Partnerships Investing in Our Communities · school. The result is that places like Austin, Boston,...

Investing in Our CommunitiesPartnershipsCommunitySustainabilityCompetitivenessKnowledge Economy

A Business Civic Leadership Center ReportPublished December 2008

AN AFFILIATE OF THEU.S. CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

Business Civic Leadership

• TheMainStreetInvestmentAgenda:HowCompaniesAre HelpingU.S.CommunitiesAdapttoToday’sChallenges,by StephenJordan

Community by Community

Atlanta, Georgia

• CorporateEntitiesandSustainableEfforts,ByRhondaMims, INGFoundation •VolunteerismandAtlanta-areaBusinesses, ByShawnReifsteck,PointsofLightInstitute

Chapel Hill, North Carolina

•NewRealities,NewOpportunities,ByAaronNelson, ChapelHill-CarborroChamberofCommerce

•BuildingCross-sectorInitiativesforaSustainableCommunity, ByAnneMcKune,FoundationforaSustainableCommunity

• SPECIALFEATURE:CommunityInformationSharingbythe InternationalEconomicDevelopmentCouncil

Newark, New Jersey

• InvestinginthePresent—andFuture—ofNewark, ByDariaPlacitella,PNCFinancialServicesGroup


• TeachingLifeSkillstoWestSideHighStudents,ByCarolyn Berkowitz,CapitalOne

T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S

Investing in Our Communities

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Overview of Corporate Community Investment

• TheMainStreetInvestmentAgenda:HowCompaniesAre HelpingU.S.CommunitiesAdapttoToday’sChallenges,by StephenJordan

Community by Community

Atlanta, Georgia

• CorporateEntitiesandSustainableEfforts,ByRhondaMims, INGFoundation • VolunteerismandAtlanta-areaBusinesses, ByMichelleNunn,PointsofLightInstitute


•NewRealities,NewOpportunities,ByAaronNelson, ChapelHill-CarborroChamberofCommerce

• BuildingCross-sectorInitiativesforaSustainableCommunity, ByAnneMcKune,FoundationforaSustainableCommunity


Newark, New Jersey

• InvestinginthePresent—andFuture—ofNewark, ByDariaPlacitella,PNCFinancialServicesGroup


• TeachingLifeSkillstoWestSideHighStudents,ByCarolyn Berkowitz,CapitalOne

Palm Beach County, Florida

• CorporateCommunityInvestmentPaysValuable Dividends,ByMaryWong,OfficeDepotFoundation

• City,Business,andSchools:UniqueOpportunitiesfor Partnership,ByMarjorieFerrer,DelrayBeach DowntownMarketingCooperative

•UncoveringUnlimitedPossibilities,ByKellySmallridge, PalmBeachCountyDevelopmentBoard

Silicon Valley, California

• EntrepreneurialSolutionsforSiliconValley’sChallenges, ByDiptiPratt,EntrepreneursFoundation

•PartnershipstoImproveInfrastructure,ByCarlGuardino, SiliconValleyLeadershipGroup

The Final Word

• BacktoBasics:TheFinancialCrisisRequiresaParadigmShift, ByJoelKotkin,ChapmanUniversity

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2 • A Business Civic Leadership Center Report

The Main Street Investment Agenda: How Companies Are Helping U.S. Communities Adapt to Today’s Challenges

By Stephen Jordan

Thechallengeandopportunityofourtimeis:Howdowehelpourcommu-nitiesandcompaniesadapttotheforcesshapingourera?And,howdowehelppeoplerealizethatcompaniesareagentsofpositivechange?

Communitiestodayareadaptingtoanumberoftrends.Thesetrendsinclude:

• Populationshifts • Anincreasingdisconnectbetweenpoliticaland social/economicboundaries • Higherdemandforeducationandworkforce-development services • Moreunhappinessoverthehome-transportation-officeequation • Risingconcernsabouttheenvironment,qualityoflife, andsustainability • Anincreasingnumberofcommunityactivistgroupsand nonprofitorganizations

Asacountry,wearenotjustdealingwithonetransformativetrend;wearedealingwithanumberofthem.Theyareallhappeningatthesametime,creatinglayeruponlayerofissuestoconfront.

December 2008 • 3

Population Shifts

TheUnitedStatesisbecomingmorediverse,older,andmoredecentralized.Fortymillionciti-zenstracetheiroriginstoHispanicroots.SchooldistrictsinsuchdistinctgeographiesasFairfaxCounty,Virginia;LosAngeles,California;andMi-ami,Floridahavetotakeintoaccountnumerousethnicities,languages,andcultures.

Lifeexpectancycontinuestoincrease,asthelargestgenerationinhistory—70millionBabyBoomersstrong—getsreadytoretire.PlaceslikeAtlanta,Houston,LasVegas,andPhoenixcontinuetospreadout.Theyarenolongerthesameplacesthattheyweredesignedtobeagenerationortwoago,notnecessarilybecausetheirinhabitantshavemovedout,butbecausesomanynewpeoplehavemovedin.

CompaniesasdisparateasAT&T,CVSCaremark,Erickson,HealthCareServiceCorporation,IBC,andIBMaredealingwithdifferentaspectsofthesephenomenainnewanddifferentways,offeringnewproductsthroughnewvehiclesofcommunication,empoweringemployeesandhelpingthemtobuildparallelcareersincommu-nityservice,andworkingwithcommunitylead-erstoanalyzeneighborhoodneeds,communityintegration,andinter-generationalrelationshipbuilding.

An Increasing Disconnect between Political and Social/Economic Boundaries

Atthesametimethatmanyurbancentersaregettingmorecompact,theirmetroareasareexpanding.Detroit,with800,000people,ishalfaslargeasitwas50yearsago.

Buffalo,Cleveland,Flint,andPittsburghhavealllostsignificantpercentagesoftheirpopulation.

Washington,D.C.,haslost50percentofitspop-ulationinthelast50years,butgreaterWashing-tonnownumbersmorethan4millionpeople.

Atlantadoesnotmakethelistofthe25-largestcities,butgreaterAtlantacountsmorethan5millionpeople.ThesamegoesforMiami.Meanwhile,wehaveghosttownsinmanypartsofruralAmerica,andchamberofcommerceleadersinsmalltownsfromMinnesotatoOkla-homatellustheyhaveahardtimekeepingtheiryoungpeople.

Companiesarepartandparcelofthischang-inglandscape.EmployersinNorthernVirginiaworryaboutcommutingtimesfromsuburbanMarylandandartsandculturalsitesinD.C.TheAlleghenyCouncilinterfaceswithnumeroustownshipsacrossthePittsburghmetroarea.TheeconomicandsocialgeographyofCharlottehasasmuchtodowithSouthCarolinaasitdoeswithNorthCarolina.


Theresultisthatcompaniesarefindingthem-selvesintheroleofbridgingdifferentpoliticaljuris-dictionstoworkoncommonregionalchallenges.

Higher Demand for Education and Workforce-Development Services

Officialsfromcompaniesofallsizeslamentthelackofavailabilityofaknowledgeableandskilledworkforce.

Infact,theunfilled-jobsrateisexpectedtobehigherthantheunemploymentrateinthenext10years.TheU.S.Chamber’sInstituteforaCom-petitiveWorkforcehaspublishedareportcalledLeadersandLaggards,whichcallsattentiontothedifferentialsineducationthatmanygeogra-phieshavetoface.

