With nighttime lows that have dipped into the 30’s recently, it’s hard to believe we are making the turn into Summer, but here we are in June already.  The temperatures are quickly on the rise (if only the Indian’s bats were heating up as well), and the Summer Solstice is only a couple weeks away.

Lot’s of good economic development news hit in May.  Selfishly, we here at NEOinc are most proud of Mike LeHere’s award by the National Business Incubation Association as the top incubator innovator of 2008.  Mike is the CEO of the Akron Global Business Accelerator (AGBA) and the innovation was the Global Technology Commercialization Initiative in conjunction with the City of Akron.  Three links to separate articles are in the list below, but since we write this blog, we’re linking here too.  Follow this link to read our original article on Mike. 

There is a lot of positive change happening in the region, particularly around entrepreneurial activities and economic development.  NEOinc follows several regional blogs reporting on these topics.  Sometimes the posts shine a spotlight nationally (or internationally) on the region.  Every month we publish a short list of some of the stories we’ve noticed that embody the spirit of achievement, growth and change in our region.

Here is NEOinc’s May recap of the articles we feel speak to the growth and positive change that is happening quietly, every day, in our region.  

May ‘08 Recap

• CSX plans $190M rail upgrade in Ohio
• The Ohio Capital Fund commits $25M
• Olympic Steel sees profits more than double
• Cleveland-Youngstown-Pittsburgh Learning network announces first session
• Earnings soar at GrafTech 
• Minority Business Accelerator helps first client
• Collaboration in Akron for medical research
• $61M clean coal test coming to Ohio
• Investment to aid NineSigma’s growth
• University WiFi network up and running
• Earnings jump at Ferro
• Akron Incubator wins national award; Another article; And our post (We couldn’t help ourselves - Congratulations Mike!)
• Hillcrest kicks off $163M construction effort
• On a hot roll 
• Ohio a magnet for healthcare VC firms
• Fuel cells are a growing force in Ohio’s economy
• State awards $143M for tech research
• High schoolers get creative in business plan competition
• Rotek plans big investment in Aurora
• Enormous potential for wind power in Great Lakes region
• GM bringing jobs to Lordstown

NEOinc’s blog reports regularly on entrepreneurial activities within the region, news and successes within the five incubators making up our collaborative, and resources available throughout Northeast Ohio.  If you found this post useful, please consider subscribing to our blog.  Our “Connect With Us” page will give you all the information you need to subscribe via your RSS reader or receive E-Mail updates.

Sources

NEOinc watches the following regional blogs.  Please use our “Contact Us” page to recommend a blog not on the list.

• Advance Northeast Ohio - the online home of our region’s economic action plan, which was inspired by Voices & Choices. Learn about the actions our region is taking to grow our economy and engage in conversations that shape the plan and evaluate our performance.
• Brewed Fresh Daily- topical, wide-ranging, and sometimes irreverant, George Nemeth’s blog is a clearinghouse for the pulse of Northeast Ohio.
• Cleveland Plain Dealer’s business blog
• Crain’s Cleveland
• NorTech - NorTech leads the region’s technology based economic development agenda. By supporting and nurturing Northeast Ohio’s most promising technology projects and initiatives, they help to create new technology industries and make the region ’s economy more globally-competitive.
• Ohio Means Business - The OBDC blog is a chance for Ohio executives to share their perspective on how locating in Ohio has enabled them to achieve both their professional and personal aspirations without having to sacrifice one for the other.
• Tech Futures - This site grew out of a five month process that began in February 2005 when NorTech engaged Global Business Network (GBN), one of the world’s premiere scenario planning consultancies, to help evaluate the region’s strategic options and the role technology-based economic development could play in revitalizing our economy.

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