Creating Innovation Capacity in Rural Places

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Creating Innovation Capacity in Traditional, Rural Places May 6, 2015 Jeff James

Transcript of Creating Innovation Capacity in Rural Places

Creating Innovation Capacity in Traditional, Rural Places

May 6, 2015

Jeff James

Innovation drives everything.

“Creativity can solve almost any problem. The creative act, the defeat of habit by originality, overcomes everything.”

George Lois

The Logic

1. We live in a global innovation-based economy 2. The fuel of innovation is educated, skilled, creative talent 3. Creative talent is mobile and connected 4. Innovative, high quality places attract, develop and retain

creative talent 5. To prosper in the Innovation Economy, we must build

creative communities 6. Prosperity leads to improved health and quality of life

4

Do Creativity and Innovation Matter?

Happier People? Better Communities?

Source: The Atlantic, March 2012http://bit.ly/1dK0nDp

72% of college graduates go on to do creative work

Creative Jobs in the Innovation Economy

Diversity and InclusionTalent/Education

Technology Quality of Place

Building Creative Talent RequiresExcellent Creative Magnets and Generators

Innovation and Creativity Hot Spots

WVU/Morgantown

WVHTCF/I-79

Elkins/D&E

Buckhannon/Wesleyan

Berkeley Springs

Shepherdstown/Shepherd U.

Fayetteville/NRG

Lewisburg

Create Huntington/Marshall Univ

Princeton/Mercer County

Thomas/Davis

Wheeling/West LibBethany College/

John Marshall H.S.

Potential New Hot Spots

WVU/Morgantown

WVHTCF/I-79

Elkins/D&E

Buckhannon/Wesleyan

Berkeley Springs

Shepherdstown/Shepherd U.

Fayetteville/NRG

Lewisburg

Create Huntington/Marshall Univ

Princeton/Mercer County

Thomas/Davis

Marlinton/SnowshoeRichwood

Beckley

Charleston/UC/WV State

Hatfield-McCoyRegion

GlenvillePoint Pleasant

Hinton/Athens/Concord Univ

Spencer

New Martinsville/Sistersville

Parkersburg

Wheeling/West LibBethany College

Moundsville

Potential New Hot Spots

WVU/Morgantown

WVHTCF/I-79

Elkins/D&E

Buckhannon/Wesleyan

Berkeley Springs

Shepherdstown/Shepherd U.

Fayetteville/NRG

Lewisburg

Create Huntington/Marshall Univ

Princeton/Mercer County

Thomas/Davis

Marlinton/SnowshoeRichwood

Beckley

Charleston/UC/WV State

Hatfield-McCoyRegion

GlenvillePoint Pleasant

Hinton/Athens/Concord Univ

Spencer

New Martinsville/Sistersville

Parkersburg

Wheeling/West LibBethany College

Moundsville

Pittsburgh

Wash DC/Baltimore

Roanoke/Blacksburg

What Counts as “Innovation”?

What Makes a Person Creative?

Sources: Creativity Research Journal 2013; Scott Barry Kaufman blog - Scientific American

Temperament? DivergentThinking?

What Makes a Person Creative?

Sources: Creativity Research Journal 2013; Scott Barry Kaufman blog - Scientific American

Inputs: ExperiencesInformation

Briskness Endurance

Activity

Outputs: VisionsQuestionsAttempts

FeedbackNegative/Positive

Reinforcement

To Make a Creative Person:• Frequent, diverse inputs: experiences, information • Exercises that develop briskness, endurance, activity • Feedback on outputs that provides positive new

inputs: encouragement, suggestions, “what if’s”, etc.

Helping or Hurting?

What is a Creative Community?

A community that facilitates inputs, exercises and feedback that produce creative people and creative groups.