Companies,likeAllstateInsuranceCompany,GlaxoSmithKline,KPMG,andPNCFinancialServicesCompany,arerespondingbyinvestingmillionsofdollarsincradle-to-graveeducationopportunities,fromearly-childhoodeduca-tionthroughK–12,college,andevengraduateschool.

TheresultisthatplaceslikeAustin,Boston,Boulder,Raleigh-Durham,andtheSanFranciscoBayAreaaretoday’shotbedsofinnovation,entrepreneurship,design,strategy,andengineering.Theirchiefbusinessasset?Theiruniversities.Communitycolleges,continuingeducationprograms,TeachforAmerica,SCORE,andothertraining,mentoring,andskills-developinginstitutionsarealsoreceivingincreasingcorporatesupport,becauseitiswidelyknownthateffectiveeducationisoneofthemostpowerfulpoverty-reduction/community-buildingsystemswehaveavailable.

More Unhappiness over the Home-Transportation-Office EquationFromSeattleandMinneapolistoL.A.andWash-ington,D.C.,companiesingeographiesacrossthenationarere-examiningthewaycommuni-tiesarebuilt.Studiesaboutemployeequalityoflifeandlosttimeduetotrafficcongestionareraisingawarenessaboutthestressescausedbytherelationshipbetweensiteselection,adequatetransportationinfrastructure,andaffordablehousing.

Companiesarerespondinginavarietyofways.ManyareexploringICT(informationandcommunicationstechnology)solutionsliketelecommutingandteleconferencing.Othersareinvestinginincentivestousepublictransportationorcarpooling.Stillothersaremoreactivelyengaginginlocalcommunitydesignandplanningprocesses.

Rising Concerns about the Environment, Quality of Life and Sustainability

Oneofthebiggesttrendsthatemergedoverthispastyearwasanincreasingfocusontheenvironment,qualityoflife,andsustainabilityfactors.

Sustainabilityisbecominganissuethatwillhaveaprofoundre-orderingeffectoncommu-nityplanning,infrastructuredevelopment,sup-plychainmanagement,andtravelandtourism,tonamejustafewofthedisciplinesthatwillbeaffectedbyincreasedconcernoverclimatechange.

December 2008 • 5


Companiesandcommunitiesaresortingthroughchallengeslike:Whoisresponsibleforwhat?Howdowecope?Howdoweadapttorealizethefullpotentialofsustainabledevel-opment?ItisasthoughsomeonecirculatedamemototheentireFortune1000businesscom-munity,becausealmosteverysinglecompanythatweworkedwithin2008announcedsomekindofsustainabilityinitiative.

Ofcourse,manypioneershadinvestedinsomeformof“green”programlongbefore:Weyer-haeuser’scorporateheadquartersisamonu-menttogreendesign.UPShasbeentrackingitscarbonfootprintandothersustainabilityfactorsforyears.AttheGreenCommunityexpo,spon-soredinpartbytheHomeDepotFoundation,attheNationalBuildingMuseum,itwasfascinat-ingtoseehowcompanieswerecontributingtogreencommunitiesasdiverseasGreensburg,Kansas,andMendoza,Argentina.

An Increasing Number of Community Activist Groups and Nonprofit Organizations

Anothersignificanttrendthisyearwasagrow-ingawarenessoftheimportanceandinfluenceofnonprofitandcommunitygroups.

CompaniessuchasAccenture,BoozAllenHamil-ton,andtheOfficeDepotFoundationsponsoredevents,producedreports,andhostedforumstohelpbuildnonprofitorganizations’capacitytofulfilltheirmissionsandtobringcommunitygroupstogether.

AsDianeAviv,presidentofIndependentSec-tor,noted,thenumberofnonprofitgroupsintheUnitedStateshasexploded(therearemorethan1.4millionatthetimeofthiswriting),whilecharitablecontributionstothosegroupshavegrownatamuchmoremodestrate.Thisdichotomybetweenneedandresourceshascausedmanypeople,notjustcorporatelead-ers,toscrutinizethenonprofitsectortoidentifywaystoimprovetheefficiencyandprofessionaldeliveryofneededservices.

Thoughlargelyignoredinthenationalmedia,partnershipsbetweenbusinesses,nonprofits,andpublicentitiesareatthefrontlinesofad-dressingcommunitychallenges.And,whiletheymightnotgetmuchcredit,businessesarealsosomeofthemostsignificantcontributorstolo-calcommunitydevelopment.

Outlook

Intheevolutionofadaptingtotoday’schal-lenges,Ibelievethatwewillseeseveralnewdevelopments.

First,Ithinkthatknowledge-economyinterestsandcommunityinterestsareconverging.Indi-vidualshaveneverbeensoempoweredormoremobile.Paradoxically,thismeansthat“place”mattersevenmore.OneoftheSASInstitute’srecruitingtoolsisthequalityoflifeinCary,NC.SanFrancisco,Seattle,andotherpartsoftheBayAreaalsohavebenefitedfromthisphenom-enon.

December 2008 • 7


“Edu-capitalism”mayhavebeenpioneeredbyMITandStanfordgrads,butAustin,BatonRouge,andCharlottesvilleareharbingersofwhatmaylieinstoreforotheruniversitytowns,andweareonlyintheearlystagesofcommu-nity“armsraces”inquality-of-lifecompetitionsforhighlyskilled,highlyeducatedworkers.

Second,theCommunityReinvestmentAct(CRA)andotherhousingandurbandevelopmentpoliciesneedtobeoverhauledandupdated.CompaniesareadvancingthespiritofCRAbyinvestingintherevitalizationofpoorneighbor-hoodsandincreasingtheopportunitiesavailabletothepeoplelivinginthem,buttheliteralistsoftenreward“bricksandsticks”investmentattheexpenseofthis“soft”investmentineduca-tionandsustainability.

Third,manycorporatecitizenshipandCSRprogramsaretrendingtowardbecominglong-termbusiness-developmentofficesfortheircompanies.CSRofficersarestudyingexternalcommunityfactorswithmoreofabusinesslens.Crime,longcommutes,poorenvironmentalconditions,fewcommunityamenities,andpooreducationorhealthcareservicesallaffectbusi-nesses’competitiveconditions.Companylead-ersarebeginningtorealizetoafullerextentthattheirbusinessesdonotoperateinavacuum,andthatexternalaffairsrequireprofessionalmanagement,notphilanthropy.

Fourth,companiesaredemandingincreasedvisibilityaboutcommunitytrendsandfuturecommunity-developmentobjectives.Compa-niesdonothavethebigbucksthatgovernmentagencieshavetoaddresssocialfactors,sotheyareincreasinglyfocusingonwheretheycanaddcomplementaryvalue.Todothiswell,community-developmentpatternsneedtobemoretransparent.Companyofficialsrepeatedlytellustheyneedtobepartofthedevelopmentprocess,notjustpresentedwithfaitsaccomplis,likeanewchildren’shospitalormuseumwing,andthenaskedtopayforthem.

Todothiswell,community-developmentpat-ternsneedtobemoretransparent.Companyofficialsrepeatedlytellustheyneedtobepartofthedevelopmentprocess,notjustpresentedwithfaitsaccomplis,likeanewchildren’shos-pitalormuseumwing,andthenaskedtopayforthem.

