Local economy Tech clusters will keep us prosperous

by Lee Beach, Executive Director of the Hampton Roads Research Partnership and a member of the Hampton Roads Technology Council. He can be reached by e-mail at LBeach@HamptonRoadsRP.org. Originally published in Inside Business on 5/18/09 and reprinted here by permission of the author.

Some believe the national economy has entered a period of sustained decline. Others may worry that, in a severe recession, the country will lose its preeminence in matters scientific and technological as investors and investment turns elsewhere. From where I sit, neither appears to be true, particularly in the case of Hampton Roads.

Partly that has to do with the region’s considerable support from the federal government. But I believe the main reason is “homegrown.” One only has to look at the substantial progress being made locally to see that technology-based economic development is thriving and accelerating. That progress can be attributed to a growing number of partnerships that are concentrating on real products for the marketplace.

That’s where the Hampton Roads Research Partnership comes in. We’re in our ninth year and are currently a consortium of seven colleges and universities, two federal laboratories and a research institute: Christopher Newport University; College of William and Mary; Eastern Virginia Medical School; Hampton University; Norfolk State University; Old Dominion University; Virginia Wesleyan College; Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility, or JLab; NASA Langley Research Center and National Institute of Aerospace.

Applied-technology-wise, these are a group of heavy-hitters. Our members receive many millions of dollars to support research and technology efforts, and for good reason. No one should think the recipients are conducting ivory-tower exercises, suitable only for the rarified air of the cloistered laboratory. Our institutions are pursuing useful projects that are having or will have substantial impact on our daily lives.

This application of laboratory know-how creates real-world jobs, bringing in much-needed revenue, giving birth to companies which, as they mature, create even more opportunities as well as their own spinoffs. That translates locally into what we are calling “technology clusters.” We at the research partnership think, and are betting on, the viability of Hampton Roads clusters to create not just a small-scale nexus of prosperity, but a model for the regional economy. Our premise in creating clusters in 2004 was to gain the power to compete on an equal footing with other areas in the country by leveraging existing strengths in judiciously selected disciplines. The three technology clusters that we chose – bioscience, modeling and simulation, and sensors – have a critical mass of expertise and proven economic viability in Hampton Roads, and so made sense from every point of view that we considered.

Here, I should mention the critical financial support we’ve received from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration, under the terms of awards to Norfolk State University and the Hampton Roads Partnership. Without the EDA grants we simply couldn’t have accomplished what we have; simply put, the EDA has made HRRP clusters a reality.

The cluster model has as its fundamental premise that proactively facilitating relationships between technology generators like universities and federal labs and technology users like industry will ultimately produce prosperity for all. Traditionally in Hampton Roads, many of our companies do not have relationships with the regional universities, do not know how to partner and work closely with them, and, particularly, if intellectual property is involved, are wary of potential problems likely to arise.

A key cluster goal is to help companies in each technology area make good decisions in finding the best university/lab expertise or partners for their particular needs (and vice versa). This is a time-consuming process that often involves facilitation of initial and then subsequent contacts between interested parties, and involves multiple industry and university personnel. It’s taken a while, but we’re already starting to generate results.

In April of last year, for instance, we organized a business-academia roundtable that took place during the fifth annual research exposition at Old Dominion. Roundtable talks centered on how successful firms are bridging the gap between potentially profitable ideas and their viability as a commercial application or product.

This year, in mid-February, we co-sponsored a half-day symposium in Suffolk at the Virginia Modeling Analysis and Simulation Center that featured some of the extraordinarily advanced research in biosensors under way in Hampton Roads. Panelists reviewed biosensor projects that are in the development stage and that are creating opportunity for collaboration with locally based academia and industry, and several collaborative projects are in the works as a result of the event. A perspective on the potential for bioscience can be found at http://www.HamptonRoadsRP.org/Bioscience Survey Final Report.pdf.

The bottom line: Our clusters are thriving, gaining traction and membership. We continue to develop activities to help them mature and flourish.

But don’t take my word for it. Visit our website http://www.HamptonRoadsRP.org and see for yourself. One innovation at a time, our economic development future is indeed taking shape.

Calling all Hampton Roads Bloggers!

Are you a "citizen journalist"? Are you willing to link your blog with Hampton Roads SmartRegion.org and gain access to a national / global audience?

If you write at least one post per week, then send us your "blogger resume" ... which consists of a link to your blog and a 1-2 sentence byline.

