by Steve Dust, CEO, Greater Cedar Valley Alliance & Chamber
Remember 5 on Friday is a two-way street: please send me recommendations on books, reports, articles, blogs, videos, or anything you’re reading or watching that impacts business and the economy.
One: We Know This!
Iowa is tops for business and Forbes ratified that again, ranking our state No. 12 in its annual ranking. The comparisons that draw my eye are Iowa No. 12 vs. neighboring No. 4 and No. 13, nearby No. 10, and of course, No. 1 North Carolina.
Best States for Business – Iowa, Forbes, November 2017
Two: Our Use of Broadband Expands Infrastructure
The article linked below is from Chicago, so it’s not about the specific Cedar Valley. However, it is about you and me in the sense that our continuing, increasing use of broadband and cloud-based software, etc., is driving the demand for electricity to energize increasing levels of technology in our plants, offices, homes, and data centers. Data center development is one of the Alliance & Chamber’s business recruitment targets; we have a perfect site for a major center.
Our broadband use doesn’t come free. We are in great shape because we have utility providers in the Cedar Valley that not only have excellent generation capacity but also do a terrific job of planning and keeping up with increased demand across sectors. That demand is not likely to slow down.
You’re why ComEd needs to boost power output near O’Hare, John Pletz, Crain’s Chicago Business, November 22, 2017
Three: Smart Cities!
The educational/think piece this week is an excellent capture of the concept and possible outcomes of pursuing smart cities technology development. Smart cities are not about street design or council candidates. Instead, the concept speaks to attitudes about and applications of technologies across sectors to improve business, municipal, and human services as well as citizens experiences. It’s where we must go, to achieve the future state we desire. After reading this article, I challenge you to think about this: how do Cedar Valley cities collaborate to jointly make these big, complicated, and sometimes expensive investments?
Meeting the Needs of the Smart Citizen: The Quadruple Helix Approach in a Local, European and Global Perspective, Karl-Filip Coenegrachts, chief strategy officer for the city of Ghent, Belgium, LinkedIn, September 2, 2016
Now the public policy stuff
Four: Alliance & Chamber’s 2018 Policies for Economic Progress
Annually, the Alliance & Chamber assembles the issues and policies to advocate for — and sometimes oppose — in the upcoming legislative session. We’ll present this on Tuesday, December 5 at our Pre-session Legislative Reception, with Premier Sponsor Isle Casino Hotel. (Investors only). Our emphasis will be familiar: talent, business climate, economic development tools, and infrastructure. Here is a first look at the full policy statement. A big “thank you” goes to our Government Relations Committee.
2018 Greater Cedar Valley Alliance & Chamber Legislative Agenda
Five: How A Federal Corporate Tax Reduction Can Be Spent
The federal tax reform/reduction bill is getting a lot of play as it nears the Senate floor (maybe even today). There’s been a lot of discussion about the impact of tax credits on investment and growth. Here’s a good short article on the intent side.
CEOs Plan For Increase In Capex As Talks Of Tax Cuts Intensify, Melanie C. Nolen, Chief Executive, November 16, 2017