Finally,thecollapseoftheenergy,housing,andfinancialbubblescannotbeignored.Manycompaniesandcommunitiesaregoingtofaceresourceconstraintspreciselywhensocialconditionsmayrequireadditionalinvestment.Intheshortterm,thiswillexacerbatethepressuretomakecommunity-investmentpracticesmoreefficient,butitwillalsomakethesharingofef-fectivecommunitypracticesmorevital. Weareatthedawnofanewnationalproject:therestructuringoftheUnitedStatesand,byextension,therestoftheworld,toaddresspowerfulnewtrendsaffectingcommunityandeconomicdevelopment. Itisonlyprudentthatwehaveanationalconver-sationtoanalyzewhatishappeningandhowtoputourselvesinthebestpositiontomaximizethebenefitsfromtheseforcesandminimizetheircosts. Asthispublicationwillshow,manycompaniesandcommunitiesarealreadytakingstepstoaddresstheseissues.Ourhopeistoencour-ageanddisseminatethemosteffectiveofthesepractices.

Finally,thecollapseoftheenergy,housing,andfinancialbubblescannotbeignored.Manycompaniesandcommunitiesaregoingtofaceresourceconstraintspreciselywhensocialcon-ditionsmayrequireadditionalinvestment.Intheshortterm,thiswillexacerbatethepres-suretomakecommunity-investmentpracticesmoreefficient,butitwillalsomakethesharingofeffectivecommunitypracticesmorevital.

Weareatthedawnofanewnationalproject:therestructuringoftheUnitedStatesand,byextension,therestoftheworld,toaddresspowerfulnewtrendsaffectingcommunityandeconomicdevelopment.

Itisonlyprudentthatwehaveanationalconver-sationtoanalyzewhatishappeningandhowtoputourselvesinthebestpositiontomaximizethebenefitsfromtheseforcesandminimizetheircosts.

Asthispublicationwillshow,manycompaniesandcommunitiesarealreadytakingstepstoaddresstheseissues.Ourhopeistoencour-ageanddisseminatethemosteffectiveofthesepractices.

December 2008 • 9

December 2008 • 11

Atlanta, GeorgiaAtlanta is home of the world’s busiest airport and the fifth largest concentration of Fortune 500 companies in the nation.

-Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce

Total Pop.486,411(2006est.)

Pop. Increase16.8%(2000–2006)

People with Bachelor’sDegree or Higher34.6%(2000)

People with High School Diploma76.9%(2000)

Median Household Income$34,770(1999)

Persons below Poverty24.4%(1999)

Total Number of Firms43,576(2002)

Avg. Commute to Work28.3minutes(2000)

The data represent only the city of Atlanta and not the whole of the metro area.

(Source: U.S. Census Bureau State & County QuickFacts)

OnJuly30,2008,agroupofBCLCstaffmembersgatheredwithofficialsfromtheAtlantaregion’sbusiness,civic,andgovernmentsectorsattheINGheadquarterstodiscusscorporateinvestmentinthecommunity.Thegoalwastouncoverspecificchallengeswithinthecommunityandexploretherolethebusinesssectorcanplayinaddressingthem.Amongtheissuesmentionedweresustainability,sprawl,at-riskyouth,education,conservation,andinfrastructure.Somearediscussedfurtherhere.


Corporate Entities and Sustainable Efforts

By Rhonda Mims

Atlanta, Georgia

Whatroledocorporationsplayinshapingourcommunities?Toanswerthisquestion,ING,inpartnershipwiththeBusinessCivicLeadershipCenter(BCLC),hostedacorporatecommunityinvestment(CCI)foruminAtlantaduringthesummerof2008.

Corporate-responsibilityleadersfromcompaniesinmetroAtlanta,suchasGeorgiaPacificandCocaCola,aswellasofficialsfromareachambersofcommerceandtheEconomicDevelopmentAdministration,gatheredtodiscusshowcivicandbusinessleaderscouldjoineffortstoaddressenvironmental-sustainabilityactivitiesinthecommunity.

What We Learned

ING,alongwithothercorporateandcommunityleadersinAtlanta,isuniquelysituatedtohelpmovebeyondadiscussionandtowardaction.Alloftheparticipantsintheforumagreedthatsustainabilityisaleadingconcernthatrequiresourimmediateattention.

Theforumwasthefirststepincapturingideastomoveforward.Weagreedtocontinueoverthenextyeartolookatnewapproachestosustainablecommunitydevelopment.WiththesupportofBCLCandtheU.S.ChamberofCommerce,INGwillplayaleadingroleindevelopingapublic-privatepartnershipinmetroAtlantathatcanbeamodelforothercommunities.


How ING Mitigates Its Environmental Impact

INGhastakenstepstodecreaseourcarbonfootprint.In2007,webeganpurchasingmorethan75millionkilowatt-hours(kWh)ofgreenpowerannually—enoughgreenpowertomeet100percentofourcompany’spurchasedelectricityusedforourU.S.operations.

Thispurchaseofrenewableenergyalsoisequivalenttoavoidingthecarbonemissionsofnearly10,000passengervehiclesperyear,andcorrespondstotheamountofelectricityneededtopowermorethan7,000averageAmericanhomesannually.

Whilepurchasinggreenpowerhelpsourcom-panybecomemoresustainable,wehopewearesendingamessagetoothercompaniesacrosstheUnitedStatesthatsupportingcleansourcesofelectricityisasoundbusinessdecisionandanimportantchoiceinreducingclimaterisk.

Butthat’sjustonecomponentofourenvironmentalstrategy.

Wealsoarefocusingonwaystoreduceourenvironmentalimpactthroughwastereductionandenergy-efficiencyinitiatives,theadditionofnewrecycled-paperoptionsforalloffices,morerobustrecyclingprograms,andeco-friendlyprocurementpractices.Agrassroots,employee-ledteamcalledOrangeGoesGreenisalsohelpingtobuildawarenessamongouremployeesabouthowtheycanlive“greener”atworkandhome,includingsupportingenvironmentalvolunteeropportunities.

Everyone Can Promote a Healthy Environment

Theroleofcorporateentitiestoaddressenviron-mentalsustainabilityisanimportantone.Morethanever,customers,investors,businesspart-ners,andemployeesareevaluatingcompaniesontheirsustainabilitypractices.

Wehavelearnedthatmunicipalauthoritiesandcivicentitiesareenergizedandreadytolendalisteningearandtakeactionwhencorporateinvolvementispresent.

Itisimperativeforrepresentativesintheorga-nizationsthatarechampioningsustainabilityeffortstoleveragetheopportunitytopartnerandempowerourcommunitiestobemoreenviron-mentallyconscious.

Rhonda Mims is president of the ING Founda-tion and senior vice president of ING’s Office of Corporate Citizenship and Responsibility.


Volunteerism and Atlanta-area Businesses

By Shawn Reifsteck

Atlanta, Georgia

Millionsofpeopleinourcountrygivetheirtime,talent,andenergytohelpothers.Businesseshaveplayedanintegralroleincontributingtosocialcausesforthepasttwocenturies,andemployeevolunteersofferunparal-leledresourcesthatenablethemtogiveback.

Formorethanadecadenow,corporatecitizenship,includingworkplacevolunteering,hascontinuedtogainprominence.Astoday’scompaniesfaceaglobalbusinessmarketcharacterizedbyincreasingcompetitionfromava-rietyofsources,theneedtofunctionmoreefficientlyanddifferentiatefromothersisabusinessimperative.

Momentumisgainingamongbusinessleadersbelievingthatcompaniescanplayanimportantroleinconnectingcommunities.Theyalsounderstandthatanunhealthycommunityisgoodfornoone—employees,families,orcustomers.And,despiteeconomicshifts,thebusinessvalueofcorporatevolunteerismhasneverbeenstronger.Why?