Not a blogger now, but interested in sharing your local reaction to national news AND local reflections on categories of national interest? Perhaps we can help... read on:



Background: On April 4th, the first Hampton Roads Civic Engagement Summit held by the Hampton Roads Center for Civic Engagement (HRCCE), in cooperation with the Hampton Roads Partnership, WHRO, The Planning Council, and the Future of Hampton Roads, presented us with the beginning of a conversation about where we are, where we want to be, and what will be required to get “there” as a region.

The results of HRCCE’s Batten Survey were released at the Summit and reveal that in Hampton Roads we have:

• Opportunities…civic capital in Hampton Roads is plentiful…our job is to cultivate it and capitalize on it, as a region;
• Disconnectedness…citizens say they are somewhat or very interested in working with others to solve regional issues, yet they don’t feel invited; however, civic leaders say they want citizens to educate themselves, participate more in civic matters when invited, and let their views be known;
• Paradoxes…we agree on major issues such as the economy and transportation and want to solve our regional problems, but as a result of this survey, citizens say we lack a mean by which to come together as a region to work on these problems, together. Furthermore, while citizens follow news about local government and public affair somewhat or very closely, a majority of respondents say there is no reliable source or don’t know if there is a reliable source of information.

Citizens in attendance working in small groups at the Summit had these solutions to recommend for better civic engagement:

• Increase trust, honesty, transparency and the flow of information;
• Provide more regional emphasis by governments and media;
• Decide who/what organization is the regional voice;
• Develop a region-wide blog involving issue experts and citizens;
• Develop a regional website with links to each government agency and organization;
• Use information technology to increase citizen’s access, to educate/improve conversation between citizens and elected officials to make representative democracy work better;
• Provide an information portal, a common shared repository for data, information and opinion, accessible to the public in a variety of ways.

SmartRegion.org could be a means to that end, that ONE reliable source of information, a portal to connect all of Hampton Roads’ organizations, citizens and civic leaders alike, and to present Hampton Roads to a global audience as well.

Hampton Roads’ SmartRegion.org has been selected as the new “Military Bastion” for Patchwork Nation with the upcoming re-launch of the project on the PBS NewsHour’s website. The NewsHour, in partnership with WHRO, joins the Christian Science Monitor's Patchwork Nation project to provide coverage of local economic impacts as a way to build a local-national
collaboration model incorporating citizen journalists (bloggers).

With the pending re-launch as an expanded, multi-faceted, truly regionally-cooperative blog, SmartRegion.org will be the face of Hampton Roads to the nation and beyond.

Expanded Categories:

About Hampton Roads
Arts & Culture
Business Community
Economy
Education & Workforce
Government & Citizens
Hampton Roads History
Military Bastion
Research & Technology
Transportation & Planning

Organizations all over Hampton Roads are being asked to pool valuable resources and join this effort to provide blog articles (i.e. “posts”) and broad distribution of a regional electronic Newsletter, similar to (and replacing) the current HRP e-News.

The idea is NOT to create more work for each organization but to work smarter, not harder, to offer access to citizens and outlets for information like never before, to answer our citizens’ call for ONE regional focus, ONE regional resource.

Next steps? Contact HRP Communication Manager, Missy Schmidt, today at Missy@HRP.org or (757) 625-4696 for more information and/or to be a part of this unprecedented effort.

Civic Engagement, the results are in

The Hampton Roads Center for Civic Engagement's Batten Surveys: A Regional Civic Capital Assessment 2008 - 2009 "Civic engagement is more than just attending a meeting or a public hearing. It's not a passive concept; it's an active concept. It's when people actively engage in their neighborhood or community either by doing something or really engaging in the thinking around doing something that allows them to create some positive change." -Chris Gates, Executive Director, Philanthropy for Active Civic Engagement

Complete Survey Results (56 pages)
Survey Summary (12 pages)
Slideshow showing the results of the Batten Surveys (21 pages)
Slideshow showing the opinions of Summit participants (26 pages)

Note: Figures in red are actual demographic statistics for Hampton Roads
Click on links above to view presentations in a new browser window; click on "Full" to view full screen; click on "Download" to download the presentation to your own computer.


The Hampton Roads Center for Civic Engagement (HRCCE) structures and facilitates civic engagement processes that provide for the productive collaboration between the citizens and their governments.

By encouraging the inclusion of more citizens in the public choices related to their region’s quality of life and future, the Center’s work enhances the accountability and transparency of public agencies.

