NEW ORLEANS – The Southeast Super-Region Committee (SRC) – a collaboration of Greater New Orleans, Inc., the Baton Rouge Area Chamber, and the Southeast LA Economic Council – will host the 2015 Super Region Canvas: A Benchmarking Workshop, in the Greater Phoenix and Tucson areas of Arizona from April 19 – 21, 2015.
Chaired by Jim Hudson of IBERIABANK, and John Paul Funes of Our Lady of the Lake Foundation, the purpose of this initiative is to understand more about how the three regions can work together, and observe best practices to be implemented in our communities.
More than 150 business, community and elected leaders are expected to attend to learn from another major U.S. region that deals with significant economic development issues similar to those found in Louisiana.
On the agenda:
• Super-Regionalism – Like the Southeast Super-Region, the Greater Phoenix and Tucson have worked together to increase their competitiveness in economic development and enhance the quality of life for residents.
• Education and Workforce Development –Arizona offers many examples of business, industry, educators, government and philanthropists working toward a common agenda regarding workforce preparedness. The region has developed a deliberate and thoughtful strategy to promote STEM education and the STEM disciplines through its Arizona STEM Network, led by Science Foundation Arizona. Additionally, the region’s technical programs – including online degrees, continuing education, and an innovative tuition-free program – have significantly and positively impacted workforce development.
• Transportation and Regional Planning – Transportation remains a top priority for the super region. Modern infrastructure and continuous investment in transportation, such as METRO Light Rail, Park-N-Ride services, and sophisticated highway systems make the Sun Corridor a leader in transportation and regional planning.
• Innovation and Entrepreneurship – SkySong, the Arizona State University (ASU) Scottsdale Innovation Center, is home to a global business community which links technology, research, education and entrepreneurship to position ASU and the Phoenix region as leaders in the knowledge economy.
• Health Care and Bioscience – Southern Arizona is one of the nation’s most recognized bioscience centers because of the University of Arizona – a top-twenty research university – the region’s talented workforce, and the dynamic cluster of bioscience companies. The Phoenix region has forged many medical and biomedical research collaborations, many of which center around the University of Arizona, whose main campus is in Tucson, and its medical school in Phoenix.
The Greater Phoenix and Tucson regions offer low-cost business operating environments and vast pools of young, diverse talent. CNBC recently ranked Arizona number two in the U.S. in training, quality, and availability of workers, and Tucson ranked ninth on the 2010 Digital Cities Survey list of the most technologically-advanced cities with a population over 250,000. Additionally, Inc. named Phoenix one of the top twenty cities in the country for start-up companies, and Tucson ranks among the top five cities for entrepreneurs, by Entrepreneur. For these reasons – and more – the Sun Corridor was selected as a key location from which to learn best practices and strategies for success.
The cost of the workshop is $2,200 per person and is inclusive of charter flight, lodging and all workshop activities and meals.
