. Manufacturing leaders presented some policy solutions and historical context for the outlook during a National Conference of State Legislatures webinar yesterday in conjunction with representatives of the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership. Read full article.

FCC Approves Eleventh Set Of COVID-19 Telehealth Program Applications

Monday, June 29, 2020

WASHINGTON, June 17, 2020—The Federal Communications Commission’s Wireline Competition Bureau today approved an additional 62 funding applications for the COVID-19 Telehealth Program. Health care providers in both urban and rural areas of the country will use this $23.25 million in funding to provide telehealth services during the coronavirus pandemic. To date, the FCC’s COVID-19 Telehealth Program, which was authorized by the CARES Act, has approved 367 funding applications in 45 states plus Washington, D.C. for a total of $128.23 million in funding. Read full article.

Georgia's Reopening Approach Holds Lesson for Other States

Friday, June 26, 2020

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp’s announcement that some businesses closed because of COVID-19 would be allowed to begin reopening on Friday, April 24, with appropriate precautions, was welcomed as a timely first step for those financially impacted by the pause in Georgia’s economy. The broader public health state of emergency Kemp declared statewide through May 13 will continue until June 12, he announced on Thursday (April 30). As expected, some of the finer points of his order are being overlooked. This is not a return to business-as-usual for Georgia firms. There are 20 requirements they must meet, including screening workers’ health, continuing telecommuting an...

Innovation in Response to Crisis

Wednesday, June 24, 2020

Innovation is situational; sometimes we choose to innovate proactively, and sometimes a crisis or situation catalyzes us to react with creative solutions never before imagined. Over the past few weeks, most businesses have operated in the latter mode as the nation faces COVID-19. During this time, the Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD) has had the opportunity to assist companies from nearly every sector as they continue to adapt and find new ways to serve their customers and communities. From switching to remote working to adopting new protective processes in manufacturing facilities; malleability has been a key theme across all industries. Rea...

Recreate Famous Georgia-filmed Movie and Television Scenes

Monday, June 22, 2020

Looking to have a little fun while sticking close to home? Why not recreate a scene from your favorite Georgia-filmed movie or television show? To join the fun, share your Georgia film scene on your Facebook or Twitter page and tag us: @GAFMDE. With so many great choices, the possibilities are endless. We have “Stranger Things,” “Walking Dead,” “Ozark,” “The Dukes of Hazzard” and “Vampire Diaries.” Or, feature films like “Forrest Gump,” “Avengers: Endgame,” “Black Panther,” “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire,” “I, Tonya,” “Driving Miss Daisy,” “Anchorman ,2” “My Cousin Vinny,” or “The Blind Side.” Read full article.

8 Ways the Crisis Will Forever Change the Future Workforce

Friday, June 19, 2020

This year's public health crisis has reoriented our relationships with each other, the media, technology and the work we do. Humanity has never experienced such a swift and universal shift. Friends are hosting live parties on Instagram. Teachers are uploading lessons to YouTube for the first time. Doctors are utilizing FaceTime or Google Duo for telemedicine services with patients. Read full article.

Workforce Reductions, Incentives Compliance, and Adjusting to the “New Normal”

Wednesday, June 17, 2020

Companies are primarily concerned with maintaining operations while also keeping their workforce’s good health a top priority. For some of our larger clients, those with a workforce of more than 1,000, it’s simply not possible to maintain operations and keep their workforce safe. As a result, these companies are temporarily halting operations and furloughing or laying off employees. Read full article.

Potential Shifts in the Workforce Due to COVID-19

Monday, June 15, 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic is already causing shifts in the economy and workforce. Other than the obvious loss of employment, some of which will hopefully be temporary, another significant shift in the workforce involves employees in the professional services sector and others forced to work remotely from home. Although companies allowing employees to work remotely was already a growing trend in the United States, the question will be whether this trend continues after COVID-19 is under control. And, if the trend does continue, which is likely, consideration for incentives for home-based or remote employees will also have to be considered fro...

Ensuring Business Continuity While Focusing on Accelerating Automation

Friday, June 12, 2020

As we emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic, I think that the outlook is positive in the near- and long term for corporate site location projects. The current environment is teaching us that the need to ensure business continuity in the face of exceptional risks will be driving many supply chain location decisions in the future. More localized supply chains will be a way for companies to increase resilience and minimize disruptions as the probability for exceptional events of a global impact increases. This will generate increased activity from corporations seeking to re-shore, move, or establish new operations closer to their markets...

COVID-19 Will Remake How We Work and Live

Wednesday, June 10, 2020

Generally speaking, everyone resists change. Especially sudden change. But Covid-19 changed all that. Friday rolled around and we were told to grab-your-stuff and go home and no one knew when we would be back. You hear people say, “When things go back to normal…” Well, will things really go back to normal? We’ve learned new techniques, new ways to do things differently when working together digitally. Perhaps we will not return to the old ways. Read full article.

Community Colleges Likeliest to Stay Virtual

Monday, June 08, 2020

Arizona State University. The University of Arkansas system. The University System of Georgia. As spring stretches into summer, colleges keep announcing their plans to resume in-person instruction in the fall. But a few trends stick out. Many of the institutions planning to return in the fall are four-year colleges and universities, especially those that are private. The institutions planning to stick with virtual instruction are predominantly two-year public colleges. Read full article.

