Regional Economic Development

New research by Arthur L. Adiarte of the Minnesota Department of Trade and Economic Development, and Dr. Kevin Stolarick of Carnegie Mellon University and Catalytix provides the first ever Creativity Index Rankings for the 50…

Once again, baby boomers are breaking the rules.

Money would be used to advertise area attractions Mike Prager Staff writer Spokesman Review Hoteliers in Spokane want more visitors and are willing to charge their guests a small fee to promote Spokane as a…

What would have been Idaho´s first major commercial ethanol plant instead has found a home in Oregon. Ken Dey The Idaho Statesman John Hamilton, project manager for Treasure Valley Renewable Resources, the group developing the…

Utah’s budget is uncomfortably tight. But it could be worse. Oregon teachers offered to go unpaid just to meet state requirements for time spent in the classroom. Montana lawmakers considered cutting dialysis for low-income patients….

Sharing knowledge, providing on-going educational opportunities, and creating a sense of collegiality invigorates economies, said Walshok. Sharing information across the professional spectrum keeps everybody close to the business frontier.

Utah lags behind neighbors Arizona and Colorado when it comes to advertising spent to attract out-of-state visitors. Including $1 million from the state and amounts from local direct marketing organizations, industry associations and private-sector attractions and companies, Utah musters only $13 million for the effort. Colorado’s total is $55 million, and Arizona’s is $64 million.

"These funds are targeted to help small business, the backbone of our economy," said Bob Lee, director of the state Office of Economic Development.

Economic development can work well when it is properly planned, executed, and publicized, but the vagaries of politics and the uncertainties of the future leaves the ultimate fate of these programs in question.

As an emerging high-tech center, Idaho is at risk of falling behind other states that have more proactive programs, say national organizations that track technology advancement.