About TIP Strategies

MassDevelopment: Blueprint for Economic Diversification

In keeping with our implementation theme for 2016, we are excited to announce that TIP client, MassDevelopment, was awarded over $3.6 million in US Department of Defense Office of Economic Adjustment (OEA) funding to implement several strategic initiatives that were proposed in the recently completed Defense Industry Economic Diversification Study and Strategic Blueprint. Supporting TIP on this research and planning project was a consulting team consisting of UMass Donahue Institute’s Economic and Public Policy Research group, Chmura Economics & Analytics, and Business Development Advisors. The blueprint is designed to mitigate the potential impact of federal defense budget cuts and sequestration on the state and regional economy. Successful implementation of the proposed initiatives will serve to strengthen the Commonwealth’s defense sector and enable it to seize emerging opportunities, both commercial and defense related. To read more about this project, visit our blog.

Image credit: Salem Muster [Image 1 of 2], by 1SG Donald Veitch via DVIDS (Public Domain)

Washington State: Planning for the Defense Sector's Future

In 2015, TIP Strategies was selected by the Washington Department of Commerce as the lead contractor for multiple phases of the state’s $4.3 million OEA grant. The grant was awarded as part of OEA’s Defense Industry Adjustment program, which encompasses a range of planning activities designed to mitigate potential impacts of federal spending cuts on the defense sector. The initial “Planning & Communication” phase of the grant focused on formalizing the Washington Military Alliance (WMA), a coalition of military- and defense-related stakeholder organizations in the state. Earlier this year, TIP kicked off projects encompassing three additional phases of the grant. The work will be completed by September 2016 and includes a defense contractor services pilot program as well as two closely related projects: a statewide strategy and an implementation and sustainability plan. Click here to read more about this multi-phase project.

Image Credit: USS Abraham Lincoln Returns to Washington [Image 2 of 2] by Seaman Jerine Lee via DVIDS (Public Domain)

EDiS Institute: Predicting Delaware’s Economic Future

On April 21st, TIP principal Jon Roberts and urban studies theorist Richard Florida gave complementary presentations at the 2016 EDiS Institute, a biennial economic and industry update event held by Wilmington-based construction and development firm, EDiS. The Institute’s speakers offer provocative views on future trends and their potential impacts on Delaware and the nation. Carrying the tradition forward, Jon and Richard examined the future of manufacturing employment in 2016, focusing on Delaware’s competitive position and building an entrepreneurial economy for the state. This discussion is particularly relevant as Delaware’s economy continues its transition away from manufacturing to services. TIP’s soon-to-be-finalized Delaware Growth Agenda offers a set of long-term strategic recommendations to guide the state’s economic development program over the next five years. To read more about the EDiS Institute, visit our blog.

Image credit: Jon Roberts speaks at the 2016 EDiS Institute courtesy Delaware Business Now

East Kern County, CA: Broadening the Region’s Economic Base

Kern County, California, hired TIP in February to lead a Department of Defense-funded economic diversification strategy for the East Kern region, with the support of Chabin Concepts. The region’s economy is centered on two major military installations, Edwards Air Force Base and the China Lake Naval Air Weapons Station. East Kern possesses additional assets such as the Mojave Air & Spaceport, a large mining industry (led by Rio Tinto), a significant renewable energy sector (including some of the most expansive wind power installations in North America), a robust tourism industry, and strong economic and workforce ties to the Greater Los Angeles metro area. Throughout the course of 2016, TIP and Chabin will be working closely with business and community leaders to identify strategies for the entire East Kern region and for each of the area’s six communities. These communities include the three cities of Tehachapi, California City, and Ridgecrest and the three unincorporated communities of Boron, Mojave, and Rosamond. Read more about the project here and here.

Image credit: Robbers Roost by Beachboys5500 via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)

DRA: Moving the Delta Forward

In April, the Delta Regional Authority (DRA) unveiled its updated strategic plan, Regional Development Plan III (RDP III), created with the assistance of TIP Strategies and Economic Leadership LLC. The DRA is an independent federal agency that works to promote economic and community development in the Mississippi Delta region, an area that spans 252 counties/parishes across 8 states. RDP III, the third such plan written since the agency’s creation (RDP II was also developed with assistance from TIP Strategies in 2008), will guide the agency’s investments, policy priorities, and stakeholder engagements. With the guiding principles of collaboration, leadership, and innovation, the plan identifies the agency’s goals for the next five years:

1. Improving workforce competitiveness;

2. Strengthening infrastructure; and

3. Increasing community capacity.

RDP III was developed over the course of several months in 2015, utilizing in-person, digital, and written feedback from nearly 1,000 stakeholders within the Delta region. One major “win” for the DRA came in December 2015 when Congress expanded the agency’s budget to nearly $30 million for FY 2016, more than double the agency’s FY 2015 budget.

Image Credit: Memphis TN Riverboat Ride HDR by Noel Pennington via Flickr (CC BY 2.0)