Corridor Position Paper

8/3/2019 Corridor Position Paper

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North Star BrandAMP report edited by Chuck Peters, January 21, 2012

Regionalism is critical

The worlds top competitors and collaborators are not cities, states, orcountries per se. They are regions. Regions are not defined by political

boundaries, but by economic resources such as industry concentrations,

labor markets and common infrastructure. Regions vary by their

relative strengths and weaknesses from which regional specializations

and comparative advantages emerge creating spikes in the

competitive marketplace. The perceived zero-sum game between

communities within a region trying to out-compete one another can and

must be transformed into the pursuit of integration for the purpose of

mutual gain. (p 63)

Instead of competing for talent, technology and capital as single entities,

the many moving parts of the Creative Corridor must begin to drive one

anothers prosperity forward. Most ICC communities by themselves

stand little chance of competing with leading economic regions within

the global economy. But clusters of ICC communities, functioning

regionally are large enough to achieve a critical mass of companies,

institutions, infrastructure and talent yet still small enough to provide

the close interactions among people, firms and organizations that drives

innovation. Regional innovation is the key to economic prosperity. (p64)

Note our critical differentiators are the research institution of the

University of Iowa, coupled with one of the worlds best community

colleges, set in a compilation of neighborhoods that offer a variety of

living conditions and experiences that are easily accessible. This

geographical and demographical advantage is nested within a culture of

innovation the ability to create and bring new things to life.

Note As the world is undergoing major transformation in its critical

systems of education, health care, economic development and

government, we need to learn to play more effectively in this new

environment. See Schwabs Davos paper copied below.


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Regionalism does not have a natural constituency today, and needs

to be led by critical players, such as the University of Iowa and

Kirkwood and the economic development organizations

Many in The Corridor do not understand or recognize the benefits of

regional promotions. There is fear by some, particularly smaller

communities, that by communicating regionally, there will be a dilution

of local personality and identity. Many identify conflicting goals and

competitiveness as the main reason regional efforts struggle here. There

is a lack of meaningful cooperation and collaboration among Corridor

communities and organizations.

Broadly regionalism is seen as a great opportunity in the Cedar Rapids

Iowa City area, benefiting business and industry as well as quality of life

interests. Many see it as a way to broaden the economy but fault theirleaders commitment to the pursuit. Most recognize the savings in time

and resources that communicating regionally can provide. But there are

not quite enough advocates and influencers in place yet. Many are

hopeful that this project will advance regional efforts significantly.

Having the power to generate great ideas AND the expertise to realize

the practical application of great ideas within a few feet or miles of each

other positions The Corridor as a national leader in creativity,

innovation and discovery.

There are many aspects that contribute to a competitive region, and The

Corridor has a good foundation for most of those interests.

Unfortunately regionalism has not been fully embraced here and actions

sometimes contradict pledges of cooperation. But there is a growing

group of regional advocates (as evidenced by this project). In branding

The Corridor, the quicksilver we are trying to capture and leverage is

what occurs differently when this region interacts together and works

as a whole. The whole is certainly greater than the sum of its parts here.The regional brand should elevate The Corridor from an instrument of

physical transportation to an instrument of metaphysical

transformation. So instead of I-380, The Corridor becomes the

supportive, idea-rich, innovative, and creative environment where

entrepreneurs, artists, scientists, students, teachers, artists, biologists,

writers, inventors, and engineers can transform their knowledge into


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power, their learning into great living, and any of their dreams into

reality whether personal or professional. (pages 6&7)

STRATEGIC BRAND PLATFORM:North Star funnels these strategic insights for the brand into a single

sentence, the brand platform. The brand platform is used as a filter for

the formation of creative concepts and implementation initiatives. All

communications, actions and product development should connect to

the essence of this relevant and defining statement. The platform

informed the creative brand expressions and brand action

implementation ideas for The Corridor.

Target Audience: For those seeking a place with infinite possibility,

Frame-of-Reference: the region from Cedar Rapids to Iowa City along

Interstates 380 and 80 in Americas Heartland

Point-of-Difference: is the conduit for a transformative reaction that

sparks knowledge to power, learning to living and dreams to reality

Benefit: so each individual, each idea, each business and each city is

exponentially more successful. (p8)

Note - For us to live this brand promise, we need to have an

overarching narrative, a shared purpose to create a joyful, collaborative

place of co-creation bringing new ideas to life through effective

implementation.

Creative Corridor Brand Narrative The rich, fertile fields of amber

grain belie the roaring waves of cultural, technological and industrial

impact that ripple across the country. The winds of change blow out from

east central Iowa across the prairies and states to touch the far corners ofthe world. In fact, listen closely and you can hear the voice of Iowas

Creative Corridor all the way from the East Coast to the Far East. Because,

here, the evolution and growth of pioneering ideas that advance and

improve life are the norm.

Every day, from the books we read and the films we see to the foods we eat

and the healthcare we receive, Iowas Creative Corridor touches our lives


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in many thousands of ways. By cultivating a culture of innovation, the

seeds are sown for transformational thinking. And ideas are grown that

sustain the world. In the urban and rural areas that lay along the corridor

between Iowa City and Cedar Rapids, knowledge gets turned into power

by a thriving creative network and powerfully connected entrepreneurialcommunity that nurtures and supports idea generation and execution.