The Center is a neutral source of information to support fact-based dialogue on the thorniest of regional issues. Our work helps boost regional understanding and brings into the public dialogue voices that have long been overlooked.

Civic Engagement - An Executive Summary

The first Hampton Roads Civic Engagement Summit was held at the Virginia Modeling, Analysis and Simulation Center (VMASC) in Suffolk, Virginia on Saturday April 4th, 2009. Hosted by Hampton Roads Center for Civic Engagement (HRCCE) in association with the Future of Hampton Roads, Hampton Roads Partnership, The Planning Council, and WHRO Public Television.

During breakfast, “Be There, Be Counted” video vignettes were provided by WHRO’s Center for Regional Citizenship (CRC). A live internet connection was also provided to those who wished to view HamptonRoadsPerforms.org, the recently launched website that supplements current strategic planning and civic engagement efforts by focusing on regional performance. Designed to inform and engage citizens and community leaders in discussions about the future of Hampton Roads, information on the website answers the question, “How is Hampton Roads Doing?” on a broad array of indicators, ranging from personal income to educational attainment and traffic congestion.

Jim Oliver, Chairman, and Betsy McBride, President, of HRCCE welcomed the approximately two hundred in attendance.

An Audio Address was shared from Bob O’Neill, Executive Director of the International City/County Management Association (ICMA), the membership organization dedicated to creating excellence in local government through professional management. (Bob is a former City Manager of Hampton.)

Bob said: We find ourselves in “a time of turbulent change,” a time where we need to address how democracy works. Many issues matter, yet none can be addressed without proper public engagement. The need is great to reach across our political, municipal and geographical boundaries to make the most impact. The work we do now matters to the entire region’s future. It’s all about the possibilities.

The rest of the event was moderated by Suzette Denslow: Chief of Staff for Richmond Mayor Dwight C. Jones and formerly with the Virginia Municipal League.

Suzette shared: Civic engagement is the first step up from volunteerism. When we work together with respect, we move forward on our commonalities.

Keynote by Chris Gates: Executive Director of PACE, Philanthropy for Active Civic Engagement, a new organization founded to bring more attention and focus to the issues of civic engagement and to encourage more members of the philanthropic community to make civic engagement a part of their funding priorities. Previously served for 11 years as President of the National Civic League. A synopsis of Chris' remarks follow:

Why civic engagement? Hampton Roads as a region is an interdependence of communities. People know the moniker “Hampton Roads” around the country and are less apt to be able to name the individual cities and counties that make up the region.

To solve a problem, you must first recognize the problem, which leads us to list the greatest challenges for successful civic engagement:

1. The Information and Technology Revolution: While we have more in-formation at our fingertips, that information is problematic. “More people are in possession of partial truths.” People are more self-empowered than ever before. “Deference to data and experts” is the old model of engagement and does not play in today’s world. Today’s model is citizens questioning everything.
   
   
2. The Media: The practice of journalism today does not match the way com-munities live their lives. Media today is conflict based. And that conflict is en-grained in us personally by media hence our deep-seated disbelief of anything publicly stated.
   
   
3. Diversity: No community in America is NOT struggling with diversity on some level. We exhibit nostalgia for the “way things used to be.” Why? It was “easy,” because there was only one group sitting at the table with a shared history, perspective and outlook. Today our communities are more diverse than ever, in geography, perspective, issue, culture, etc. It’s hard work to work together.
   
   
4. Apathy: When asking why there is a lack of authentic civic engagement, we blame it on apathy, which is blaming citizens. It is nearly impossible to find truly apathetic citizens that don’t care at all about anything. Citizens are dis-engaged not because they don’t care, but because they feel their opinion doesn’t matter, their voice isn’t heard and their vote doesn’t count.

The New Reality - The New Model of Civic Engagement:

1. The public agenda is jointly held. We have a big debate going on regarding the role of government. We don’t want a government that is big enough, powerful enough and wealthy enough to unilaterally solve all of society’s problems. And, it’s unfair to say elected officials should fix everything. The best example of civic success is government working together with nonprofits, churches and civic groups.
   
   
2. Traditional civic engagement models make things worse. Public comment periods, public hearings, advisory boards and commissions don’t work. “Professional citizens” will usually be the only citizens that speak, and the “authentic voice” of citizens is missed. Holding public events such as these during times of day when most citizens cannot attend creates contention and anger.
   