How to Build a Creative Community?Inputs (Experiences & Information)

Exercises (Briskness, Endurance, Activity)

Feedback (Analysis & Positive Reinforcement)

Home (family) Kits (Parents, teachers) Showcase Areas Daycare & School Internships Awards Playground & Park Idea Teams Ceremonies & CertificatesShopping Areas Contests/Challenges Reviews Fairs & Events • Town Signs Mentors

Houses of Worship • Team Uniforms Badges Libraries • Town Planning • LockerMeetings • Business Plans • Book bagHangouts • Storefront Newspaper Project Assignments • Business card Web Sites & Apps

Systemic Creativity

CulturalInstitutions

Academic &Research Systems

U.S.’s Most Creative Cities

• San Francisco• Boston• Nashville• Austin• New York• Portland• Los Angeles • Seattle• Detroit • Oakland

Forbes.com, 7/15/14 America’s Most Creative Cities

Urban Advantages?

Role Models and MentorsDiversity of People, Ideas, Experiences

Risk Tolerance(Inputs, Exercises, Feedback)

Innovation Loves Company

Can WV Do This? New HeroesPeopleLynk• Patient relationship management solution launched in Charleston 2010 by

WV native • Moved to Fort Myers, FL, 2012 due to talent recruitment and investment

obstacles in WV • Sold to Greenway for millions March 2014

PracticeLink• Physician job recruitment web site started in Hinton, WV, by WV native • 50+ jobs created

Contemporary American Theater Festival • Nationally-recognized theater festival launched 1991 in Shepherdstown • To date has produced 95+ plays by 69 American Authors, including 34 world

premieres

SustainU • Successful Morgantown-based startup apparel manufacturer using recycled

fabrics • Founded by WV native Chris Yura

MedExpress• Leading quick-care healthcare chain• HQ in Morgantown, WV • Founded by Lewisburg, WV native Frank Alderman

About Create WV• Mission

– Build creative communities for the innovation economy growth to empower West Virginians at a local level to place themselves among the most innovative, dynamic, prosperous, creative communities in the world.

• Launched publicly June 2007 (createwv.org)• Incubated from Vision Shared’s Creative

Communities team (visionshared.com)• Independent organization as of Spring 2011• Board members

“Here a diverse community of West Virginians comes together to create a West Virginia that thrives on innovation, artistic vision, connectivity, diversity, entrepreneurship, technology and growth.”

In short – a West Virginia for the New Economy.

Jeff James, CEO, Mythology (President)

CJ Rylands, CEO, CJ Maggie’s Restaurants

Bob Coffield, Member, Flaherty, Sensabaugh and Bonnasso

Carrie White, Director, West Liberty University Entrepreneurship Center

Sarah Halstead, WV State University, DigiSo

Nesha Sanghavi, CEO, University Girls Apparel

Progress to Date• Seven statewide conferences

– Over 2,100 trained

• 25+ community workshops • Innovation economy/creative

community activity in 10+ communities – Create Huntington, Create

Buckhannon, Create Fayetteville, Princeton Renaissance, others

• Incubator pilot– Digiso program with WV State

University Econ Dev Center

Conferences

WVSU EDC - DigiSo

Five-Year Plan To-Do’sCategory Initiative/Program(s)

Entrepreneurship Startup Camps/Academies High-Growth Innovator FundEntrepreneurship Community Hub (Digiso Centers)

Place New Appalachia Design Standard Certified Creative Communities

Education Innovation Camps (Teachers, Students, Parents) Innovation Academy H.S. (Online + Physical) Innovation Internship Program

Technology Community Connectivity Pilots (Broadband innovation)

Diversity New Appalachia Cultural Program – Curriculum & Events

Come Visit Us!

Is it working?

North Central WV Tech Industry

Rural Innovation – Hatfield-McCoy Region, WV

Rural Innovation – Fayetteville, WV

Rural Innovation – Alderson, WV

Rural Innovation – Fayetteville, WV

Female Entrepreneurs

Rural Innovation Takeaways

• Map and build your Input-Exercise-Feedback engine

• Get young people involved 10x more • Build creative communities in creative

regions• Jump start ideas and excitement with

creative invasions • Tap into ex-patriate networks • Leverage academic and cultural institutions

Thank you!

“Creativity can solve almost any problem. The creative act, the defeat of habit by originality,

overcomes everything.”

Jeff Jamestwitter.com/createwv

createwv.org