Itmakesstrategicbusinesssense,inbothgoodanduncertaintimes.ChoicePoint,aLexisNexiscompanywithalargepresenceintheAtlantaregion,isonecompanywhoseleadershaverecognizedboththemanifoldbenefitsofcontributingtotheirlocalcommunitiesandthetremendousop-portunitiespresentedbythecurrentfinancialsituation.

Withfullsenior-managementparticipationinChoicePoint’svolunteerpro-gram,morethan30percentofassociatesvolunteerannually.Workinglatenightsandweekends,volunteerscreatedamissing-childrenalertsprogramfortheNationalCenterforMissingandExploitedChildren.Todate,nearly900missingchildrenhavebeenreturnedtotheirlovedonesasaresultofthetechnologycreatedanddonatedbyChoicePoint.


UPS,anotherAtlanta-basedcompany,haslever-ageditsemployeestocollectivelydonatehun-dredsofthousandsofhourseachyeartophilan-thropiccausesthroughitsNeighbortoNeighborprogram.

Forthepastthreeyears,thousandsofUPSem-ployeesinmorethan45countrieshaveservedtheircommunitiesduringUPSGlobalVolunteerweek,anextensionofthecompany’slongstand-ingcommitmenttoservice.Employeeshavehelpedpaintschools,assistedfoodbanks,renovatedshelters,andservedothermeaningfulcauses.

UPSleadershaverecognizedthepotentialforenhancingthehealthoftheircommunitiesandhavedecidedtocapitalizeonthisopportunity,tothebenefitofboththecompanyandcitizens.

ChoicePointandUPSarejusttwoexamplesofAtlanta-areacorporationsthathaverealizedthevastadvantagesofcontributingtocommunities.

Thesecompanieshavedemonstratedunwaver-ingcommitmentstoemployeevolunteerism,despiteanunstableeconomyandatimeoftran-sitioninpolitics.

Volunteerismhasmadeenormousstridesinrecentyears,withAmericansdedicating60.8billionhoursofservicein2007.However,thereisstillworktobedone,andthecorporatesectoroffersendlessopportunitiesforvolunteerismandcommunityengagement.

Businessescanaidinsolvingserioussocialproblemssuchaspoverty,pooreducationsystems,andthepollutedenvironmentthroughemployee-volunteerprogramsandpro-bonoservice.Corporationscanandshouldleadthenationindemonstratingthesignificanceofper-severingincommunityactivismduringuncer-taintimes.

Shawn Reifsteck is the president of the Points of Light Institute


Chapel Hill, North CarolinaAs one of the three “points” of the Research Triangle, Chapel Hill, along with Raleigh and Durham, continually receives accolades for being a top location to live and do business.

–Chapel Hill-Carrboro Chamber of Commerce

TheChapelHill-CarborroChamberofCommerceco-hostedwithBCLCaconferenceofnationalandlocalbusiness,government,andcommunityleadersonJuly21–22,2008.WiththeChapelHillchamberandcommunitycomingoffarecentwinatthe2008SiemensSustainableCommunityAwardscompetition,thetopicoftheconferencewassustainability.Thediscussioncontinueshere.


Pop. Increase4.2%(2000–2006)

People with Bachelor’sDegreeorHigher73.7%(2000)

People with High SchoolDiploma94.3%(2000)





The data represent the city of Chapel Hill and not the whole of the Research Triangle Park area.



New Realities, New Opportunities

By Aaron Nelson


Ournation’scommunitiesarechangingasourcitizen,government,andbusinessleadersexpressincreasinginterestinaligningthemselveswiththeglobalmega-trendsof“green”and“sustainable.”

Thebusinesscommunityshouldplayastrongleadershiproleintheareaofsustainability,butbusinessescannotleadthiseffortalone.Buildingstrongandsuccessfulcommunitiestakescoalitionsandpartnerships—andcham-bersofcommercearetheorganizationsuniquelyqualifiedandpositionedtoleadtheseefforts.

Chambershavespecialabilitytoconvenetheircommunitiesaroundimpor-tantissues,astheyhaveuniqueaccessandcredibilitywithleadersacrossthebusiness,civic,social,education,government,andpoliticalspectrums.

Chambersknowbusinessandeconomicissuesbest,buttheirservicetotheirnonprofitmembers,supportandpromotionoftheirbusinessmem-bers’corporatecitizenship,andtheirchamber’sowncommunity-develop-mentactivitiesgiveusastrongunderstandingofcivicandsocialchallenges—andopportunities,aswell.

Tosuccessfullyconvenethesecoalitions,wehavetofocusonoursharedinterests,ratherthanhistoricand/ordivergentpositions.Ourchamberbelieveswecansimultaneouslyimprovethewayindividualsandorganiza-tionsengagetheircommunityandengagetheirenvironmentwhilemakingthemmoresuccessfulforit.

Communitiescanonlybesuccessfuloverthelong-termiftheyfindwaystobalancetheheretoforecompetingobjectivesofenvironmentalstewardship,socialresponsibility,andeconomicprosperity.



Sustainabilityisnotjustaprescriptionforcom-munitysuccess;organizationsthatbalancethistriplebottomlineofsustainabilitywillberewardedinourchangingeconomy,aswell.Today’scustomersandemployeesaredemon-stratingagreaterinterestinsupportingbrandsandcompaniesthatsharetheirvalues.Thecostsofenergyandrawmaterialsareincreasingdra-matically,andthesocialhealthofacommunityhasanincreasingimpactonemployeeretentionandproductivity.

Inthefaceoftheserealities,smartbusinessleadersareimprovingtheircommitmenttotheprincipalsofsustainabilityinordertobothmakeandsavemoney.

Historically,chambershavehadpoorandoftenadversarialrelationshipswiththeenvironmentalcommunity.Butthatischangingasenviron-mentalistsrecognizetheywillgetmorefrompartnershipandcooperationthantheywillfromcontinuingthehistoricstrategyofscoldingandblame.And,businessleadersseeenvironmentalstewardshipmoreandmoretobeintheireco-nomicself-interest.

Locally,theChapelHill-CarrboroChamberhasfoundthatchampioningsustainabilityhashad

adramaticallypositiveimpactonourcredibilityandinfluenceamongelected,civic,andsocialleaders.Italsohasimprovedourabilitytomoveourpublicpolicyandcommunity-developmentagendaforward.

Additionally,wearerewardedbyourmembersforprovidingthemwithactionableinforma-tionaboutimprovingtheirsustainablebusinesspractices,helpingthemdifferentiatethemselvesinaincreasinglycompetitivemarketplace,andgivingthemnewtoolstomakeandsavemoney.

“Green”isbigandlikelyheretostay.Expand-ingthenotionof“green”to“sustainable,”amoreholisticapproachthatalsoincludessocialandeconomicobjectives,isafarmorepowerfulconceptandimpactfulapproach.

Chambersshouldtakethelead,definetheobjec-tives,ownthespacearoundsustainability,anduseitasaconcepttoconvenethecommunitytosuccessfullyaddresscurrentandfuturechal-lengesandopportunities.

Aaron Nelson, IOM, is the president and CEO of the Chapel Hill-Carrboro (NC) Chamber of Commerce.


Building Cross-sector Initiatives for a Sustainable Community

By Anne McKune


Sustainabilityisatermthathasbeencreepingintothemainstreamlexiconforsometime.Althoughstakeholdersstillargueoverthedetails,thereisaconsensusaroundtheinclusionofthreemainthemesintothedefinition:business,environment,andsocietyorculture.