   
3. Collaboration is a necessity, not a nicety. On every issue, all voices must be heard, even the short-term contentious issues. Without collaboration, it’s impossible to move forward.

We must reinvent the practice of democracy. We as Americans shouldn’t break our arm to pat ourselves on the back. We shouldn’t deify the founding fathers who were white male landowners. Democracy at the beginning of America wasn’t inclusive, hence the reason for the women's suffrage and civil rights movements.

The U.S. is remarkable because we are periodically willing to say that the old rules no longer make sense, and we need to make a change. We are at one of those moments again.

The old model of democracy: people seeking power to impose their will on others.

The new model of democracy: convene and empower others with facilitation, mediation and negotiation.

The new model requires listening to everyone equally, deeply and with authentic respect. The old model is that of government as “father figure,” making things better and doing things for you.

Our “civic muscles” have atrophied in America from misuse or lack of use. Some-where along the way, we’ve forgotten that to live a complete life, we must be engaged as citizens. We ARE the government; we have a role to play; we are responsible for our own outcomes.

Q & A from attendees (in bold) with responses from Chris Gates (in italics):

Will there be a time when we need to rewrite the Constitution due to globalization and our evolving as a society?
Many states have “mucked up” their constitutions by rewriting them. They’re overloaded with specifics, and some states are debating now as to cleaning them up. Rewriting the Constitution would open a “Pandora’s Box.”

What about the respect issue? What’s the solution?
Societal norms almost don’t exist anymore. We can blame much of this on TV, with the cursing, violence and contentiousness. Society has become “coarse.” We no longer respond with politeness. The “Golden Rule” has been lost. We need civility back in civic life. We live in an era where elected officials fear for their safety.

How does civic engagement fit with regionalism?
Regionalism is of great importance. But, we have issues where we don’t have structures and vice versa. There’s a mismatch. In economic development terms, regions compete internationally.

Some regions have consolidated local governments, such as Indianapolis and Charlotte. Regionalism is based on functionality and relationship. We want to keep our own individual identities in a region, but successes can be found in shared services, shared purchasing and joint planning. Regional structures that work don’t take away local autonomy; they’re structures for listening and posi-tive conservations. They’re formed for people to WANT to work together around shared values and solutions, not forced.

What can young people do to get involved?
The single greatest predictor of whether someone will vote is age, not income or any other demographic. Youth consider politics to be inauthentic. They don’t believe they’re hearing the truth; they’re suspicious of “spin.” For youth to be involved, community service engagement is the answer. Giving something back is living a complete life. Service is the key.

What about using referendums to give citizens a direct voice in governmental decision-making?
Referendums were never intended to be used to make decisions on a daily basis, only for last minute “pressure cooker,” controversial kinds of issues. Many municipalities use them because it’s easier to just put things on ballots. However, small “d” democracy includes conversation. Most issues aren’t simply a “thumbs up” or a “thumbs down” as they were in the gladiator days of the Roman Coliseum.


Batten Survey Results by Dr. Quentin Kidd, PhD: Associate Professor of Political Science in the Government Department at Christopher Newport University and Director of CNU’s Center for Public Policy.

Dr. Kidd introduced a video survey created by Virginian Wesleyan College senior and CRC Intern Rebecca Miller’s to gauge the youth perspective of civic engagement. One poignant segment of the video gave us a youth saying, “Right now, I am the future. And at some point in time, I will become the present. And then to the generations that are to come after me, I will be their past. And it’s how I pave the road now that determines what their future is going to be.”

Dr. Kidd reminded us that “democracy matters,” and, collectively, citizens and public officials have responsibilities in a democracy. We must work together to define our future, our quality of life as an indicator of healthy “civic capital.” Regions with healthy civic capital are also regions that are economically healthy. HRCCE’s Batten Survey establishes a baseline of the Civic Health of Hampton Roads, our values, our skills and our civic infrastructure.

The survey, made possible by a grant from citizen Jane Batten, was conducted via:

1. Telephoning 1997 residents of the 16 cities and counties that make up Hampton Roads; these residents were a proportionally representative sample;
2. Conducting focused interviews of approximately four dozen regional civic leaders and elected officials; and
3. Conducting focused interviews of approximately one dozen engaged youth.

The big questions to answer with regard to civic engagement were:

1. Are you interested, willing and ready to engage?
2. Is information accessible, communicated and sought out?
3. Do all parties know what to do and when?

