Project Innovation:  Action to Power our Local Economy We Have "APPS" For That

Action Projects for Producing Success will be announced at upcoming Project Innovation Program

Project Innovation, the Economic Development Council of Collier County (EDC) award winning initiative to create and execute a plan for economic sustainability announces the next Community of Innovation event.  The program is slated for Tuesday, December 15, 2009 at 8:00 a.m. at the Naples Hilton.

During the program, Jeff Lytle, Editorial Page Editor and Host of One-On-One with Jeff Lytle will be moderator of an endorser panel which will explain and discuss the work of the endorser organizations over the summer months and each of the six drivers that drove the identification of the Action Projects for Producing Success (APPS).  The cost to attend to program is $15.00 per person; you may register on-line at www.eNaplesFlorida.com.

Project Innovation is an initiative that was started in 2008 by the Economic Development Council of Collier County (EDC) as a means for creating a culture in Collier County that will attract high wage employees and an environment that will support world class talent.  The process has focused on bringing community-wide consensus on the importance of economy-building, a step needed to enable substantive change; fostering creativity in identifying new opportunities, an approach needed to develop a sustainable economy; and collaboration on delivering needed resources and initiatives, a strategy needed to put ideas into action. Project Innovation is about action to power our local economy and has two simple, but critical goals: 

              TO CREATE A SHARED VISION and action plan for a strong and innovative economy, using the power of our entire community.

              TO STIMULATE INNOVATION among businesses, schools, government and the community.

The initiative's honorary co-chairmen are the Honorable Tom Grady, Florida House of Representatives; Dolph von Arx, Chairman, Regional Business Alliance; and Chris Doyle, President & Publisher, Naples Daily News.  

Through the Project Innovation process, Collier County created a declaration for its community or as it is referred to, the declaration for the place we call home. This declaration states that Collier County is a diverse community, recognized worldwide for its innovative spirit, its vibrant economy and its outstanding quality of life.  Six drivers provide the framework for identifying goals and priority projects that will be supported by the community.  The drivers are Quality of Place, Innovation, Business Climate, Governance, Infrastructure and Talent. 

The initial work of Project Innovation, or Phase one, brought the community together in a variety of ways that included Community of Innovation - town-hall type meetings that included moderator Don Upton, of Fairfield Index.   Innovators' Insights videos posted online helps to better understand the types of innovative entrepreneurs and companies that are located in Collier County.  Champions of Innovation brought the community out to tour local businesses and hear first hand from the innovative entrepreneurs that lead those companies.  The State of Innovation, a monthly radio interview, helped to keep the community updated on the progress of Project Innovation and how they could become involved.  In addition, meetings of the endorser organizations helped to refine the framework and ensure that the community was heard and reflected in work product.

Throughout the summer of 2009, volunteers from the endorser organizations held more than 20 meetings and spent hundreds of hours taking what was crafted during the Community of Innovation programs and transforming them into a final framework for the drivers, goals and indicators and identified Action Projects for Producing Success or "APPS".  The indicators will be used to benchmark the community to regional, state, national and international standards, as well as a way to determine specific measures that will be identified and tracked over time to demonstrate success or determine areas that may need improvement. 

The Project Innovation process is designed to ensure long-term vision and shared responsibility for improving Collier County.  As Jim Fields of the Palmetto Institute stated during a February Community of Innovation program, "This is a marathon, not a sprint." 

For more information on how to become involved in Project Innovation, or to become a Corporate Supporter contact the EDC at 239 (263) 8989 or visit the Project Innovation web site at www.ProjectInnovation.cc.   Community of Innovation program scheduled for December 15, 2009, 8am at the Naples Hilton.  The cost to attend to program is $15.00 per person; you may register on-line at www.eNaplesFlorida.com.