INNOVATIONS IN WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

WIRE-Net and PTDA Receive Funding for Innovative Workforce Development Initiative

Cleveland, OH – WIRE-Net announced that a partnership created with the Power Transmission Distributors Association (PTDA) Foundation has been awarded a grant by The Manufacturing Institute, the research and education arm of the National Association of Manufacturers. The Manufacturing Institute is supported by the Charles Stewart Mott, Hitachi, and Annie E. Casey Foundations in its “sector” work. WIRE-Net will be supporting the efforts of the PTDA Foundation by connecting them with workforce development intermediaries and related resources in Northeastern Ohio.

This one-year grant will support local industrial distribution and manufacturing and will strengthen Cleveland’s workforce system. According to Rebecca Kusner, Vice President of WIRE-Net’s Workforce Development Programs, “We are absolutely thrilled to be a part of this project. It was a highly competitive process and Cleveland is one of only two cities in the nation selected to implement it.”

WIRE-Net will be supporting the PTDA Foundation-led alliance to expand the Industrial Career’s Pathway (ICP) ^(SM) initiative in Cleveland. They will be working together to promote career awareness, development, and training opportunities by connecting industrial distribution and manufacturing employers, local workforce resources, and low-income residents.

Kusner continued, “WIRE-Net has a strong track record of successful collaboration with community partners.” WIRE-Net and PTDA Cleveland area members hope to recruit and train 60 individuals for jobs in manufacturing and distribution by December 2006 by working closely with Tri-C, the local Workforce Investment Board, local One-Stops, and other supporting community-based organizations.

“We know these are aggressive goals”, stated Ms. Kusner. “However, both organizations are confident that together we will be able to make them. Cleveland and, northeast Ohio as a whole, has a strong base of industrial distribution companies. It is essential that we work together to create new opportunities to sustain and grow this sector of our manufacturing economy.”

The Power Transmission Distributors Association (PTDA) is the leading association for the industrial power transmission/motion control distribution channel. PTDA is dedicated to providing exceptional networking; targeted education, relevant information, and leading-edge business tools to help distributors and manufacturers meet marketplace demands competitively and profitably.

The PTDA Foundation is a not-for-profit, tax-exempt 501(c)(3) corporation whose operations are funded entirely by tax-deductible contributions. The Foundation was founded in 1982 to enhance knowledge, education, professionalism, and productivity within the power transmission/motion control (PT/MC) industry.

WIRE-Net, as a management partner to manufacturing business leaders, provides services in manufacturing improvement, workforce development, and industrial real estate development and planning. A non-profit economic development organization, WIRE-Net has a membership base of over 200 manufacturing-related companies throughout the region.

WIRE-Net strengthens manufacturing in northeast Ohio to create healthy communities and fuel economic growth by providing expertise that is responsive to manufacturing related businesses and their employees. WIRE- Net connects leaders to each other and engages them in their communities. Through its mission WIRE-Net is working to create a region that values and invests in profitable, sustainable manufacturing companies. WIRE-Net is building a community of manufacturers that embraces innovation to compete globally, that works together to drive economic health locally, and whose leaders are committed to their employees and our community.

For more information, please see on WIRE-Net’s website at www.wire-net.org.

OHIO GRANT SPURS BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

Cleveland Innovator and City Benefit From Clean Ohio Grant

Cleveland, OH (March 30, 2006) The future of the City of Cleveland and one of WIRE-Net’s member companies was brightened by Monday’s announcement of a $750,000 Clean Ohio Assistance Fund (COAF) grant that has been awarded for brownfield remediation activities at the Detroit Avenue site of the former Monarch Aluminum/Trinity Building.

Energy Wise Building Systems, LLC, a manufacturer of energy efficient panelized building systems, hopes to invest approximately $3.2 million in a new office/warehouse facility on the 5.6 acre site, owned by the City of Cleveland’s Industrial Land Bank. Jacki Adams, WIRE-Net’s Industrial Outreach Manager and a representative affiliated with Cleveland’s Industrial Retention and Expansion (CIRI) Network, has been working with Energy Wise for the past 12 months. Adams states, “Joe Gallo and Mark and Brett Crudele are true innovators, just like leaders of other WIRE-Net member companies. They are committed to creating wealth, jobs, and new investment, and believe in sharing their success with the rest of the region. The construction of this new facility will permit the company to expand operations and add 35 new jobs. That’s good news for Energy Wise and great news for Cleveland.” According to Adams, the City of Cleveland would like to use the Energy Wise development as a sustainability model for future development activity at the Midland steel site. Their project still must go through a City and community review .

Clean Ohio Assistance Fund grants target projects in distressed communities that support job creation and economic expansion. Monies are used for Phase I and II Environmental Assessments, brownfield remediation, and public health projects. According to Mike Hoag, WIRE-Net’s Vice President of Redevelopment, the former Monarch Aluminum/Trinity Building site has been on WIRE-Net’s “short list” for some time. WIRE-Net used $55,000 from a USEPA grant in 2000 to launch assessment efforts to understand the environmental issues now being addressed with this grant. “We were very pleased the City made this property one of the Industrial Land Bank’s first acquisitions. This is a prime piece of real estate that meets the Clean Ohio Assistance Fund guidelines perfectly. Once demolition and remediation are complete, the property will bring new investment and a cutting edge manufacturing company into the city.”

