As part of the OEA Industry Resilience Grants project (Formerly OEA – Defense Industry Adjustment), Mark Troppe and Lee Winkler traveled to Albany New York, to meet with the Empire State Development’s Division of Science, Technology and Innovation (NYSTAR), who manages the state’s MEP centers. The group discussed NYSTAR’s efforts to work with the regional and state MEP centers to help New York’s defense industrial base diversify and get certified with NIST 800-171 cybersecurity requirements, through the Grantee’s subgrantee, Mohawk Community College. They heard from several defense manufacturing firms that were happy to work with NYSTAR’s regional Manufacturing Extension Partners in diversifying their customer base and capacity to serve commercial customers at a higher volume.
Blog
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CREC Meets with Leaders in Duluth for Talent Forecast Meeting
CREC’s Ken Poole and Jaleel Reed worked with the University of Northern Iowa’s Institute for Decision Making (IDM) to facilitate a meeting of the Talent Forecast working group as part of a talent development strategy process for the 10 counties around Duluth MN-Superior WI on February 4th. More than 60 regional leaders participated, including Brian Hanson the CEO of APEX. Former C2ER chair and current IDM director, Andrew Conrad, CERP and Karla Organist also helped lead the discussion.
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CREC Visits Pennsylvania LDD’s and Businesses
Last week Cathy Katona, Erik Pages, and Lee Winkler traveled to Bloomsburg Pennsylvania, where they met with staff and board members of three PA Local Development Districts: Northeastern Pennsylvania Alliance (NEPA), SEDA-Council of Governments (SEDA-COG), and the Northern Tier Regional Planning and Development Commission (Northern Tier). They also met with businesses whom were recipients of the services provided by the LDDs. Each of the three groups were asked “what LDDs did well”; “what LDDs could do better”; and “what services could LDDs provide that they don’t”.
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C2ER Annual Conference and LMI Institute Forum Kick-off
C2ER and LMI Institute staffers, Spencer Abrams and Jennie Allison, visited St. Louis Missouri January 16 – 17, 2019 to meet with local stakeholders to plan the 2019 Annual Conference. Stay tuned for the official launch and agenda release in the next two weeks.
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CREC Seeks Contractor to develop a Defense Supply Chain Economic Growth Analysis, Web Tool, and Instructional Material
CREC is working with partners in Texas to mitigate the impact of defense spending adjustments and budget cuts on the state economy by identifying and assisting affected businesses, creating analyses to aid economic planning for affected regions, and facilitating high-impact entrepreneurship and technology acceleration activities in those regions. Texas enjoys a diversified economy, but relies significantly on defense expenditures, especially in certain sectors. In addition, there is a natural synergy between small, innovative companies and large prime contractors that is underdeveloped in most of Texas.
CREC seeks the assistance of a well-qualified contractor to assist with developing a Defense Supply Chain Economic Growth Analysis, Web Tool and Instructional Material. CREC’s Phase I work in Texas utilized a time-series dataset to track the growth patterns of all business establishments (i.e. individual business locations) across Texas, within the Texas defense industry, and within targeted defense industry segments and target cities. Important findings emerged from this study. In Texas’ defense industry, 10 percent of businesses are High-Growers, adding an average of 41.6 jobs each, compared with only 5 percent High-Growers among all other industries that added just 15 jobs each. Defense industry High-Growers expanded employment by 13,264 jobs in total, compared to a net loss of 7,114 jobs among the other 90 percent of defense businesses. Additionally, Defense industry Sustained-Growers expanded jobs by 200 percent and sales by 878 percent causing their sales-per-employee to nearly double. Given the significance of the results showing that a select few companies are models for a more robust and resilient defense supply-chain, it is important to better understand the drivers of this success.
In a follow-up phase to this research, CREC will seek to develop a Defense Supplier Growth Diagnostic, based on a thorough data analysis and assessment process, specifically aimed at Texas defense supply-chain manufacturers that will encompass the special challenges that these firms face and their potential for high or sustained economic growth.