A remarkable combination of resources has conspired to make Iowas

Creative Corridor a wellspring of intellectual and artistic pursuits, as well

as science, commerce and industry. The highly esteemed Iowa Writers

Workshop, and iconic American brands such as Quaker Oats, General Mills

and Rockwell Collins, have generated a strong current of talent and

influence that continues to flow consistently from the region, touching and

persuading lives of people everywhere. The mark they have left on our

academic, literary, business and scientific landscapes is indelible.

Recognized as a center of creative and economic renaissance, IowasCreative Corridor draws innovators ranging from Pulitzer-Prize winning

writers to research engineers and digital cottage industries to some of the

worlds most advanced companies. Here, their inspiration and energy are

ignited, new directions are encouraged and positive change is generated.

A seed planted here in the rich soil of Iowas Creative Corridor not only

grows to its potential but its fruit finds its way to the far corners of the

globe while its roots stabilize, support, and sustain an entire region. (p 11)

Global Transformation

From the preparation for the World Economic Forum to be held in

Davos, Switzerland this month (bolding with underlining by Chuck):

The Great transformation

Shaping New Models

23 October 2011 copied from

http://www.weforum.org/events/world-economic-forum-annual-meeting-2012

Some introductory ideas by Professor Klaus Schwab on the theme

of the Annual Meeting 2012


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Over the last three years, the world has been engulfed by political,

economic and, particularly, financial crisis management.We have lost

sight of the fundamental transformation that the world is

undergoing and of where conventional modes of decision-making

have become outdated.W

hat we clearly need are new models forglobal, regional, national and business decision-making which

truly reflect that the context for decision-making has been altered

in unprecedented ways.

Let me outline the four new models I consider musts if we are to

successfully push beyond the current impasse in addressing the critical

challenges.

First, a new model is needed to account for the fundamental power

shifts that have already and are continuing to take place. I am

thinking not only of the seismic shifts of geopolitical and geo-economic

power from West to East and from North to South, but also of the needto integrate new non-state actors who want to have their say and the

capability to do so. Power has become much more distributed.

Thus, we need new models where governance processes on all levels

integrate these newcomers in the most collaborative way. In the old

world, it was hard power hierarchical power that was decisive. Then

came soft power the capability to have a convincing message. But

today, we need to integrate empowered newcomers in what I call

collaborative power the capability to exercise collaborative

power will determine the future on the business, national, regionaland global levels.

A second new model is needed to acknowledge that we live

together in a multicultural, multi-ethnic and multi-religious

world. Prevailing values will have to increasingly accommodate

diversity with substantial challenges for national and individual

identities. We will only make lasting progress by recognizing thatwe

are different but interdependent. Thus, we have to cultivate a

much greater feeling of regional and global togetherness.

A third new model is needed to seriously address the social impactof globalization and the new wave of technological

innovation. Growing inequities within and between countries and

rising unemployment are no longer sustainable and are triggering social

protests, as witnessed throughout the world. We must rethink our

traditional notions of economic growth and global competitiveness, not

only by focusing on growth rates and market penetration, but also,


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equally if not more importantly by assessing the quality of economic

growth.

How is growth to be achieved in the future? How sustainable is it and at

what cost to the environment? How are the gains distributed? What has

become of the family and community fabric, as well as of our culture andheritage? The time has come to embrace a much more holistic,

inclusive and qualitative approach to economic development,

based on the stakeholder and not on a pure shareholder

concept.

We need a fourth new model for job creation. The global economy is

growing more slowly, productivity is still making substantial progress

and unemployment is skyrocketing. We also know that hundreds of

millions of people will enter the job market in the next decade. In

addition to the productivity increases driven by greater resource

efficiency, the industry model is changing and moving upscale, wherefewer people can produce much more value.

The key to mitigating a catastrophic situation is to provide young people

with the capability to create their own jobs: to move from the pure

concept of unemployment to the concept of micro-entrepreneurship.

This will require fundamental changes in educational systems,

nurturing a societal spirit of entrepreneurial risk-taking, allowing

true gender equality to integrate the other half of hidden talents

and making innovation and the support of innovation a key

imperative in public and private life. The success of any nationaland business model for competitiveness in the future will be less

based on capital and much more based on talent. I define this

transition as moving from capitalism to talentism.

I have outlined only four of the new models that form part of the great

transformation regionally and globally to illustrate thatwe are at a

historic inflection point. In Davos, we will discuss many more aspects

of the great transformation, particularly how they create new business

models.

To respond to the expectations of the young generation, we have toprovide them with the hope and confidence that they will not have to

pay for the mistakes and excesses of the present generation. There is a

tipping point where velocity, interconnectivity and complexity

become so pervasive that the whole system collapses, regardless of

whether certain elements at the surface have been addressed.


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The Annual Meeting 2012 in Davos is the place where we must

individually and collectively have the foresight, the commitment and

collaborative power to shape the new models needed to safeguard our

global future, and to respond to the expectations and hopes of the

hundreds of millions of people who presently feel left out.

Documents

Corridor Position Paper