The Inland Northwest Economic Adjustment Strategy (INEAS) Update

The Inland Northwest Economic Adjustment Strategy (INEAS) http://www.inlandnwregion.org project is progressing well, with the goal of identifying actions to encourage business investment in distressed counties and communities throughout the region, and obtaining significant funding to implement them. We have completed an overview of regional business clusters, based on the cluster analyses and strategies in WA, OR, ID and MT, and identified common clusters which represent opportunities for further business development, along with linkages to entrepreneurship programs and research at the 9 research universities and 2 national labs within the region.

At the INEAS Advisory Committee meeting on October 2-3 in Portland, 70 participants identified top priority issues related to business and industry development, workforce, infrastructure and community capacity, and developed actions to address them. We also discussed options for regional coordination to implement the Strategy. This information is summarized in the meeting notes, and in an INEAS Overview PowerPoint show that is available on the project web site: http://www.inlandnwregion.org

We currently are developing a draft Strategy document, which will be available for review by mid-December. Our next Advisory Committee meeting is tentatively scheduled for January 6-7 in Missoula.

I encourage you to review the information on the INEAS web site, and please contact me with any comments, suggestions or questions.

Thank you, and best regards,
Lorraine
Lorraine Roach
INEAS Project Coordinator

Lorraine H. Roach, CMSM

Principal

The Hingston Roach Group, Inc.

Strategic Solutions for Community and Business Development

416 W. Main Street, Suite 2

PO Box 400

Grangeville, Idaho 83530

Tel: 208.983.2175

Fax: 208.983.9188

Email: [email protected]