Guest columnist
Eighteen Lakeland, Fla., community Leaders met with over 70 Research Triangle leaders from Raleigh, Durham, Cary & Chapel Hill on Dec. 1-4. During our visit we met with representatives from higher education, health care, high-skill high-wage employers, downtown development, chambers and government institutions.
This was our fifth benchmarking visit to communities around the country. This year's trip to the Triangle was the best yet. A sincere thank-you to your community and its leaders for opening your doors, hearts and minds to our group. Several themes emerged during our visit that left strong impressions on us and we wanted to share them with you.
Regionalism -- a word we heard many times. Harvey Schmidt, president and CEO of the Raleigh Chamber of Commerce, told us that "Regionalism cannot be Raleighism." The Research Triangle is better known outside of North Carolina than your cities individually. Four-time Governor Jim Hunt told us that on one of his many trips to Asia while governor he was asked "Is North Carolina inside the Research Triangle Park?" Clearly, this is a strong advantage for you in this globally competitive economy and it serves as an inspiration to us.
Collaboration is a key. "Nobody is as smart as everybody," said Tom Rabon, Red Hat's executive vice president, corporate affairs. "To be successful in a project like DesignBox you must be Community-minded, not self-focused," said DesignBox co-founder Aly Khalifa. "We see the cities in our county as our family and the surrounding counties as our neighbors." said Smedes York of York Properties. The Hamner Institute for Health Sciences is an independent, nonprofit organization that unites academia, the private sector, and government to conduct research for improved human health assessments and the development of new and safer medicines. Working together is part of your culture. It was evident to us not only in conversation, but in outcomes.
Humility permeated our visit. Two great examples were John Kane (North Hills) and Jim Goodman (American Tobacco Campus and Capitol Broadcasting). They each spent hours with us talking about, and touring their major projects, projects that we would love to have in such portions in our community. This humility is a very attractive quality. It surely serves you well in economic development endeavors.
Innovation. Cisco's TelePresence solution takes interaction and collaboration to a new level. IBM's Retail Innovation Center showcases IBM and partner technology and solutions in simulated retail environments. Wake Tech Community College's partnership with WakeMed and Wake County Public Schools has created educational and work-based learning opportunities for students who seek to enter health science professions.
Entrepreneurism. "Around here we are entrepreneurial because we have to be," said Bill Atkinson, CEO of WakeMed. "Entrepreneurs need networking opportunities and connection points," said Clay Thorpe of Hatteras Venture Partners. "We provide structured connections," according to Joan Siefert Rose, president of the Center for Entrepreneurial Development. Associate Director Larry Boyd's role at the Duke Center for Entrepreneurship and Research Commercialization is to support undergraduate students with creative and entrepreneurial aspirations. The infrastructure for entrepreneurs to succeed is in place and growing stronger.
Sustainability. "Before going green you must first have a sound business platform that is sustainable," Jerry Williams, manager for environmental sustainability at of SAS said following our tour of their new one-megawatt solar farm.
Cree is leading the LED lighting revolution and setting the stage to obsolete the incandescent light bulb through the use of energy-efficient, environmentally friendly LED lighting. Raleigh and Chapel Hill are among only a handful of cities in the world that are Cree LED Cities.
IBM's Smarter City Initiative strives to give consumers and businesses the information they need to make informed decisions about consuming resources like electricity, water, natural gas and oil.
Regarding Duke University's Smart Home, program director Jim Gaston says, "we hope to see sustainable living research at Duke continue to expand to include students from all disciplines of academic study."
Open and outsourcing. "You can't sell a car with its hood welded shut. "The more access to a product, the better product you will have," said Red Hat's Rabon. "Open standards and open source allows educational institutions to lower the cost of technology and redirect resources to support under funded projects" said Brenda Barker, an education solutions executive with IBM Global Business Services. "Outsource anything in your life that is not essential," offered Taylor Mingus, founder and CEO of Shoeboxed.com.
Talent. "Talent is talent regardless of age," said WakeMed's Atkinson. "Internships are a rich environment for us," said Red Hat's Tom Rabon. "Our workforce represents over 20 countries," observed Michael Capps, president of Epic Games. "Getting the right people is more important than the right idea," noted UNC Chancellor Holden Thorpe. Your region is talent rich and getting richer.
Education. "Education must be your number-one priority," Jim Hunt told us. "People will pay more for something better but won't pay more for the same thing," he added. "Parents are the biggest issue when it comes to education," said IBM's Brenda Barker. "Merging our city and county school systems was one of, if not, the most important decision we have ever made for our community," said Smedes York. Higher Education...UNC, Duke, NC State, Wake Tech...'nuff said.
Do the right thing. "We want to live on the edge of doing what is right, " Wake-Med's Atkinson told our group. He went on to say "Most people don't do the right thing medically, they do the right thing economically."
What fruit will we harvest from our trip to your region? Will the City of Lakeland become the next LED City in the world? Can the N.C. State Centennial Campus model be the USF Polytechnic Model? Should Lakeland Regional Medical Center and the Watson Clinic partner with Polk State College to create an Early College of Health and Science between their campuses? Is the North Hills Redevelopment Project a model for Lakeland? Should Lakeland Electric and USF Polytechnic build a "Smart Home?" Should USF Polytechnic and Polk State College create student incubators like DUHatch? Can Lakeland partner with IBM in its Smarter City Initiative?
How can we provide an infrastructure for entrepreneurs to not only survive, but thrive? What can Lakeland do to improve its education system? Can Lakeland take a more open and outsourced approach to its future? Will Lakeland be innovative and collaborate with our neighbors to create a sustainable economic development for Central Florida? Can we do the right thing, no matter what it costs, and do it with a humble spirit?
Clearly, we look up to your community. We know when you go about your day-to-day business, it is easy to sometimes lose sight of strengths that are so clearly evident to outsiders. You should be proud of what you have accomplished.
When visiting Central Florida, please take time to stop by and say hi to your new friends in Lakeland. We sincerely thank you for hosting us and your leaders for investing their time, talents and treasures with us.
Steve Scruggs is executive director of the Lakeland Economic Development Council. He describes the Lakeland Economic Development Council's High-Skill High-Wage City Visit Program as an annual event benchmarking Lakeland to other communities. "Typically these cities and regions have attributes we admire and want to emulate, specifically with regards to health care, higher education, high-skill high-wage employers and downtown development and redevelopment projects."