HRCCE’s Batten Survey results reveal that in Hampton Roads we have:

• Disconnectedness…citizens say they are somewhat or very interested in working with others to solve regional issues, yet they don’t feel invited; however, civic leaders say they want citizens to educate themselves, participate more in civic matters when invited and let their views be known;
  
  
• Paradoxes…we seem to agree on the major issues of the economy and transportation and want to solve our regional problems, but as a result of this study, we lack a means by which to come together as a region to work on these problems, together. Furthermore, while citizens follow news about local government and public affairs somewhat or very closely, a majority of respondents say there is no reliable source or don’t know if there is reliable source of information;
  
  
• Opportunities…the civic capital of Hampton Roads is plentiful…our job is cultivate it and capitalize on it as a region.

This is the beginning of a regional conversation about where we are, where we want to be, and what will be required to get there.

One youth interviewed did not see civic engagement as a “daunting task,” but stated that transportation was the problem that could “unify” Hampton Roads as an opportunity to come together on a common problem that bedevils the entire region.

Q & A from attendees (in bold) with responses from Dr. Quentin Kidd (in italics):

How does Hampton Roads compare to other regions?
While some information may be available, we don’t want to compare ourselves to other regions of Virginia just yet. The Batten Survey questionnaire was tailored to the Hampton Roads region, and, to our knowledge, no other region in Virginia has done this evaluation of their civic capital.

What percentage of people who have tried to become engaged just gave up?
That specific question was not asked on the survey.

Statement from audience member: We had an opportunity to come together as a region with the one-cent sales tax and we couldn’t agree; I hope we have another opportunity in the future to come together on this issue.

Why is the corporate role not included in the survey? Organizations like Future of Hampton Roads and Hampton Roads Partnership have an agenda. The citizen’s and business’ agenda are different.
In the end, corporations are all individuals. If there is a disagreement between citizens and corporation’s representatives, and we don’t work together, we’ll never come up with any solutions. Solutions will be found at the individual level.


Break-out Sessions were used to facilitate small group discussions.
Printed copies of the Batten Survey were provided to participants in Breakout Sessions.

Reconvening after Breakout Sessions: small group recommendations and demographics review, by David Campt of Dialogue With Communities:

In comparison to the Hampton Roads population, the following demographic groups were under-represented: Females, African-Americans, Hispanics, under $75,000 Household Income and Residents of less than 15 years.

Small Group Question #1:
What actions are needed to improve communication?

The results are below with the (overwhelmingly) top four vote-getters in BOLD:

• Centralized source/organization for regional information
• Smart use of new media: on-line forums, cell phone alerts
• Make meetings more accessible –take them into neighborhoods, televise
• Better civic education
• Enhance traditional media for regional news/announcements –WHRO, TV news
• More & better meetings
• Make data more accessible
• Surveys for citizen input
• Improve values
• Adoption of a formalized decision-making process
• Change in regional structure

Small Group Question #2:
What is the most important thing we need to work on to improve our system of public decision-making?

The one consensus result from each of the small groups is listed below with the majority vote from the reconvened group in BOLD:

• Invest regionally –new regional funding mechanisms, new structures. Needs further discussion (49%)
• Emphasize values when creating the vision. Spend more time reflecting on values. Strongly Endorse/Agree (75%)
• Emphasize more and better civic education. Strongly Endorse (74%)
• Proactive outreach by elected officials. Strongly Endorse/Agree (88%)
• Better recognition of pros and cons. Make sure information is fair and balanced. Strongly Endorse (64%)
• Create a new separate entity (non-governmental) for civic discourse. Needs further discussion (36%)
• Have a better informed and educated population. Strongly Endorse (76%)
• Need fact based decisions instead of emotional ones. Strongly Endorse (53%)

Small Group Wrap-Up:

Of these improvements, choose the 3 most important ones that will make the public process better: (top three vote-getters in BOLD)

• Emphasize more and better civic education. (23%)
• Have a better informed and educated population. (17%)
• Better recognition of pros and cons. Make sure information is fair and balanced. (16%)

Which is the easiest to accomplish? (top three vote-getters in BOLD)

• Better recognition of pros and cons. Make sure information is fair and balanced. (26%)
• Proactive outreach by elected officials. (24%)
• Emphasize more and better civic education. (17%)

Which are you willing to spend time on to help accomplish? (top four vote-getters in BOLD)

• Emphasize more and better civic education. (26%)
• Better recognition of pros and cons. Make sure information is fair and balanced. (19%)
• Create a new separate entity (non-governmental) for civic discourse. (16%)
• Have a better informed and educated population. (15%)

All Batten Survey results, Summit Breakout Sessions and Final Group demographics, feedback and video may be viewed and downloaded at: http://HRCCE.org/publications/BattenSurveys/index.html.