Thesethreethemesareoftenreferredtoasthetriplebottomlineofcom-munitysustainabilityandarecategorizedindifferentways:thethree“Es”ofeconomics,environment,andequityorthethree“Ps”ofpeople,planet,andprofit(orperformance).

Regardlessofhowthetopicsarediscussed,itisunderstoodthatthethemesareinterconnected.Whereyoufindcommunitieswithpooreconomicgrowth,youoftenfindfailedsocialsystems;whereyoufindaweaksocialsector,so,too,istheenvironmentfrequentlyatrisk.

Seldomarechallengesthatcommunitiesfacesingle-sectorissues.Moreoften,ittakesacross-sectorapproachtotacklecommunitychallengesinasuccessful,long-termway.

Cross-sectorcollaborations,similartopublic-privatepartnerships,areapproachestocommunitydevelopmentthatallowmultiplesectors—towns,businesses,universities,andnonprofits—toworktogethertowardacommonlysharedgoalbysharingresourcesandsharingrisk.Bydoingso,theyareabletoincreasethereturn/valuethateachpartnerreceivesandultimatelycreatemorepowerfuloutcomesforthecommunityasawhole.



Whenitcomestoissuesregardingsustain-ability,thechallengesposedtoeachsectorcanbeverydifferent.However,across-sectorapproachallowsacommunitytoharnessthecapital,skills,andenthusiasmofmultiplepart-nersinordertomoreefficientlyandeffectivelyaddresschallengesandopportunities.

TheU.S.ChamberBCLCpartneredwiththeChapelHill-CarrboroChamberanditsFounda-tionforaSustainableCommunitytodiscusswhattheResearchTriangleregionofNorthCarolinaisdoingtobecomealeaderincom-munitysustainability.

Thediscussionhighlightedonecross-sectorinitiativethatisworkingtochampionthecause.TheInstituteforSustainableDevel-opmentwascreatedin2007whenmultiplepartnersrealizedthattheycouldachievemorebycollaboratingwithoneanotherthanbycom-peting.

Auniquepartnershipofseveralinternationallyrecognizedentities,theInstituteforSustain-ableDevelopmentimprovesknowledgeand

Partners in the Institute for Sustainable Development:

• ChapelHill-CarrboroChamber

• DukeUniversityCenterforInternationalDevelopment

• DurhamChamber

• FenwickFoundation,theFoundationforaSustainableCommunityGlaxoSmithKline

• UniversityofNorthCarolinaatChapelHillCenterforGlobalInitiatives

• UniversityofNorthCarolinaSchoolofSocialWork

applicationofbestpracticesinsustainabilityandinfluencessustainable-developmentpolicy.Thein-tellectualcapitalthatlocaluniversitiesareprovid-ingtheResearchTriangleregion,withfacultyandstudentresearch,isaninvaluableandpreviouslyuntappedresourceforthelocalsmallbusinesses.AndtheInstituteisbeginningtomakethosecon-nections.

TheInstituteforSustainableDevelopmentisfocusedonbringingtogetherstakeholdersfromdiversebackgrounds,representingdiverseinter-ests,inordertoidentifycommunityopportunities.

Byconnectingthepublic,private,andsocialsectorsoftheregion—throughseminars,edu-cationalprograms,networkingevents,andthesustainablebusinessinitiativeGreenPlus™—theInstituteisreachingacrosstraditionalboundariestodevelopcreativesolutionstothisarea’smostpressingchallenges.

Anne McKune is the associate director of the Foundation for a Sustainable Community and the director of the Institute for Sustainable Development.

Community Information Sharing: SustainabilityinLagrange,Ga.

Lagrange,Georgia,acommunityofabout30,000,hastakenaliability—householdgarbage—andturneditintoarevenue-generatingassetbycapturingmethanegasfromthecity’slandfill.

Ithelpedtohaveamajorcorporationthathaslongbeencommittedtosustainabilityasapartnerandsupporter,intheformofcarpetmanufacturerInterface.Aboutfiveyearsago,thecityandengineersfromInterfaceandanothercarpetmanufacturer,Milliken,Inc.,starteddiscussingthefeasibilityofbuildingabiomassreactorthatwouldcapturegreenhousegasemissionsfromthelandfillandturnitintoenergy.

Witha$5millioninvestmentfromthecitytoconstructthereactorandcommitmentsfromInterfaceandMillikentopurchasetheenergy,thesaleofmethaneisexpectedtocreatea$26millionreturn.Thegasispumpedtoanearbyindustrialparkwherecompaniesreceiveadiscountforpurchasingit.Anadditionalperk:thereactorextendsthelifeofthelandfillby16years,nosmallfeatgiventhedifficultieswithcitingalandfillorthepriceofshippinggarbageoutoftown.It’sagreatexampleofasustainablesolutionthatbenefitsthecity,localcorporations,andtheenvironment.

Source: Louise Armstrong, International Economic Development Council


Newark, New JerseyFor more than 10 years, Newark has been building upon its competitive assets, leading to its current revitalization.

–Newark Alliance

BCLChelditscommunityforuminNewarkatthePerformingArtsCenterunderthesponsor-shipofCapitalOne.ItwasauniquegatheringinthatitsmainfocuswasontheeffortsofawellknownbodyofcorporatecitizenswhoformedtheNewarkAlliance10yearsagotobringhope,opportunity,andinvestmentbackintothecity.Notsurprisingly,theimportantissuesofcom-munityrevitalizationandeducationwerekeyareasofdiscussion,andtheyarerepresentedinthefollowingpages.


Pop. Increase3.3%(2000–2006)

People with Bachelor’sDegree or Higher9%(2000)

People with High SchoolDiploma57.9%(2000)





The data represent the city of Newark.



Investing in the Present — and Future — of Newark

By Daria Placitella

Newark, New Jersey

Inthebestandworstoftimes,supportingthegrowthofrevitalizedcom-munitiesrequiresasingularfocusandlong-terminvestmenttoensuretheirfuturesuccess.PNC’scommitmenttothereemergenceofNewark,NewJer-sey,beginswithpreservingthecity’sricharchitecturalhistoryandextendstothemostcriticalcomponentofcommunitydevelopment—investingtimeandresourcestoearlyeducation.

An Emerging Community and Environmental Jewel

Atatimewhenthenationalcreditcrunchisimpactingdevelopmentandgrowthinurbanareasacrossthecountry,PNC’sclosetiestotheNewarkcommunitymostrecentlygaverisetoanopportunitytosupportthedevel-opmentandconversionofaformerjewelryfactorylocatedbetweenCityHallandtheIronbounddistrict,oneofNewark’sfastest-risingneighbor-hoods.

The$17millionRichardsonLoftresidential-developmentprojectwasmadepossiblethroughrealestateconstructionlendingprovidedbyPNC,com-binedwithadditionalfinancingmadepossiblebythecityofNewarkandtheU.S.DepartmentofHousingandUrbanDevelopment.Theprojectsiteislocatedneartwoofthecity’smosticonicbuildings,thenewstate-of-the-artsportsandentertainmentfacilityandtheNewJerseyPerformingArtsCenter(NJPAC),whichweactivelysupportthroughmemberships,sponsorships,andgrants.Theendresultwillbearetrofitted67-unitapartmentcomplexthatstandsasthecity’sfirstU.S.GreenBuildingCouncilLEED-registeredresidentialbuildingandincludesbothmarket-rateandaffordablerentalhousing.

Newark, New Jersey


Workingtogetherwiththedevelopers,PNC,thecityofNewark,anditseconomicdevelop-mentarm,BrickCityDevelopmentCorpora-tion,turnedtheideaoftheRichardsonLoftintoarealityanddemonstratedtheprogressthatprivatebusinessandgovernmentcanachievetogetherinrevitalizingcommunities.

