Heike Mayer has completed her report on the evolution of Boise into a high tech and innovation hub. The 20-page white paper includes research on the Treasure Valley’s economic history, information on high tech employment, industry relationships with Boise State University, and the role of large tech companies as incubators for startups.
The final report includes a visual illustration which maps the “genealogy” of high-tech companies in the valley. The map is also available as a poster being distributed by Idaho TechConnect and the Department of Commerce. (Contact Krissa Wrigley at 562-3701 (krissa.wrigley@idahotechconnect.com) or Julie Howard at 334-2470 (julie.howard@commerce.idaho.gov) to order copies.)
Mayer is an assistant professor and acting director of the Urban Affairs and Planning Program at Virginia Tech University. Though she did get a lot of help with her research from the Idaho Office of Science and Technology and Idaho TechConnect, her work is independent. In fact, her report on Boise is part of a larger project looking at emerging innovation hubs around the country.
Her findings on public policy, which were at the front of the report, are a cause for concern – especially because Mayer has been looking at the state’s economy with an outsider’s perspective:
Idaho’s state and local policymakers have to understand and recognize the importance of the knowledge economy. They need to support entrepreneurship, industry-university connections, workforce and skill development, talent creation, and the region’s quality of life. Knowledge-based industries are critical for future growth for any region, and Boise needs to recognize that it already has the right prerequisites to succeed in a knowledge economy. To take the region to the next level, policymakers need to make strategic investments in their universities, connect to and leverage industry R&D, and they need to develop, attract and retain talent.
The full paper is available from
Virginia Tech and
Idaho TechConnect.
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5 Comments
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I caught a sneak peek at the genealogy poster recently. It looks great. Fantastic work Heike! And kudos to Idaho TechConnect for coordinating with Heike and state agencies to get this done. An outsider analysis, especially one from Heike who has analyzed so many other cities, is absolutely invaluable to our state's strategy for growth. And Heike is dead on: there are loads of talent in this valley and state, but too few sparks to ignite the vapors. "The horse that got us here" just ain't vital enough to take us up the next hill. It's time for the state and universities to nurture emerging companies, not just to keep the old ones from dying. Comment By Wyatt
Friday, February 29, 2008 @ 12:57 PM
Idaho Airships, Inc. is honored to be included on the poster. Comment By Leo A. Geis
Friday, February 29, 2008 @ 6:01 PM
What stroke me when looking at the map was the large number of companies flying around in this community of just 250000 people living here – most of which I had never heard of, let alone know what they are doing. This map could be a great starting point for someone of getting in touch and connecting us all. The obvious choices: our Chamber of Commerce or the local press seem to be asleep at the wheel in this regard. Heike, maybe you want to take a stab at it? You´ve got all the data at your fingertips now. Oliver Fritsch, CEO Download my new book "9-Step to Marketing Success" free: http://www.hp.com/sbso/special/doityourself/ebook.html Read my Marketing Blog: http://blog.cendesic.com Comment By Oliver Fritsch
Saturday, March 1, 2008 @ 10:55 AM
"Carpe Opportunitatem!" A nice step forward indeed! But doesn't that suggest seizing the moment & taking some action? However, that begs two very important questions... 1) What could we do? 2) WHO should do it? #1) WHAT to Do? Many of have heard me list the best practices that Idaho could do right now and for pretty cheap. I'm happy to share the list I sent at Rick Carpenter's request. (If you want to see a state that's done it right, look at North Dakota. This involved more investment, but has paid off handsomely... across the whole state. I hope Butch will spend 30 minutes on the phone with ND's Governor John Hoeven!) #2: WHO to do it? To use the old VC maxim, you don't bet on the horse, you bet on the jockey. Even the best ideas need expert design & expert implementation. Rather than whine about Idaho's penchant for turf battling, let me suggest a quick read of this great article by Karen Stephenson: http://pronetos.com/disciplines/75/articles/142 Karen is an old acquaintance (family business, then social entrep) but she is really rocking with this. And, she is willing to advise me in replicating her Philadelphia study. (Co-authors welcome, of course.) Her #1 conclusion should not be a surprise but having your task force or advisory council comprised of the big dogs isn't a recipe for action. Who you need are the selfless connectors. (The IRP's new Entrepreneurship Task Force & Kickstand's new Strategic Community Partners effort are examples where most active participants are passionate experts and equally passionate... connectors.) Who's in? NK norris.krueger@gmail.com Comment By Norris Krueger
Sunday, March 2, 2008 @ 10:55 PM
Pursuant to multiple email requests: What to do? See the March 3rd post (http://pronetos.com/disciplines/75/articles/143 ) Comment By Norris Krueger
Monday, March 3, 2008 @ 5:51 PM
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