Photo credits: Clyde R. Hoey, II, President of The Resource Group and member of the HRCCE Board of Directors.

Public Invited to Civic Engagement Summit April 4

What needs fixing in Hampton Roads?

If you’ve been looking for a way to get involved, what’s your top issue? If you think you have a perspective other people need to hear, where should you go, and when?

Here’s a starting point for you: the first Hampton Roads Civic Engagement Summit on Saturday, April 4, 8:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m., at the Old Dominion University’s Virginia Modeling, Analysis and Simulation Center (VMASC) in Suffolk.

The theme is “Our Region, Our Future,” is free of charge, and is open to the public with advance online registration.

The day will be a unique attempt to share and focus on an agenda derived by the citizens of Hampton Roads that identifies priority issues and opportunities we see for our future. The results of the inaugural Batten Survey, a sampling of more than 2,000 citizens throughout Hampton Roads, will be shared.

The survey, conducted by Christopher Newport University in conjunction with the Hampton Roads Center for Civic Engagement (HRCCE), establishes the “civic health” of our region. The results will help launch conversations at the Summit that, hopefully, will become the future public work of citizens and groups throughout the region.

The Summit will help average citizens participate in exploring the broader dimensions of their rights and responsibilities as citizens. Citizen input and action is needed to shape our region and its communities in these historic times.

The Summit also features two recognized civic engagement authorities, Suzette Denslow, Chief of Staff for the City of Richmond, and Chris Gates, past President of the National Civic League. Ms. Denslow was also Chief Policy Adviser for Governor Kaine and Secretary of Education during Governor Wilder’s Administration. She has extensive experience in working with communities throughout Virginia. Mr. Gates directs a national non-profit agency which specializes in civic engagement work.

If you’ve ever wondered: is there room at the table for me? April 4th will be a day set aside to measure the interest and willingness of citizens to come together and create productive paths, to do future constructive work, all to improve our quality of life in Hampton Roads.

“Our Region, Our Future” will be hosted by HRCCE in association with the Future of Hampton Roads, Hampton Roads Partnership, The Planning Council, and WHRO Public Television. Online registration is available at HRCCE’s website www.HRCCE.org.

The Future of Southern Energy: Making Choices for Your Community

by Donna Morris, Executive Vice President of the Hampton Roads Partnership

Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Forum co-sponsored by the Hampton Roads Partnership and the Hampton Roads Mayors and Chairs

When we think about energy, we often think about the negative – high gas prices, environmental challenges and national security issues. However, many communities are seeing that there are ways to capitalize on economic opportunities related to energy.

Jefferson Lab hosted a forum, moderated by Cathy Lewis, with community leaders representing area colleges and universities, energy companies, economic development organizations, and other regional stakeholder groups. The forum is an initiative of the Southern Growth Policies Board (SGPB), a regional public policy think tank representing 13 states. The forum will provide feedback to be used in the SGPB 2009 annual conference as well as a high profile policy report to be shared with Southern Governors and regional leaders called Southern Growth’s 2009 Report on the Future of the South.

The big question posed for group discussion was “What can communities do to capitalize on the economic opportunities associated with energy?” The following points made during discussion summarize the response:
• Hampton Roads has an opportunity and an obligation to tackle the issue.
• Hampton Roads’ research capability is a valuable asset, one that is largely under the public radar.
• Education of the general public is imperative.
• Partnering with the military provides us with an opportunity to be an international leader in developing alternative sources of energy.
• A comprehensive energy strategy must include ways to reduce consumption.
• Recognize that we are tackling long term solutions.
• Regulatory hurdles exist and must be addressed.
• The strategy needs to be private sector driven, with support of the public sector.

Next steps:
• Meeting notes will be shared with the SGPB for their report and annual conference.
• Regional organizations like the Hampton Roads Partnership, Hampton Roads Technology Council, Hampton Roads Research Partnership, Virginia Coastal Energy Research Consortium, etc. working together to develop a plan of action.

VANNO and VOLUNTEER Hampton Roads Town Hall Meeting

Interested in successful, mutually beneficial relationships between government, business and nonprofits?