Creating a Brighter Future through Early Education

ThefocusonbuildingabrighterfutureinNew-arkextendsbeyondbrick-and-mortarrevital-izationtoearlychildhoodeducation.Credibleresearchconsistentlyshowsthatchildrenwhobeginkindergartenreadytolearnaremorelikelytograduatefromhighschool,succeedintheworkplace,andvolunteerinthecommunity.

Againstthisbackdrop,PNCGrowUpGreatwasestablished.Nowalmosthalf-wayintoits10-yearmission,theprogramrepresentsa$100-millioninvestmentinpreparingchildrenfrombirthtoagefive,withafocusonunderservedchildren,tosucceedinschoolandlifebyhelp-ingtoensurethattheyenterkindergartenreadytolearn.

Today,studentsfromtheE.T.BowserSchool,aNewarkPreschoolCouncilsite,areexposedtolessonplansdesignedtofostermathandbasicacademicskillsandtotheNJPACEarlyLearn-ingThroughtheArtsprogram.BothoftheseearlylearninginitiativesaresupportedinpartbygrantsadministeredthroughPNCGrowUpGreat.

Thepositiveimpactofeachorganizationspeaksforitself.TheNewarkPreschoolCouncil,aHead

Startmemberorganization,currentlyhas46facilitiesthroughoutthecityofNewark,serv-ing2,489childrenbetweentheagesofthreeandfour.

ThehighlyacclaimedNJPACEarlyLearningThroughtheArtsresidencyprogramiscon-ductedundertheauspicesofthenationally-recognizedWolfTrapInstitute.TheprogramfeaturesanNJPACteachingartistleading12classesforyoungchildren,planningsessions,professionaldevelopmentfortheteachersandartists,andmore.Duringthe2007-2008schoolyear,NJPAC’sEarlyLearningThroughtheArtsserved353childrenthrough20Newarkresi-denciesspanning14differentschools.

A Revitalizing Commitment

PNCiscommittedtohelpingbuildtheNewarkoftomorrowthroughinvestmentstodayintheneighborhoodsandfutureleadersatthefore-frontoftherevitalizationofthestate’slargestcity.

Daria Placitella is regional president, Northern New Jersey, PNC Financial Services Group.

Community Information Sharing: EconomicAdjustmentinPoncaCity,Okla.

Asthelong-timehometoConocoOil,PoncaCity,Oklahoma,wasaone-companytownfornearly100years—untilConocomergedwithPhillipsPetroleumin2002and3,500workerswerelaidoff.Todiversifytheeconomyandreplacethelostjobs,localleadersformedthePoncaCityDevelopmentAuthority(PCDA).

OneofPoncaCity’stwomaineconomic-diversificationstrate-gieshasbeentotargetareasofadvancedmanufacturingsuchasaviation,nicheproducts,andconsumergoods.Thesecondkeystrategy,aimedatdevelopingacenteroftechnologyexpertise,hasbeenthecreationoftheUniversityMultispectralLab(UML)—astate-of-the-artsensortechnologyfacility—byapartnershipamongPCDA,OklahomaStateUniversity,andConocoPhillips.Inaddition,thecommunity’scommitmenttorecruiting,training,andmatchingworkerswithemployershasbeenkeytoenablingbusinessesinPoncaCitytothrive.

Since2004,PoncaCityhasgained1,800newjobs,theunem-ploymentratehasdecreasedfromapproximately8percentto3percent(asofmid-2008),andjobsatnewcompaniesinPoncaCitypayannualwagesthatare28percenthigherthanthere-gion’saverage.

Source: Louise Armstrong, International Economic Development Council


Teaching Life Skills to West Side High Students

By Carolyn Berkowitz

Newark, New Jersey

Newark,NewJersey,isacommunityrichwithhistorythathasbeentrans-formedoverthelastdecadethrougheconomic-developmentinitiativesthathaverestoredsomeofitsvibrancy.However,outcomesforyoungpeoplegrowingupinNewarkarestillfarbelowthestate’saverageandareakeyconcernforcityandstateleaders.

AspartofCapitalOneBank’sentryintotheNewarkmarket,BCLCandCapi-talOnesponsoredacommunityforumtogatherlocalandnationalleadersforadiscussionaboutNewark’sspecificneedstofurtheradvanceitseco-nomicandsocialprogress.

Oneofthethemesthatrepeatedlysurfacedinthediscussionwasinvestingineducation.Icouldnotagreemorethateducationistheplacetostart.

AtCapitalOne,westronglysupporteducationandoftenspecificallyfocusontheneedforfinancialeducation.Toomanyyoungpeopleleavehighschoolwithlittleornoknowledgeofhowtosavefororsafeguardtheirfinancialfutures.

Asmanyofushavelearnedinthesetryingeconomictimes,knowledgeofpersonalfinancecanbethedifferencebetweenfiscalstabilityandbarelyscrapingby.Knowingthateducationisthekeytosuccess,CapitalOnehasinvestedinaninnovativepracticumforhighschoolstudentsthatcombinesreal-lifebankingwithfinancialeducation,workforcedevelopment,andcol-legepreparationintwoCapitalOnecommunities.

ThisNovember,aCapitalOneBankbranchopenedinsideWestSideHighSchoolinNewark.Openfrom11:00to3:00threedaysaweek,thebankisoperatedbynineWestSidestudentswhoreceiveguidancefromCapital

Newark, New Jersey


Onebranchmanagers.Servingonlytheschool’sstudents,faculty,andadministrators,thestudentbankersofferarangeofservicesrelevanttostudentsavers.

Toprepareforthebank’sopening,theninestu-dentbankersworkedoverthesummeratCapitalOnebankbranchestobuildtheirexperienceastellersandcustomerservicerepresentatives.Theyalsoattendedatwo-weekformaltellertrainingatCapitalOne’sFairfieldtrainingcenterandaoneweekcollege-developmentprogramatDrewUniversity,wheretheybeganplanningfortheircollegeapplicationprocesses.

Thestudentsreturnedtoschoolinthefallreadytobegintheirroleasstudentbankersandmentorstotheirpeersonsavingandpersonalfinance.

ThebankatWestSideisthesecondofitskind.CapitalOneopenedasimilarstudent-runbankatFordhamLeadershipAcademyintheBronxin2007,runbyseveraloftheschool’sseniors.Theseniorsallgraduatedandarenowsuccessfulcollegestudents.

AtWestSide,thestudentbranchiscomple-mentedwiththeestablishmentofaCommunityFinancialEducationCenter.WearepartneringwithNewarknonprofits,includingNewarkNow,toofferfinancialeducationseminarsandEarnedIncomeTaxCreditpreparationtothepublic—to

makeWestSideHighSchoolacenteroffinan-ciallearningnotonlyforthestudentsandtheirfamilies,buttheentirecommunity.

Thisprogramisbuiltonwhatwehavefoundtobesomeofthebestpracticesinsuccessfulfinancialeducationprogramming:

• Partneringwithcommunityorganizations—schoolsandnonprofits—thatsharea commonvision

• LeveragingthefinancialexpertiseofCapitalOneassociates

• Utilizingthefullrangeofcorporateassets(e.g.,in-housetrainingprograms)

• Employingtrain-the-trainertechniquestomaximizetheimpactofresources

• ServingthecommunityinwaysthatimprovethecontextforCapitalOne’sbusinessgoals

WeareexcitedaboutthepotentialforthisprograminNewark.Itisatremendouslife-andprofessional-skillslearningexperienceforthestudentbankersandbyextension,auniquefinancial-educationexperienceforthestudentbodyandthepublic.WelookforwardtoworkingwithWestSideandothercommunityorganiza-tionstoincreaseitsimpactontheentireNewarkcommunity.

