March 2019 
Newsletter
The Positive Impacts of Investments in
Camden, NJ on Social Determinants of Health
After fifty years of social and economic decline, Camden is experiencing a renaissance. The foundation of this turnaround is the partnerships and commitment between state and local  entities, leaders and stakeholders to develop a strategy to improve the city's fundamental systems. ESI's report presents the background of improvements in Camden, examines the relationship between local initiatives and outside investments, details the investments in Camden over the past six years, and measures how social determinants of health improved over that time period.
Highlights
Opportunity Zones Presentation
Directors Brittany Forman and Andrea Mannino spoke at Manumission's Industrial Forum on Opportunity Zones on February 28. Learn more about our Opportunity Zone Advisory Services. 

Mid-Atlantic Realtors, 
Take the Survey Today
Philadelphia Real Estate Council, in conjunction with ESI and the Philadelphia Business Journal, has released their Real Estate Sentiment Survey for Q1 2019. Real estate professionals are encouraged to offer their opinion on current and future industry conditions.  
Proud to Sponsor
Mid-Atlantic Greenways &
Trails Summit, April 4-6.
Young, Smart & Local, 
April 9-10.
Staff and Senior Advisors News
Lee Huang will be speaking on a panel at IDA's University & College Town Summit on April 4. He will also be a panelist at Campus Philly's Young, Smart and Local Conference on April 10. 
Stephen Mullin testified at New Jersey's State Senate meeting with Governor Florio on the New Jersey Grow Program on February 11. He was also a panelist at Chester County Chamber of Business and Industry's Economic Forecast Forum on February 27. 
Steve Wray presented on scenario planning for non-profits at Leadership Chester County, a program managed by the Chester County United Way in partnership with the Chester County Chamber of Business and Industry and West Chester University. 
Peter Angelides was quoted in Where Suburban Meets Urban, which appeared in Commerical Property Executive, discussing transportation technology and how it relates to combining city life with the suburbs. 
Brittany Forman, in recent months, has spoken on various panels, given presentations, and provided testimony to educate legislators, government officials, businesses, and more on what Opportunity Zones mean for their communities.
Alison Shott has been promoted to Director. Congratulations, Alison! 
Mike Daly has been promoted to Senior Business Development & Marketing Associate. Congratulations, Mike!
Laura Burtner has been promoted to Design Services Manager. Congratulations, Laura!
Gabrielle Connor presented to students at the University of Pennsylvania regarding our work with economic impact studies. 
Robin Winston served as Capital Campaign Chair and helped lead the effort to raise funds to open the $3.5M Levi and Catharine Coffin Interpretive Center in Fountain City, East Central Indiana. Winston is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites.
Blane Stoddart's construction project management firm, BFW Group LLC, was featured in the PIDC Newsletter as a graduate of the PIDC Accounts Receivable Loan Program. The goal of the program is to grow and mainstream small businesses to a mainstream bank. 
Steven Spalding, principal of Point A Consulting, has been engaged to prepare a Strategic Business Plan for the University of South Dakota Discovery District. The plan will address goals and objectives for the next five years and a staffing plan for the Discovery District organization.
Bernard Markstein played a major role in the production of ASID's 2019 Outlook and State of Interior Design and was quoted by Furniture World and Home Textiles Today about the report. 
News from the Lab

ESI ThoughtLab  has formed an advisory board of leading experts and corporate partners to launch B uilding a Hyperconnected City, the follow-up study to Smarter Cities 2025, which  will provide urban and business leaders with the definitive playbook for creating digitally-enabled and interlinked urban ecosystems. 

Space on the advisory board is limited, but still available. Please contact Lou Celi to learn more and join the project before the first advisory board meeting is held in April.

US-China Research
ESI and ESI Thoughtlab have established an official partnership with ANBOUND , a Beijing-based multinational independent think tank.  ESI and ANBOUND are committed to providing research and consulting services to clients, expanding their horizons through in-depth international collaboration, and jointly proposing public policy recommendations and solutions for promoting high-quality economic development.

Beginning next month, select content from ANBOUND will be featured in this section of our newsletter.
Present Value

China's Rail System

By Sidney Wong

Also featured in ANBOUND's
March 11, 2019 Newsletter.

Read here.

Opportunity Zone Strategies for Municipalities

By Brittany Forman

Read here.

The Role of Ridesharing in the Nightlife Economy

By Gina Lavery, Jing Liu, 
and Elizabeth Desmond

Read here.

Google Checked my Location Once Every 3 Minutes, for 6 Years: A Visualization of Google Takeout Data Using R

By Carlos Bonilla

Read here.
Client Spotlight
ESI's report to the PA Treasurer, The Impact of Insufficient Retirement Savings on Philadelphia, cited in the Philadelphia Inquirer's coverage of State of New Jersey's deliberations on portable retirement savings plans. 
The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society's 2019 Philadelphia Flower Show was a huge success. Congratulations!
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