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MONTHLY UPDATE | FEBRUARY 2014

Monthly Update is the email newsletter of the Alliance for Regional Development. For more information or to inquire about submitting content, please contact Kelly O'Brien at (312) 602-5148 or kobrien@allianceRD.org.
A Message from Our Chairmen
Dear Alliance Supporters:
Significant change is underway at the Alliance for Regional Development. In December, we incorporated as a not-for-profit. This change in our organizational status was made in consultation with the U.S. Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration and will afford us the level of independence necessary to develop an implementation plan for the OECD recommendations.
As part of this transition, Bryan Cave LLC is providing space for staff to manage the Alliance at their offices in downtown Chicago. Please note our new mailing address: 161 North Clark Street, Suite 4300, Chicago, IL 60601.
The Alliance continues to be committed to regional economic development. We will be advancing the work started in 2013 and will be organizing the four working teams in the areas of green growth, human capital, innovation and transportation and logistics so that we may move forward with the development of strategic action plans in these areas. We are also in the process of organizing a high-level event at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago for the fourth quarter of 2014 as an opportunity to brief stakeholders about our progress.
We are honored to serve as a pilot effort to promote cross-jurisdictional cooperation within the Tri-State region and, once completed, our work will serve as a national model for other regions facing similar challenges. We are confident that we will be successful in our efforts, and thank you for your continued support and dedication to the betterment of the region we all share.
Sincerely,
 Paul Jones
Wisconsin Chairman
Michael Mullen
Illinois Chairman 
Jim Stanley
Indiana Chairman 

OECD Territorial Review Working Teams Moving Forward
The Alliance for Regional Development initially came together to coordinate the implementation of the key recommendations of the internationally noted 2012 Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development Territorial Review of Chicago's tri-state region, including northeast Illinois, southeast Wisconsin, and northwest Indiana. Alliance stakeholders can expect the working teams that will be charged with developing implementation plans for the Territorial Review recommendations to be announced very soon. The Alliance would like to thank the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago for agreeing to host the kick-off meeting.
Chicago Wins Digital Manufacturing Campus
The Alliance is proud to be an early supporter of the Digital Manufacturing and Design Innovation Lab announced on Sunday by Senator Dick Durbin and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel. Chicago has bested several other regions to receive one of three manufacturing campuses announced by President Barack Obama in January's State of the Union address. The new lab, to be located in leased space on Goose Island in Chicago and managed by UI Labs, is backed by a $70 million grant from the Defense Department and $250 million in private funds.
The Alliance believes the project will help transform the marketplace by leveraging and focusing digital manufacturing technologies to create an approach that aligns the incentives of manufacturing companies, software companies, and manufacturing service providers. Digital manufacturing, specifically as the Digital Manufacturing and Design Innovation Lab is envisioned, has the potential to bring about the next industrial revolution, unlocking billions of dollars of value for the DOD and American companies, creating thousands of jobs, and growing the American economy.
Read Coverage of the Announcement in the Chicago Tribune:
Alliance Hosts German Skills Initiative Discussion
In December, Alliance Wisconsin Operational Officer Carmel Ruffolo organized an introductory meeting with Deputy German Consul General Mario Soos and representatives from the German Skills Initiative. The Initiative is an innovative effort to work directly with a region's industries and businesses to identify workforce development opportunities and design and roll out educational programs tailored specifically to local needs. The Alliance will serve as the lead organization as the internationally lauded Initiative gets underway in Chicago's tri-state region. For more information, contact Kelly O'Brien at (312) 602-5148 or  kobrien@allianceRD.org.
Coming Soon: A New Alliance Website
In the weeks ahead, the Alliance's first-ever organizational website will debut. Staff are in the process of developing the new site in collaboration with a team of student volunteers from DeVry University. The site will serve as a forum to highlight Alliance accomplishments, disseminate news from the working teams and member updates, publicize events, share our newsletters, and showcase our fiscal sponsors. We expect to announce the finished website in the second quarter of this year.  
Bryan Cave Sponsors Office Space for Alliance Staff
The Alliance for Regional Development would like to thank Bryan Cave LLC, Managing Partner Michael K. Ohm and Partner Gregory Hummel for providing space for staff to manage the Alliance at the firm's offices in downtown Chicago.
Alliance Responds to Crain's Article
We agree with Crain's Chicago Business columnist Joe Cahill, who underscored in his February 12 column the importance of collaborating as a region to overcome the obstacles that slow economic growth. The Alliance for Regional Development is proud to be at the forefront of such work. Our response as an organization appeared on the Letters page of Monday's issue of Crain's. In it, we note that the Alliance is a fully independent entity with an already influential voice in planning decisions that affect Chicago's tri-state region. 

(312) 602-5148
161 North Clark Street, Suite 4300 | Chicago, IL 60601 US
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