Carolyn Berkowitz is vice president of community affairs at Capital One and president of the Capital One Foundation.


Palm Beach County, FloridaFor the last two decades, Palm Beach County has experienced rapid economic growth, positioning us as a top location for building corporate wealth. The caliber and diversity of companies residing here demonstrate our attractiveness to growing industries.

– Business Development Board of Palm Beach County

Total Pop.1,274,013(2006est.)

Pop. Increase12.6%(2000–2006)

People with Bachelor’s Degree or Higher 27.7%(2000)






The data represent Palm Beach County.

InbothDecember2007and2008,business,community,andnonprofitleadersfromPalmBeachCounty,Florida,andaroundthenationconvenedfortheannual“WeekendinBoca”retreattoaddresslocalcommunitydevelopmentissues,includingprivate-sectorpartnershipsandnonprofitcapacity-building.Themeetings,madepossiblebytheOfficeDepotFoundation,uncoveredtheuniqueengagementofthelocalbusinesssectorandconfirmedtheimportanceofanumberofcorporatecitizenshipactivitiesandpartnershipsinthecommunity.



Corporate Community Investment Pays Valuable Dividends

By Mary Wong


RobertGoodwin,whoretiredin2006aspresidentandCEOofthePointsofLightFoundation,notedduringhisworkwiththeorganization,“Intoday’scompetitiveenvironment,companiescannotaffordtobedisconnectedfromtheircommunities,customers,clients,oremployees.”

Withthelikelihoodofevenmorechallengingtimesaheadofus,Mr.Good-win’swordscontinuetoringtrue.Itisessentialforbusinessestoestablishandnurturerelationshipswiththeircommunities—andparticularlywiththepublic-sectorinstitutionsandnonprofitorganizationsthathelptokeepthosecommunitiesstrongandvibrant.

Astheindependentfoundationthatservesasthecharitable-givingarmofOfficeDepotInc.,wehavetheprimaryresponsibilityforidentifyingpotentialpartnersforourcompany’scorporatecitizenshipefforts.Fewofusarefortu-nateenoughtohaveunlimitedresourcesandso,likeanybusinessdecision,itiscriticaltobethoughtfulandstrategicindeterminingwhereandhowwearegoingtofocusourcommunity-investmentdollars.

Thistaskcanseemoverwhelming,giventhefactthattherearesomanyworthyorganizationsineverycommunity.WhenweexpandedthescopeoftheOfficeDepotFoundationtwoyearsago,wemadesurethatwetookcare—andtime—toclearlyidentifyourmissionandgoals.

Aswecarriedoutthisprocess,thekeyquestionwecontinuallyaskedwas,“Whatdowestandfor?”Aftercarefulconsideration,wedeterminedthatwewantedourstrategicprioritiestoencompassfivekeyareas:enhancingeducation,supportingcommunityandeconomicdevelopment,facilitatingdisasterreliefandrecovery,encouragingnonprofitcapacitybuilding,andstrengtheningcommunities.


Werefertothisplanasour“5X5Program”—fiveprioritieswherewewillfocusourenergiesforfiveyears.

Webelievethatanycompany,largeorsmall,thatwishestobuildastrongcorporateciti-zenshipprogrammustgothroughasimilarexercise.Then,afteryouhavedeterminedyourpriorities,italsomakessensetolookforcommunity-investmentopportunitiesthatsup-portyourbusinessobjectives.Forexample,ifacompanysellspharmaceuticals,itwouldlikelybemorelogicaltosupportahealth-relatedchar-itythanananimal-rescueorganization.

TheOfficeDepotFoundationtakesthisapproachinourcharitablegivingandcommunity-invest-mentinitiatives.Thesupportweprovidetochil-drenandschoolsthroughoursignatureNationalBackpackProgram,forexample,helpstorein-forceOfficeDepot’sreputationasaresourceforteachersandparentsthroughouttheyear.

Wealsoaregenerallymoreinclinedtoestablishlong-termpartnershipswithafeworganizationsthatareinalignmentwithourpriorities.

Thisgivesustheabilitytomeasuretheimpactofoursupportovertime.

Whilehavingastrongcorporatecitizenshippro-gramisimportantforitsownsake—tosupportacompany’saltruisticvalues—itisclearthatthepracticealsoresultsinasignificantreturnoninvestment.Asnationalstudieshaveshown,companiesthatareinvolvedintheircommuni-tiesbenefitinnumerousways—fromnotice-ableincreasesinbusinesstohigheremployeemorale,positivefeelingsamongcustomers,andthegrowthofareputationasacompanythatmakesadifference.

ThroughourworkinSouthFloridaandinnu-merousothercommunitiesacrosstheUnitedStates,wehaverealizedthesebenefitstimeandtimeagain.Corporatecommunityinvestmentisclearlyawin-win—fortheOfficeDepotFounda-tion,fortheorganizationswithwhichwepartner,andforthecommunityasawhole.

Mary Wong is the president of the Office Depot Foundation, located in Delray Beach, Florida.


City, Business, and Schools: Unique Opportunities for Partnership

By Marjorie Ferrer


WhentheDelrayBeachDowntownMarketingCooperativeapproachedtheOfficeDepotFoundationforfundingofour2007holidayfestivities,Founda-tionPresidentMaryWongissuedachallengetous:Figureoutameaningfulwaytoinvolvemiddle-schoolstudentsintheproject.

Wequicklyrealizedthatfeworganizationsdoanythingforthisoften-forgot-tenagegroup—kidswhoaretoooldforchildren’sactivitiesbuttooyoungtohaveajob.Instead,theyhaveagreatdealoffreetimeontheirhands,whichtheycanchoosetodosomethingeitherconstructiveordestructive.

Recognizingtheopportunitytocreateatrulyspecialpublic-privatepartner-ship,weacceptedthechallengeanddesignedaprogramthatwouldinvolveseventh-andeighth-gradestudentsattendingpublicandprivateschoolsinDelrayBeach.Ourgoalwastoaffectthesestudents’livesinapositivewaythroughcivicleadershipandcommunityinvolvement.


TheOfficeDepotFoundationsubsequentlymadeagrantof$50,000,whichgaveusthetoolsnecessarytoinvolvethestudentsforthefirsttimeeverinthecity’slargestspecialevent.Overthecourseoftheholidayseason,seventh-andeighth-gradestudentsfromthesurroundingcommunitieswereinvolvedinthreeprojects:

1. Constructionofthefamous100-footChristmastree—Afterreceivinginstruc-tionfromateamofsteelandelectricalcontractorsonthemechanicsoftreeconstruction,studentsworkedwithcontractors,cityemployees,andothervolunteersonactivitiesincludingbranch-ingthetree,checkinglightbulbs,arrang-inginteriorscenes,andpainting.

2. Entertainmentatthetree—StudentsprovidedholidayentertainmentattheOfficeDepotFoundation’sentertainmenttentnightlyfromNovember30throughNewYear’sEve.

3. FirstNight®NewYear’sEvecelebration—StudentsmanagedtwoactivitysitesduringFirstNight2008:thebubblewrapstompandpingpongballdrop.