Join VANNO and VOLUNTEER Hampton Roads at a Town Hall Meeting March 12th in Norfolk, Virginia to collaborate and network with fellow nonprofit leaders and representatives from the government and business communities discussing local and regional challenges and opportunities including workforce development, infrastructure, nonprofit efficiency and transportation issues.

Panel participants are:

Nancy Bagranoff, Old Dominion University Dean of the College of Business and Public Administration;

Dana Dickens, Hampton Roads Partnership President and CEO;

and

Suzanne Puryear, The Planning Council President


When: Thursday, March 12, 8:30am-11:00am
Where: VOLUNTEER Hampton Roads' Nonprofit Leadership Development Center, 400 West Olney Road, Suite B, Norfolk


Register HERE now. Cost is only $15, $20 for non-members and covers the continental breakfast included. (HRP members can register at the VHR rate $15, just enter the discount code provided in the on-line registration process.)


VANNO: a member network connecting nonprofit organizations throughout Virginia, striving to ensure all Virginia nonprofits are educated, engaged and equipped to serve their communities, and their voices are heard by public policy makers.

VOLUNTEER Hampton Roads: strengthening nonprofits so that as a collective force, we make our community a better place for everyone, accomplished through service programs in Nonprofit Training, Corporate Programming and Volunteerism.

Private sector proposals to beat gridlock

Click on the picture for a full view of the Project.

Dana Dickens, Hampton Roads Partnership (HRP) President/CEO and Commonwealth Transportation Board (CTB) member, chairs a 15-member independent review panel (including citizens, government officials and other organizational representatives) which will examine a private-sector proposal to expand the Midtown Tunnel, build the Martin Luther King Freeway Extension in Portsmouth and improve the Downtown Tunnel.

This is a $2 billion private sector proposal by Elizabeth River Crossings, LLC, led by Swedish construction giant Skanska and Macquarie Financial Holdings Limited, which proposes to construct, operate and maintain these thoroughfares for 50 years.

Input will be sought from localities and the public prior to evaluation and recommendation of the proposal. For more information about the process or to read the proposal, visit www.midtowntunnel.org.

2009 Hampton Roads Civic Engagement Summit

You are invited you to attend the 2009 Hampton Roads Civic Engagement Summit on Saturday, April 4th at ODU’s VMASC Center. MAP DIRECTIONS

Purpose:
To better understand the broad dimensions of citizenship in the 21st Century and to encourage greater civic participation in Hampton Roads.

Program:
• Robert J. “Bob” O’Neil, former Hampton city manager and current executive director of the International City/County Management Association.

• Chris Gates, executive director of Philanthropy for Active Civic Engagement. Prior to joining PACE, Chris was president of the National Civic League and co-chair of Harvard University’s Saguaro Seminar on social capital.

• Hampton Roads Center for Civic Engagement’s Batten Civic Engagement Initiative, the first-ever formal assessment of civic engagement and citizen priorities in Hampton Roads.

• Opportunities for Summit participants to begin the process of identifying informational needs and other resources necessary for broader civic engagement throughout the Hampton Roads region.

Participants:
Open to all who want to have a role in addressing the challenges and defining the future of our region. The success of this event will be measured by the diversity of stakeholders who attend and by the level of purpose and passion in the conversations and new working relationships developed.

Partners:
Organized by the Hampton Roads Center for Civic Engagement (HRCCE) in cooperation with The Future of Hampton Roads, Hampton Roads Partnership, The Planning Council and WHRO.

More information can be found at: http://www.HRCCE.org. Registration at: http://www.hrcce.org/resources/SummitRegistration.html.

TRANSIT VISION FOR THE HAMPTON ROADS REGION (draft)

For information on public meetings to be held in Hampton and Norfolk on February 24th, visit: www.HamptonRoadsTransitPlan.com

TRANSIT VISION FOR THE HAMPTON ROADS REGION
Hampton Roads is to be served by an efficient, sustainable, and integrated transit network of local buses, express buses, bus rapid transit, light rail transit, and commuter rail. Local buses serve neighborhoods and link riders to higher capacity transit corridors. The light rail system, the streetcars, and the bus rapid transit lines provide fast and reliable regional transit connections. Commuter rail carries workers across the longer distances from semi-rural residential areas to employment and activity centers in the region. As a result of its transit investments, the region continues to attract employers, residents, and visitors, and it continues to grow and foster economic development. However, this growth is compact – primarily targeted to mixed-use activity centers and high-capacity transit corridors – and better protects the region’s precious natural resources and environmentally sensitive areas. Ultimately, the region’s pattern of growth increases mobility, accessibility, and quality of life — allowing a parent to walk a child to school, step into a café for breakfast, then walk to the transit station for the morning’s commute.

