Welcome

Sandy K. Baruah, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development

It is always about this time during the winter that the itch for spring sets in. This issue, entitled “Growing and Keeping Your Region’s Businesses,” is appropriately represented with a gardening theme.

These articles showcase successful regional models and innovative examples for fostering the growth of businesses already in place in your community. Gardening is a popular analogy for business growth. Mark Drabenstott, Director of the Center for Regional Competitiveness at The University of Missouri-Columbia and former Vice President of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, has stated that, “We are going to move away from a model for recruiting businesses to rural America to growing businesses in rural America... gardening versus hunting, if you will.”

In his recent State of the Union address, President Bush said, “A future of hope and opportunity begins with a growing economy, and that is what we have…This economy is on the move, and our job is to keep it that way – not with more government, but with more enterprise.” Supporting President Bush’s economic objectives, our mission at the Economic Development Administration is to lead the federal economic development agenda by promoting innovation and competitiveness, preparing American regions for growth and success in the worldwide economy.

It is widely understood that the greatest job growth in a region comes from nurturing existing businesses, rather than attracting new ones. The following ten articles illustrate examples of how communities are using relationship-building, business incubators, new education initiatives and more to retain their businesses and stay in sync with the rapidly changing worldwide marketplace.

I would like to thank the authors for sharing their knowledge. I trust you will find these articles insightful, and I applaud your interest in growing and keeping your region’s businesses.

Sandy K. Baruah
Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development