Reimagining the office and work life after COVID-19

Monday, June 08, 2020

COVID-19 has brought unprecedented human and humanitarian challenges. Many companies around the world have risen to the occasion, acting swiftly to safeguard employees and migrate to a new way of working that even the most extreme business-continuity plans hadn’t envisioned. Across industries, leaders will use the lessons from this large-scale work-from-home experiment to reimagine how work is done—and what role offices should play—in creative and bold ways. Continue reading here.

Useful Stats: Post-recession GDP recovery by state, 2000-2019

Friday, June 05, 2020

As the world begins to emerge from the “Great Lockdown” and governments increasingly turn their efforts towards reopening economies, many will look to past recessions for lessons on recovery. This edition of Useful Stats examines the rate of real GDP recovery by state following the recessions of 2001 and 2008. According to their latest projections, the Congressional Budget Office expects that the U.S. economy will not recover from the current recession until after 2021. However, as seen after the recession in 2001 and again after the Great Recession of 2008, states recover at widely different rates. As shown in the map below, nearly ever...

Site Selectors Weigh in on the Future of Economic Development

Wednesday, June 03, 2020

We are bringing you some of the highlights from the Virtual Site Consultant Encounter event which Consultant Connect hosted last week. We were joined by 13 site consultants and 130 economic developers for an extended Q+A panel and small group breakout sessions. Tune in to this episode to hear more about the state of economic development and site selection, what the consultants are predicting will happen in the future, and how workforce, onshoring and incentives are changing. Read full article.

A MYSI Can Help Communities to Come Out of an Economic Crisis Like COVID-19

Friday, May 22, 2020

A multi-year strategic initiative (MYSI) is better than an “annual program of work” for both organizational funding and for impactful economic development. Chambers of Commerce and Economic Development Organizations are using multi-year strategic initiatives to successfully raise capital that can be used to fund programs, initiatives, projects and staffing needs. The MYSI Is A Proven Approach Forward Sioux Falls, with the help of NCDS, has raised over $50 million through 7 successive 5-year campaigns. Every 5 years, the boards of the Sioux Falls Chamber and the Economic Development Foundation come together to prioritize community needs and opportunities. NCDS raises funds for th...

Georgia textile firms join forces to churn out medical equipment

Thursday, May 07, 2020

It started as a small-scale effort to help friends on the front lines of northwest Georgia’s coronavirus response. Within days it blossomed into an unusual partnership between a handful of textile companies to craft and assemble hundreds of thousands of pieces of personal protective equipment desperately needed by nearby hospitals. Click here to read full article.

Developing Rapid-Response Plans for Cities to Help Entrepreneurs and Small Businesses in this Time of Economic Crisis

Monday, May 04, 2020

As the extent and impact of COVID-19 becomes more apparent, entrepreneurs and small businesses are on the front lines of its devastating impact–and with their demise comes potentially catastrophic economic losses for local communities. According to JP Morgan Institute, 50 percent of small businesses have less than 30 days of cash on hand. With 50 percent of Americans working for or owning a small business, the failure of our small business economy could have a widespread and long-standing impact on our unemployment rates and put even greater financial stress on families who are already on the financial brink. This is particularly true o...

Pre-apprenticeship programs boost career readiness, increase skills

Thursday, April 30, 2020

In early April the Department of Labor announced a $42.5 million grant opportunity for the Youth Apprenticeship Readiness Grant Program. The program is to support the development of new or expanding registered apprenticeship programs (RAPs) for youth, including quality pre-apprenticeship programs that lead to a RAP. The grant program supports the president’s executive order and the Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration’s goals to promote pre-apprenticeships, to develop a strong youth apprenticeship pipeline, and to expand access to youth apprenticeships. Such programs provide both a pipeline of educated workers for industries, as well as greater opportunities for youth exploring career options. Click her...

EDOs Respond to COVID-19 – IEDC Second Survey

Tuesday, April 28, 2020

Following up on an initial survey in early March, IEDC conducted a second survey of economic development organizations (open from March 30 to April 5) to get an update on their strategies for responding to COVID-19 and what challenges they are facing. Out of 321 respondents, 33 percent are from rural-serving organizations; 25 percent serve suburban areas; 18 percent are urban-serving; 19 percent are regional, and just under 5 percent state, national or international. Click here to read full article.

How COVID-19 will change the nation’s long-term economic trends, according to Brookings Metro scholars

Friday, April 24, 2020

Will the coronavirus change everything? While that sentiment feels true to the enormity of the crisis, it likely isn’t quite right, as scholars from the Brookings Metropolitan Policy Program have been exploring since the pandemic began. Instead, the COVID-19 crisis seems poised to accelerate or intensify many economic and metropolitan trends that were already underway, with huge implications of their own. Below, scholars weigh in on COVID-19’s long-term impact on businesses, workers, and the nation as a whole. Click here to read full article.

