Learning from Austin

Once a year for the past nine years, InterCity Leadership, a group of business, government and civic leaders from the Twin Cities, have visited other cities to learn how they deal with critical issues such as transportation, economic development, and education. Much like touring other homes to find ideas to make yours better, the trip has become an incredibly valuable way for our community to see how others have managed challenges and created opportunities.

This year Goff & Howard’s Mike Zipko was a part of an InterCity Leadership group that visited Austin, Texas, which has been heralded as the next Silicon Valley complete with an eclectic mix of arts, culture, and live music. At a time when the Minneapolis-Saint Paul metro area needs to find ways to keep existing companies and to attract new businesses, the group learned how Austin leaders have successfully done just that.

Through strong and consistent messaging, Austin has become known as the “live music capital of the world.” This buzz, along with the city’s collaborative relationship with the University of Texas, has helped attract large corporations and create thousands of jobs. According to city officials, Austin doubles in size every 20 years.

While there is much that can be learned from Austin’s success in growing its economy, there is still much to appreciate about our metro area, including the number of corporate headquarters located here, a strong system of colleges and universities, and a transportation system that continues to improve. Through trips like these, we are strengthening our regional economic development vision by incorporating some strategies from other cities and finding better ways to leverage the things that already make our region strong.

Members of the 2010 InterCity Leadership group visit the Mueller redevelopment project in Austin. In this project, the public and private sector are working together to redevelop a former airport into a 711-acre, master-planned, mixed-use development that will be home to approximately 10,000 people, 10,000 permanent employees, 10,000 construction jobs, more than 4,900 homes, and approximately 140 acres of public open space. The project could be an example for the Twin Cities to look at as decisions are made about redeveloping the Twin Cities Army Ammunition Plant site in Arden Hills and the Ford Plant site in Saint Paul.

Serving intercontinental joy

In 2004 the Minnesota National Guard was not sure what to think about a group of people from Saint Paul who wanted to serve an intercontinental steak dinner to active duty troops in Kosovo and their families at home. Something like this had never been done in the history of the U.S. military.

Six years and seven missions later, Serving Our Troops has become an important partner of the Minnesota National Guard. Volunteers have helped serve more than 50,000 steaks to active duty troops and their families in Minnesota, Mississippi, Kansas, Kuwait, Iraq, and Kosovo. In the process, Serving Our Troops has helped make Minnesota a national leader in supporting active duty members of the National Guard.

On October 3-4, the Minnesota National Guard found a very special way to show its appreciation for the volunteers who made these missions possible. Members of Serving Our Troops participated in a Civic Leader Orientation program, touring the 134th Airlift Wing operations in the Twin Cities, Camp Ripley in Little Falls, and the 148th Fighter Wing base in Duluth.

The volunteers learned more about the Minnesota National Guard, its facilities, and the people who are serving our country. They also flew in C130 airplanes and Blackhawk helicopters, fired weapons from a tank and a Bradley Fighting Vehicle, and watched F-16 jets scramble. The slideshow below features pictures from the two-day trip.

Goff & Howard has been a proud supporter of Serving Our Troops since the beginning, and Mike Zipko is one of the founding members. To learn more about the group and to help support what they do, visit www.servingourtroops.com.

Midway Chamber names new president

The Midway Chamber of Commerce today announced that Kari Canfield will be its new president effective September 27. Kari most recently served as the director of marketing and communications for Junior Achievement of the Upper Midwest. Kari replaces Lori Fritts, who was president of the chamber for almost eight years.

Goff & Howard is an active member and strong supporter of the Midway Chamber, a group of hundreds of volunteers, representing more than 550 businesses and nonprofits in the Midway area of Saint Paul. The chamber actively supports the business community, influences economic development policies and projects, advocates for public and private investment in the Midway area, and more.

Mike Zipko is a board member and was a member of the search committee that interviewed candidates and nominated Kari for the position.

Congratulations to Kari and the Midway Chamber.

G&H’ers contribute to MPR’s Minnesota Today

Goff & Howard’s Chris Georgacas and Mike Zipko are among the people whom Minnesota Public Radio has tapped to regularly recommend web links to noteworthy news and commentary on its Minnesota Today site, launched earlier this month, in a feature called “Recommended Links … From People in the Know.”

Chris has recommended pieces on economics and (a personal favorite topic) the recurring failures of the mainstream media.

Mike has recommended a variety of stories on social media, public affairs, and other topics.

Look for more of Chris’s and Mike’s recommendations in the future.