Aerozone Alliance: Building Bridges That Bind
“We will work to be an example of how we, as brothers and sisters on this earth, should treat each other. Now, more than ever, the illusions of division threaten our very existence. We all know the truth: more connects us than separates us. But in times of crisis the wise build bridges, while the foolish build barriers. We must find a way to look after one another as if we were one single tribe.”
At the Aerozone Alliance, we take heed to King T’Challa’s (AKA Chadwick Boseman) message as we work to map a path forward that collectively lifts the interests and enthusiasm of our many partners: our public sector leaders, our private sector industry leaders, our education and workforce partners, our economic development agencies, and our incredible local anchors.
February marks the 20th month since I had the privilege of taking over as the Director of this very special Alliance. And indeed, it is special.
As an economic development advisor, I have had an opportunity to learn about a variety of communities and gain an understanding of how to inflect positive change. However, never previously have I worked in a geography that has had the concentrated abundance of economic assets, as we have in the Aerozone District.
And yet, despite the array of organizational assets such as Ohio Aerospace Institute, NASA Glenn Research Center, Cleveland Hopkins Airport, Ford and GM Plants, IX Center, Forward Innovation Center, Baldwin Wallace University, and many more, we have only skimmed the surface of driving economic growth in our core trade-sector industries (e.g., advanced manufacturing, advanced technologies in aerospace and aviation, and advanced logistics).
In my view, the number one barrier that has prevented accelerated economic development in the Aerozone District has been a lack of strategic alignment across our partners and the ability for us to work towards collective wins. For far too long, we as a region have struggled to build impactful coalitions.
But trust me when I tell you, the winds of positive change are vigorously blowing across Northeast Ohio!
In the last many months, I have personally had a chance to witness inspiring partnerships that nudge us toward this important goal:
- Cleveland Metropolitan School District, Argonaut, Ohio Space Grant Consortium, Greater Cleveland Career Consortium, and NASA Glenn Research Center working collectively to bring hundreds of students to STEM education through internships, career fairs, and other initiatives.
- Ohio Aerospace Institute, TeamNEO, JobsOhio, and local municipal leaders working closely together to attract new businesses while helping grow existing ones.
- Our local philanthropic foundations such as the Fund For Our Economic Future and the Cleveland Foundation investing resources to help develop a critical Northeast Ohio Job Hub (Home to 100k jobs!).
- Cuyahoga County, Baldwin Wallace University, and Great Lakes Biomimicry working to develop critical assets in environmental sustainability, the energy microgrid, and drone technologies.
- Greater Cleveland Partnership and our congressional leaders working together to develop strategies to drive significant state and federal investments in Northeast Ohio!
- And this is just a partial list!
So what has caused this sea change? Three simple elements are starting to have a multiplier effect:
- A clear, collective strategy that focuses on: (1) Attracting and Growing our Businesses, (2) Developing and Aligning our Talent to Incredible Occupations, and finally, (3) Constructing an Integrated Infrastructure that Catapults All our Partners Forward.
- A detailed tactical execution plan that helps coordinate the actions and efforts of all our partners.
- An Alliance that is comprised of conscientious individuals who care about their local community and who are building and strengthening bridges through their creative actions!
Please stay tuned to see what our one single tribe collaboratively accomplishes in 2023!
