About TIP Strategies

Tom Stellman, TEDxBrookings, and the Geography of Recovery

In October, TIP Strategies founder and CEO, Tom Stellman was featured as a speaker at the independently organized TED talk event, TEDxBrookings. Tom’s talk (recently released on YouTube) addressed the changing geography of jobs before, during, and after the Great Recession. As part of the presentation, Tom utilized TIP’s latest data visualization, the Geography of Recovery. This new interactive map continues the discussion started by our successful Geography of Jobs visualization. Through a new approach that seeks to illustrate the cumulative impact of the Great Recession, one striking revelation is exposed: the unevenness of the recovery. Read more on our blog.

Come see us at the IEDC Leadership Summit

The 2016 IEDC Leadership Summit is being hosted in New Orleans, January 24-26. TIP’s Jon Roberts will be in attendance and participating in multiple events. Prior to the conference, Jon will be teaching the Economic Development Strategic Planning course, held January 21-22. During the conference, Jon will lead the invite-only Executive Leadership Roundtable. He will also moderate the panel, “Joining Forces for Inclusive Economic Development,” which will discuss the problems of income inequality and how to promote inclusive development. The panel is scheduled for Monday, January 25, from 2:15-345 PM. We hope to see you there! For a preview of Jon’s latest thoughts on issues affecting economic development, read his recent blog post, “ 2016: Trends and Predictions.”

TIP Continues Defense Industry Work

In 2015, TIP Strategies was selected as the lead contractor for several defense industry adjustment projects funded by the Office of Economic Adjustment (OEA). We are currently in the process of wrapping up a defense industry economic diversification strategy and implementation study for the Massachusetts Development Finance Authority. We are joined in this project by our partners, UMass Donahue Institute, Chmura Economics & Analytics, and Business Development Advisors.

TIP is also under contract with the Washington Department of Commerce to carry out multiple phases of the state’s $4.3 million OEA Defense Industry Adjustment grant. When all phases of the grant are complete, the resulting strategy will help document the military and defense sector’s reach and provide guidance to the Washington Military Alliance (WMA) and its partners for supporting and expanding the sector in Washington State.

In addition, TIP recently kicked off an economic diversification and growth plan for the bi-state region surrounding Fort Campbell. The initiative, labeled “Campbell Strong,” will identify assets and opportunities for counties in Kentucky (Christian, Todd, and Trigg) and Tennessee (Montgomery, Robertson, and Stewart) whose economies are most closely tied to the base.

Image credit: Refueling Thunderbirds over majestic Glacier [Image 4 of 4], by A1C Janelle Patiño, via DVIDS

Our Seattle Office Expands with New Projects and New Staff

Since we opened our Seattle branch in 2014, our client base has grown significantly in the Northwest. Led by TIP senior partner Jeff Marcell (former CEO of the Economic Development Council of Seattle and King County), our west coast office offers extensive business connections, regional knowledge, and a practitioner's perspective.

The state of Washington, specifically, is home to a number of new projects. In addition to our work with the Department of Commerce, we have recently been engaged by a number of local clients. In September, TIP and partners Heartland and The Retail Coach were hired by the City of Auburn to prepare a 10-year economic development strategic plan. The Klickitat County Board of Commissioners and Klickitat County Public Economic Development Authority selected TIP in December, to assist them with the development of a strategic economic plan. Most recently, TIP was selected by the Lewis County Economic Development Council for the preparation of their strategic economic development plan.

In addition to the growth of our client base in the Northwest, our team is also expanding. This month, TIP welcomed Ashton Allison to our Seattle office. Ashton, who joins us as a consultant, has over 14 years of experience in marketing and economic development in the private, public and nonprofit sectors.

Image credit: Space Needle by Jonathan Miske via Flickr

Asheville-Buncombe County Adopts New Strategic Plan

TIP recently completed a strategic plan for the Asheville-Buncombe County Economic Development Coalition (EDC), the organization that leads the charge in growing Asheville’s economy. The goal of our engagement was to help the EDC transition beyond its successful AVL 5x5 plan, which set a high bar by creating nearly 3,000 new direct jobs and attracting more than $1 billion in new capital investment. The largest risk to the region is not a decline in jobs or economic activity, but a failure to capitalize on new opportunities for economic development. The new plan, AVL 5x5: Vision 2020, focuses primarily on core areas where the EDC has the greatest potential to effect positive change. Read more about the plan on our blog.

Image credit: Asheville, NC by Michaeil Tracey via Flickr

We’ve moved! Please update your contact list with our new address:

2905 San Gabriel Street, Suite 205, Austin, TX 78705.