Regional Economic Development

"Economic research points to the quality of the work force" as the key to improving an economy, he said, and the quality of the work force depends primarily on education. Most of the "architecture" of the brain is formed by the time a child reaches 4 years, so before kindergarten a child’s ability to succeed has, in part, been determined.

The magazine touts the state’s "compelling combination of quality of life and business opportunities" as part of a cover story titled "Key states where hiring is hot."

“The Foundation invented CommunityViz in the belief that giving people a way to visualize a common land use future is a critical first step toward creating livable and sustainable communities,” says William Shutkin, President and CEO of the Foundation.

"I want to make sure that I look every single one of those CEOs in the eye and I tell them that I never want to read in the paper about them skipping town," said Huntsman, a former chairman of Envision Utah. "I never want to hear about a company that was born and raised here in this state, that really wants to stay here, selling out to Denver or selling out to Clark County (Nevada).

The purpose of the branded-beef program is to improve cattle prices for South Dakota farmers and ranchers by assuring customers that the steak, roast and hamburger is of the highest quality and safety.

"We are very proud that Idaho’s innovation community is receiving this recognition,” Gov. Dirk Kempthorne said. "These programs help connect entrepreneurs to resources they may not have access to otherwise. It’s this helpful boost that often makes the difference between success and failure and shows that Idaho is business friendly and ready to grow."

"We designed the EJOE system to give busy employers the flexibility of managing their job listings via the Internet," said Judy Welker, field services administrator. "EJOE is another option for employers to post jobs, but they are still welcome to contact any of our 24 local offices to place job listings."

The town is applying for a grant to help sell vacant lots in town to qualified homebuyers for just $100.

True regionalism means more than collaboration. And it is jot just the acceptance of sacrifice – it is the recognition that what is best for the region is also, ultimately, the best for me locally.”

Many of the cities have thrived because professors and researchers have taken their knowledge base and stretched it to commercial development.