The deadline for proposal submissions has been extended through Friday, October 12, 2018
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CREC Internship Profile: Mary Feser
Each year, the Center for Regional Economic Competitiveness (CREC) hires a number of interns who help the organization during the busy summer period. Each is offered an opportunity to learn how the organization helps municipalities, states, and regions respond to changes in local job markets; and CREC specifically works with undergraduate and graduate students who need academic credit. Most internships attract students who major in economics, public policy / administration, urban planning, and governmental affairs. As part of a series on student learning, CREC looks back on conversations with interns who discussed their passion for helping regional competitiveness.
Intern name: Mary Feser
Program of Study: B.A. in Economics, expected May 2020
School: Wellesley College1. What brought you to CREC?
I was interested in interning at CREC to learn how the macroeconomic concepts I am currently studying at university can be applied in a real-world setting, and to gain professional experience in an industry applicable to my major.
2. What are you currently working on?
Primarily, I’m working on reviewing and updating the COLI and Incentives databases. In addition, I’m working on small projects for the MEDC evaluation and the FDI toolkit.
3. Who are you working with?
I’m working with working with Jennie Allison, Mereb Hagos, Lee Winkler, and Lakeisha Skinner on COLI and Incentives. I’m also helping Mark Troppe with the FDI toolkit.
4. What have you learned [about your assigned projects]?
While I had previously encountered the cost-of-living tool, I now understand where the data that informs the tool comes from and the amount of time that goes into the preparation of the database. I have also learned about the role that incentives play in a business’s decision to relocate or expand their business.
5. What are you most excited about learning or working with?
I am excited to learn more about the applications of the COLI and Incentives databases and about the theory that underlies them.
6. How do you feel working in a professional setting will better prepare you for the work world?
Working in a professional setting is a relatively new experience for me, and I hope that working at CREC will help me to solidify my plans for after graduation.
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CREC Internship Profile: Lakeisha Skinner
Each year, the Center for Regional Economic Competitiveness (CREC) hires a number of interns who help the organization during the busy summer period. Each is offered an opportunity to learn how the organization helps municipalities, states, and regions respond to changes in local job markets; and CREC specifically works with undergraduate and graduate students who need academic credit. Most internships attract students who major in economics, public policy / administration, urban planning, and governmental affairs. As part of a series on student learning, CREC looks back on conversations with interns who discussed their passion for helping regional competitiveness.
Intern name: Lakeisha Skinner
Program of Study: B.A. in Political Science and History
School: The University of Alabama1. What brought you to CREC?
After realizing I was not as passionate about ‘politics’, I turned to policy and research. I wanted to get my foot in the door because I have also realized that economic policy ties most policy issues together, especially workforce development policy. I was looking through different policy and research opportunities and happened to land upon CREC.
2. What professional passions have you been able to further grow while interning at CREC?
Professional passions I have been able to further grow since being at CREC are learning different methods of research, how to do thorough research, understanding how to analyze large data sets, learning how to manage a large database, and wanting to get more involved with different aspects of policy and to influence it.
3. What are you currently working on?
I am working on the MEDC project to assist in research and analytics, updating and editing the State Incentives Database, and working on a couple of projects under DDAA. I also assist with other projects from other team members as needed.
4. Who are you working with?
I am currently working with Jaleel Reed, Mereb Hagos, Brendan Buff, and Ellen Harpel.
5. What have you learned [about your assigned projects]?
I have learned the purpose of development districts and how they help bring economic development in their districts, and how incentives influence workforce development with different companies in states that may allocate them.
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C2ER/LMI Institute Annual Conference
CREC managed the C2ER and LMI Institute Annual Conference June 4th – 8th in Atlanta, GA. Presentations from the conference have been uploaded here.
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OEA Webinar: Cybersecurity Requirements for Defense Contractors
The Department of Defense’s Cybersecurity requirements were a hot topic at the recent DIA Learning Community Convening in Arlington, VA. The deadline for compliance has passed but many suppliers are still uncertain how to meet the requirements. DOD requirements for cybersecurity are far-reaching and impact suppliers at all tiers in the supply chain.
This OEA-DIA webinar, held on April 25, 2018, provided an overview of the requirements for defense contractors outlined in DFARS/SP 800-171. It describes the NIST MEP Three Step Process for compliance and helps attendees to gain a better understanding of the NIST 800-171 and NIST Handbook 162 publications. See below for the webinar presentation and recording.
Presenter: Patricia Toth, Cybersecurity Program Manager, National Institute of Standards and Technology Manufacturing Extension Partnership
