Ok, so as I take a break in writing my dissertation -- working on Chapter Four the oh so important data reporting chapter (more on this after I'm done with Chapter Four in a week or so) -- which explains the lack of recent postings in my blog, BTW -- (yeah..run on sentence here much?) my attention was grabbed today by some interesting news tidbits in today's BFP.
Actually, it's been building since early last week and the whole Vermont Legislature Veto push on July 11th. Results were not so impressive, or fabulous depending on your personal POV. for my personal POV...well...read between the lines! And it then leads into the media rant I've been having lately.
Article #1: FORBES RANKS VT 32nd FOR BUSINESS (I'd link directly to the story at BFP, but trying to find it on their site is like ... well ... go there...you find it! ) So here's a link from the Bennington Banner Website which came up FIRST after the Forbes.com listing.
Reading this article from the AP (a nicely balanced one, BTW), you get the clear picture that Vermont is "Bad for Business", or at least in the Gov's eye. Here's the kicker quote from Kevin Dorn, secretary of the state Agency of Commerce and Community Development,
"Obviously, Forbes is a magazine that business leaders read and follow closely. ...If they're dropping our rating that's not a good thing for our economic future."
Hmmm....how does this tie into the unsuccessful VETO override of H.520 on July 11th? AP reporter David Gram quotes House Speaker Gaye Symington that the bill (if not vetoed by the Gov.) would have:
"...created jobs and helped businesses and other Vermonters reduce energy costs."
But the real story here is not the political wrangling. It's the pull quote. The pull quote from David Blittersdorf, Founder of NRG Systems Inc. And frankly this is where I think the real story is!
We could jump that positioning to top 10 if we really supported the right businesses in the right fields"
But before I go there...here's the final main piece from the sources Gram used for the story (by the way, did I mention yet how great it is to read a story where many POV's are highlighted?). Gram quotes Doug Hoffer a Burlington analyst who had some good questions, such as the methodology behind the Forbes report/ranking, and the fact that the Administration here in VT continues to site the costs of electricity and taxes are businesses biggest burdens in our state and we should lessen those burdens to get companies to come here.
"electric costs and taxes for most businesses together represent somewhere between 2 and 5 percent of their overhead. Unless you're an aluminium smelter or a ski area running lifts all the time, your energy costs are just not that big a factor"
He also said there are other factors -- such as universities, and similar businesses near by.
So my take on all of this? Well bear with me for a moment...and turn with me to the business section of today's BFP and we'll look at the next article...
Article #2: TECH COMPANY SHIFTS PLANS; WILL MOVE TO S. BURLINGTON
In this article, BFP reporter Leslie Wright reports on the growth of
Qimonda, a local DRAM R&D Facility, with a focus on the fact that they have outgrown their Williston location and that due to select board wrangling and zoning issues taking way too long, the company is locating in S. Burlington at Technology Park, occupying 60,000 square feet of a 70,0000 square foot building.
What's the news here? S. Burlington beats out Williston. Another zoning problem. Too hard to build new space. Go somewhere else.
What about -- Vermont keeps a tech company that is part of a larger company with offices headquartered in Germany, manufacturing facilities all over the world and R&D space in locations that include Munich, Dresden (Germany), Padua (Italy), Raleigh, Burlington (US) and Xi'an (China). What about that this company is hiring 30 employees right here in Vermont?
And finally....the third article...a small side bar..
Article #3: FRESHTRACKS INVESTS IN WILLISTON TECH FIRM
FreshTracks Capital, a local VC has invested in
NEHP, Inc. a maker of components for semiconductor manufacturing equipment as well as the life sciences industries. Why? Because it is a high growth field and where are they headquartered? Right here in Vermont!
So how do these all connect?
All of this relates to a changing marketplace and a changing economic base in our small state. Policies that support what was traditionally our largest employment base (and still is, I believe) -- manufacturing and tourism -- are being favored over policies that attract a new kind of business. Technology firms that are R&D based, or software or web-based. Firms where knowledge workers are needed. Where new skills are demanded.
The
Vermont Software Developers Alliance, the
Web Analytics Association, the
Burlington Interactive Group -- all of these groups lament the fact that they can't find qualified individuals to work for them. These aren't low-paying manufacturing jobs -- these are programming, marketing, design, project management, sales jobs -- professional positions that build an economic foundation for a different workforce and bring a whole new perspective to the policies we need to be considering. It demands more of our politicians, more of our business organizations, and more of colleges and universities.
Today's articles show this importance. So what if Forbes says we are 32. We have amazing businesses here doing amazing work and creating amazing jobs...(AMAZING!). We need policies to keep it going.
Here at
Champlain we are engaged in a culture-shift one that is about balancing between program-specific skills such as e-Business or Marketing and building a stronger and more equal liberal arts core for our students -- call it Education 2.0. While I'm biased (obviously), I believe this is one way to get the workforce ready for "Jobs 2.o". Students of mine are working in these areas. They are going into firms like
Dealer.com and
LoanBright and interning. They are working at
EpikOne and other local firms. While there are many who leave for Boston and places all over the country, the more jobs we have that appeal to the professional worker, the more of these students will stay. They like it here. They like the lifestyle. But they want jobs that will challenge them and that are professional in nature.
So we have
Web 2.o -- the evolution of the Internet from passive to consumer generated content. We are beginning to build a base of employers who are offering
Jobs 2.0. We are educating students with
Education 2.0. Now it's time for
Policy 2.0. The old policies that address fundamental economic issues such as taxes, health care, energy use, education...yep they are all economic drivers...aren't separate. They are integrated. They must be looked at holistically and with an eye towards the types of jobs that will move Vermont ahead. H.520 was such a bill. Just look at how one business organization,
VBSR pushed for this to be passed. Businesses were behind it -- it provided ways to grow NEW energy resources. Other bills should do the same, and our Gov. and administration should be considering that green policy is more than adding additional loan burdens to cash-strapped individuals and cutting tax burdens for companies. At the same time, our legislature has to support our current infrastructure while it looks to the future. Compromise on H.520 would have moved us forward on a track to real policy.
We need to build for Economy 2.0But hey...I'm just an marketer and a social media buff...what the hell do I know?
Posts