Energy Wise Building Systems is one of over 200 manufacturing-related WIRE-Net-member companies that are bringing innovation and excellence to Northeast Ohio manufacturing. WIRE-Net offers management services and support to company leaders who use the principles of Total Manufacturing Innovation-- a holistic approach to company performance that incorporate innovation and best practices for managing people, products, processes, and productivity improvement. WIRE-Net members network to leverage their combined expertise to increase business productivity, sales, and global competitiveness.

For more information please see WIRE-Net’s website at www.wire-net.org. or call (216) 588.1440.

REBUILDING CLEVELAND'S INDUSTRIAL DISTRICTS

Ohio Grant Supports Business Development in Cleveland

Cleveland, OH – WIRE-Net announced that the Ohio Department of Development has awarded a $500,000 grant to the City of Brook Park from their Roadwork Development Fund (629) to add the final funding piece for a planned $3.8 million reconfiguration of West 150^th Street between Industrial Parkway and Brookpark Road. This section of road spans the Cities of Cleveland and Brook Park and both communities will see the immediate benefits to strong commercial/industrial corridors.

“Collaboration has been the key to this project from the “get go”,” according to Michael Hoag, Vice President of WIRE-Net’s Redevelopment Program. “Cleveland and Brook Park recognize the importance of this artery in supporting a base of nearly 70 firms and 3,800 full-time jobs. Major roadway deficiencies will be addressed to allow these businesses to continue growing in this area”. Improvement slated under this project include, widening existing road lanes, increasing turning lanes at both Brookpark Road and Industrial Parkway, and addressing drainage and clearance issues at the Norfolk Southern railway bridge.

Additional funding was provided though the Ohio Public Works Commission with a $1.0 million grant and a $1.5M loan. The remaining cost will be shared among the Cities of Cleveland and Brook Park.

This industrial district in Cleveland has seen close to $14 million in business investment in the past 2 years, highlighted by a new $8 million warehouse/distribution facility opened by the Oatey Company in 2004. A private developer has plans to invest $4.5 million in a new 60,000 sq. ft. office/warehouse facility on 5 acres in the area and Amros, a designer and builder of specialty packaging, has already invested over $2 million since moving into the area last year.

“Public and private investment feed off each other”, notes John Colm, WIRE-Net’s President and Executive Director.

Brook Park will serve as the lead agency for coordinating the improvements. They already have an engineering firm under contract for design services and construction is targeted to begin later this year.

WIRE-Net strengthens manufacturing in northeast Ohio to create healthy communities and fuel economic growth by providing expertise that is responsive to manufacturing related businesses and their employees. WIRE- Net connects leaders to each other and engages them in their communities. Through its mission WIRE-Net is working to create a region that values and invests in profitable, sustainable manufacturing companies. WIRE-Net is building a community of manufacturers that embraces innovation to compete globally, that works together to drive economic health locally, and whose leaders are committed to their employees and our community.

For more information, please see on WIRE-Net’s website at www.wire-net.org.

TRANSFORMING MANUFACTURING - RESHAPING TRADE POLICY

The “giant sucking sound” of millions of manufacturing jobs being lost since 2002 was a major factor behind WIRE-Net’s decision to step into the debate over the future of US trade policy, beginning in 2004, especially since there was precious little public discussion of what was behind the manufacturing crisis.

 

While at least 40% of the jobs lost can be traced to the truly heroic efforts of US firms to improve their productivity and to become more competitive, millions of the jobs were lost due to weak demand, and to import subsitution – when buyers substitute foreign made for US products.  This number could be as high as 30% of all jobs lost, according to some estimates.  This is a huge issue and many policy makers and economic development pros don’t want to tackle the issue, preferring instead to fall back on the mantra of “free trade”.

 

Even at symposia supposedly meant to focus on this sticky issue, most discussions are held within the dominant “free trade” paradigm.  So instead of dealing with the root cause of the problem, we hear platitudes about increasing funding for the feeble Trade Adjustment Act, job training programs, and other band-aid approaches.  (Its interesting to note that many in Congress are for free trade, except when it comes to immigrant doctors, or immigration period.  Free trade is good if you are looking for lower labor and other production costs, but not for people seeking employment in the US.  In the latter case, the debate quickly shifts to how high the walls or fences around our borders should be…but not so when what’s at stake are the loss of hundreds of thousands of US manufacturing jobs, or the erosion of our business and innovation infrastructure.)

 

This is why it was refreshing to listen to Rob Atkinson at the recent Washington DC Summit of the International Economic Development Council (IEDC).  Atkinson was formerly with the Progressive Policy Institute, and best noted for his work to rate regional economies for their performance in the “new economy”.  He’s the author of a new book on US innovation.  Among his top concerns for the US are our lack of fortitude in enforcing trade laws, particularly with regards to the currency manipulation of China and other Asian nations.

 

It was refreshing to hear Atkinson list weak trade-law enforcement as one of the major factors undermining US innovation and future economic growth, and also suggesting that border-adjusted taxes were a reasonable and feasible reaction to stem the tide of jobs flowing out of the US and imports flooding in.  The US is States is the only country in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) without Border-Adjusted taxation.  Rob Atkinson has now moved on from the PPI to a new “inside the beltway” think tank focusing on the challenges to US innovation.  For more, see the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation at www.innovationpolicy.org.

 

Border Adjusted Taxation was also a key part of the case for a new approach to trade policy that Charlie Blum, of International Advisory Servces Group, made when he spoke before a group of WIRE-Net and NE Ohio business leaders several weeks ago.  For an interesting article on this approach, see this link to an article by David Hartman:

http://www.chroniclesmagazine.org/cgi-bin/hartman.cgi/Taxes/2006/01/16/Cracks_in_the_Cryst