COVID-19: Advice and Encouragement for Our Clients & Friends

Tuesday, April 21, 2020

We know you're wondering what impact this unprecedented situation will have on your funding stream, your community's economic future, and your organization's role in that future. We don't pretend to have all the answers or guaranteed solutions. Our crystal ball is just as blurry as yours is. Nevertheless, we feel compelled to offer you - our clients and friends - some encouragement and guidance based on what we do know from over forty years of experience, many of which were witness to local and national downturns, recessions, crises, and... recoveries. Continue reading here.

Coronavirus/COVID-19 Resource Guide

Wednesday, March 25, 2020

We know these are challenging, scary and even puzzling times for you. To help you navigate the ever-changing landscape, we’ve gathered resources to help guide you in your fundraising, donor communications and more, and what it means to engage with donors during a time in which in-person interaction is likely non-existent. Read full article.

Useful Stats: GDP by County and Industry Contribution

Wednesday, March 25, 2020

This edition of Useful Stats examines the Bureau of Economic Analysis’ first full release of county-level gross domestic product (GDP) data. Specifically, this analysis considers total county GDP in 2018 and the contributions to each county’s GDP by industry. While finance and insurance in New York ($222.5 billion) accounted for the single largest contribution to both total county GDP and total U.S. GDP in 2018 — followed by real estate and rental and leasing in Los Angeles ($150.2 billion) — the manufacturing sector was the highest contributor to county GDP in the greatest number of counties. Manufacturing was the primary source for count...

Is every job a STEM job?

Thursday, March 05, 2020

STEM and the American Workforce, a new report backed mostly by science associations, points to STEM jobs as one-third of direct employment, two-thirds of total employment, and 69 percent of America’s GDP. The authors highlight that 60 percent of STEM jobs are filled by people without bachelor’s degrees. Those are eye-popping numbers until one starts to dig into what the report considers a STEM job, which were decided on a case-by-case basis according to the occupation’s sector and educational requirements. This is not the only recent STEM employment study to take an expansive view of the field. Earlier this year...

‘Economic mapping’ can help cities target the best places for density and growth

Thursday, February 27, 2020

During his state-of-the-state speech last year, Maryland governor Larry Hogan announced that his administration’s construction of new toll lanes in interstates around the Washington, D.C. suburbs would be part of the world’s largest public-private infrastructure partnership, with an estimated cost between $9 and $11 billion. The premise for this “monumental and historic” project, according to a press release, will be to solve “limits” on “the economic growth and competitiveness of the region” by widening highways. Read full article.

CHAMBER/EDO MERGERS PROS, CONS, AND UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES

Wednesday, February 26, 2020

Golden Shovel and National Community Development Services released a white paper exploring many of the issues related to the ongoing trend of organizational mergers / consolidation in the Chamber and economic development world. Tom DiFiore, President of National Community Development Services (NCDS), highlighted in this webinar the findings and recommendations from leaders who have been through the merger process. If you – or your community’s leaders – have thought about a possible merger, tune in to learn the potential benefits, negative impacts, and what to know about the process. You can view the video by clicking here.

Fargo, West Fargo together pledge $800,000 toward $5 million 'Fueling Our Future' workforce drive

Sunday, January 26, 2020

FARGO — Bernie Dardis remembers a time when his sign company was looking to hire a lead graphic artist and got 63 applications from four states. That was back in the 1990s, when the Fargo-Moorhead job market was much less competitive than it is today. Now, he said, a similar job posting is likely to draw just one or two applicants. Dardis, now the mayor of West Fargo, is an enthusiastic backer of a $5 million initiative called Fueling Our Future, a partnership between The Fargo Moorhead West Fargo Chamber of Commerce and the Greater Fargo Moorhead Economic Development Corp. Read full article.

STATE OFFICIALS DESIGNATE SOUTH BEND - ELKHART REGION YEAR’S FIRST 21ST CENTURY TALENT REGION

Friday, January 17, 2020

Indiana Secretary of Career Connections and Talent Blair Milo joined state and local officials to announce the South Bend - Elkhart Region as the year’s first 21st Century Talent Region, a statewide designation awarded to Indiana communities focused on working collaboratively to attract, develop and connect talent. “The South Bend - Elkhart Regional Partnership has been instrumental in driving innovation across northern Indiana, partnering with local, regional and state leaders through various talent, education and workforce development opportunities such as the Regional Cities initiative,” said Secretary Milo. “As a 21st Century Talent Region, the South Bend - Elkhart Region continues to buil...

Building the tech talent pipeline

Tuesday, December 10, 2019

By taking a data-driven approach, regions can pinpoint the strengths and gaps in their pool of tech talent and prioritize investments to boost competitiveness and collaboration. Amazon’s search for its HQ2 location sparked fierce competition among US metropolitan areas, as their leaders viewed the headquarters as a game changer for economic development. However, the bidding process also shone a spotlight on the issues of talent development and retention—common challenges for metropolitan areas around the world. While low interest rates have given companies easy access to money, a reliable pool of qualified workers has become the scarcer capital. And if technology is no...

Building Great Communities One Campaign at a Time.

Recent News

News and information from America's leader in community and economic development fundraising.

Subscribe to our Newsletter