Download the complete plan draft HERE.

Authored by the consultant team of HNTB Corporation, Vanasse Hangen Brustlin Inc., RLS and Associates Inc., and Travesky & Associates Ltd. with cooperation from staff from the Hampton Roads Metropolitan Planning Organization, funding from the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation, and sponsorship by the Hampton Roads Partnership.

The process to develop this integrated Transit Vision Plan was initiated by the Hampton Roads Partnership. Joining with the Hampton Roads Metropolitan Planning Organization (HRMPO) and the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT), a study was launched with the establishment of a Public Transportation Plan Technical Committee (PTPTC), made up of jurisdictional staff and representatives from the HRMPO, DRPT, Hampton Roads Transit, and the Hampton Roads Partnership.

HamptonRoadsPerforms.org Regional Profile

Virginia’s Hampton Roads is a region rich in history, situated in the southeastern corner of Virginia, where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Chesapeake Bay, the largest estuary in the United States. The region, comprised of 16 counties and cities, each with unique assets, is enhanced by an extensive system of waterways and a population that has been growing and changing over the last decade. This profile summarizes key demographic, economic and transportation trends. A publication of HRPDC and HRP.

HamptonRoadsPerforms.org Regional Profile

View more presentations from Hamptonroads Partnership.

For the full report (dated 30 Jan 09), click HERE and visit HamptonRoadsPerforms.org for more complete quality of life data on the Hampton Roads region.

An industry ready to grow: Modeling and simulation

by Bob Harper

I was happy to see the op-ed by Dana Dickens, president and CEO of the Hampton Roads Partnership, included in the Dec. 28 edition of the Daily Press followed by a staff editorial on Dec. 31 on the same subject. Both lauded Gov. Tim Kaine's continued financial support in these lean budgetary times of ODU's Virginia Modeling, Analysis and Simulation Center (VMASC) located in Suffolk. An important distinction is that VMASC also serves as the region's modeling and simulation industry association by virtue of corporate memberships in its consortium.

As mentioned by Dickens, we have enjoyed a significant positive economic impact for the region through modeling, simulation and visualization (MS&V) since VMASC was established. Yet, much of this relates to the Department of Defense piece of MS&V and may not be sustainable in future defense budgets. So, while we have done well with the MS&V industry thus far, the question to ask ourselves is are we prepared well enough to capitalize on these great MS&V opportunities?

When one looks at the region with an economic development viewpoint, one cannot help but be confused. Hampton Roads has a complex and cluttered business landscape with several organizations playing roles in regional economic development. These roles at times overlap, at times conflict, and at times prevent us from achieving our full potential as a region. Every one of the organizations involved has a legitimate role to play in either promoting the region as a good place for business or supporting technology-based economic growth, which includes MS&V. How do we obtain a unity of effort among these well-meaning organizations to achieve the best possible outcome for the region?

What is needed is a comprehensive, regional approach to MS&V economic development. This starts with regional leadership. Dickens' own organization, the Hampton Roads Partnership, has the clearest mandate for this leadership role, linked in tandem to VMASC. The Hampton Roads Partnership and VMASC should jointly and in partnership establish the leadership of the Hampton Roads MS&V economic development efforts and coordinate the creation of a regional strategy for maximizing the economic impact of MS&V. We should encourage actions that link our region technically, that tie in the Peninsula with the Southside, modeling our own communities, and develop a unifying vision similar to "America's First Region" to market Hampton Roads with a common MS&V language.

Many areas should be addressed as part of the Hampton Roads modeling and simulation strategy. It all starts, though, with leadership, and we are blessed with two great organizations — the Hampton Roads Partnership and VMASC — around which we can coalesce a collaborative and coordinated effort to build on the wonderful economic opportunities we possess. As stated in the Daily Press editorial, we are second in the nation behind Orlando, Fla., regarding modeling, simulation and visualization. Why are we not first?

Bob Harper, who lives in Hampton and is employed by Northrop Grumman, was appointed by Gov. Tim Kaine to the Virginia Modeling and Simulation Advisory Council and previously chaired the advisory board of the Virginia Modeling, Analysis and Simulation Center at ODU.