Byinvolvingseventhandeighthgraderssocloselywiththeseactivities,participatingstudentstookownershipofthetreeandthesurroundingfestivities.Itwasnolongerjustthe“bigtreeinthemiddleoftown”;itbecametheirtree.

StudentsfromsevenDelrayBeachmiddleschoolsloggedatotalof1,884volunteerhours.Also,aspartofitsgrant,theOfficeDepotFoun-dationawardednearly$10,000inscholarshipstotheseschoolsatthecity’sannualvolunteerappreciationparty.

Byinvestinginthisinnovativeproject,theOf-ficeDepotFoundationwasabletosupportoneofthestrategicprioritiesincludedinits“5X5Program”—helpingchildrengetreadyforlifeandwork.TheFoundation’sgoalistohelpgivechildrenthetoolsandsupporttheyneedtodowellinschool,explorepotentialcareers,andpreparetoeithercontinuetheireducationorjointheworkforceaftercompletinghighschool.

Webelievethispartnershipisuniquebecauseitrepresentedthefirsttimethataspecialeventwasusedtopromotepositiveinvolvementinthecommunitywithinthisat-riskagegroup.Italsoprovidedauniquementoringopportunityforourteamof200seniorvolunteers,manyofwhompairedupwiththeseventhandeighthgraders.

“TheOfficeDepotFoundationbelievesinen-couragingyoungpeopletostretchtheircreativ-ityaswellastoexperiencethepositivebenefitsofvolunteerism,”Wongsaidinevaluatingthesuccessoftheproject.“Wearedelightedthatsomanychildrenwereabletobenefitfromtheirparticipationinthisoutstandingprogram.”

Marjorie Ferrer is the executive director of the Delray Beach Downtown Marketing Cooperative.


Uncovering Unlimited Possibilities

By Kelly Smallridge


Inthelastfouryears,PalmBeachCounty,Florida,hasbecomeoneoftherisingstarsinattractinglargebioscienceresearchorganizations.

In2002,thecounty’spublic-privateeconomic-developmentorganization,theBusinessDevelopmentBoard,gatheredtogetheracoregroupofcounty-widelife-scienceindustryleaders,educationalinstitutions,venturecapital-ists,chambersofcommerce,andkeybusinessstakeholderstocreateaLifeScienceStrategicPlantopositionthecountytoattractkeylife-sciencecompanies.

ThisplanwasdevelopedincollaborationwiththestateandwithformerGovernorJebBush,whocreateda$200-millionInnovationFundtoincentcompaniestomovetoFlorida.

PalmBeachCountyhasoneofthelargestphilanthropicdonorbasesintheUnitedStates,whichisakeyingredienttoattractingnonprofitresearchor-ganizationsthatdependonthesedollarsforsustainablefunding.

Inmid-2003,withasolidplaninplace,PalmBeachCountylandedtheScrippsResearchInstitute,whichwillopena345,000-square-footfacilityinFebruary2009.Itwillcreatemorethan500jobs.ResearchersatScrippsFloridawillfocusonbasicbiomedicalscience,drugdiscovery,andtheappli-cationofthelatestresearchtechnologytothedrugdiscoveryprocess.

TwoyearsaftertherecruitmentofScripps,PalmBeachCountywonthefirstU.S.operationfortheMaxPlanckSocietyoutofGermany.MaxPlanckchosetolocateitsfacilitiesrightnextdoortoScrippstoallowforstrongcross-col-laborationandsharingofscientificknowledge.BothfacilitieswillbelocatedonthecampusofFloridaAtlanticUniversity,whichdonatedthelandaspartoftheincentivepackage.


Asaleaderinthefieldofbiotechnologyresearch,theMaxPlanckSocietyhashighhopesforitsnewAmericanfacilities.Itwillbuilda100,000-square-footfacilitycomprisedoflaboratoriesandresearchcentersandbringinsomeofthemosttalentedresearchersinthebio-imagingindustry.

TheMaxPlanckSocietyhasagreedtogivebacktothecommunitybypledging3percentofitsannualroyaltiestothePalmBeachCountyeducationsystemforaspanoftwo-and-a-halfdecades(from2012to2038).

Inaddition,theMaxPlanckSocietyhasa10,000-square-foot,world-class,interactiveScienceTunnelexhibitthathasbeenpresentedinplacessuchasBerlin,Dubai,Shanghai,andJohan-nesburg,tonameoffew.Thetunnel’sfirstentryintotheUnitedStateswillbeinFebruary2009inWestPalmBeach,Florida.Spanningmorethanahalfmile,thehands-onexhibitsaredesignedtosparkengagementandcuriosityamongeventheyoungestofminds.Theentiretunnel’stwo-and-a-half-monthvisittoPalmBeachCountyisfundedbyBankofAmericathrougha$200,000contribution.

“TechnologyandscienceareanimportantpartofFlorida’seconomy,andatBankofAmerica,

webelieveinsupportingourcommunitiesinwhichwedobusiness,”saidFabBrumley,PalmBeachCountyMarketPresidentforBankofAmerica.

BoththeScrippsResearchInstituteandtheMaxPlanckSocietyarerecognizedworldwideasleadersinthefieldofbiomedicineandtheybringunlimitedpossibilitiesforpotentialre-searchbreakthroughsinthefieldsofbio-imag-ing,biomedicine,andbiotechnology.

Recognizingthepotentialforancillarycom-paniesandspin-offstoemergeduetotherecruitmentofthesetwoworld-classcenters,privatebusinessleaderscreateda$3millionfundthroughtheParagonFoundationtoas-sistblack-andminority-ownedbusinessesandtogiveentrepreneursthechancetheyneedtocompeteequally.Theseprogramshelptradition-allyunderservedcompaniestogainaccesstocapital,businessadvice,andcriticalresourcestoguideandacceleratecompanygrowthandaidintherevitalizationofunderservedcommunitiesinPalmBeachCounty.

Kelly Smallridge is the president of the Palm Beach County Development Board.


Silicon Valley, CaliforniaSan Jose ranked first among large metropolitan areas as a world-class manufacturing community based on manufacturing strength and the high productivity of area workers. The San Jose metropolitan area continues to have the highest productivity level of any region in the U.S

–San Jose Silicon Valley Chamber of Commerce

EventhoughBCLC’sMarch4,2008,communityforumtookplaceindowntownSanJoseatthechamberofcommerce,itisimpossibletolimitconversationofthiscommunitytoSanJose,alone.Moreaccurately,thecommunityisSiliconValley,thesouthernpartoftheSanFranciscoBayarea.Itisthecountry’sleadinghigh-technologycenterandisahotspotforinnovators,venturecapitalists,andentrepreneurs.Butwithitseconomicsuccesscomesthechallengesofaffordability,anunqualifiedworkforce,andinsufficientinfrastructure.


Pop. Increase3.9%(2000–2006)

People with Bachelor’sDegree or Higher31.6%(2000)






The data represent only the city of San Jose and not the whole of Silicon Valley.



Entrepreneurial Solutions for Silicon Valley’s Challenges

By Dipti Pratt


SiliconValleyisauniqueplacebecauseoftheentrepreneurialattitude,thecommondesiretofocusoninnovation,thepresenceofworld-classcompa-niesanduniversities,andthegreatpassionofourresidentstotryandmaketheworldabetterplace.Ourinnovativeattitudeisappliedtosolvingbusi-nessneedsandsocialneedsalike.

InSiliconValley,weapproachphilanthropyandthecreationofourcom-munitybenefitorganizationsinaground-breakingmanner.Thisiscritical,becauseSiliconValleyisaregionthatneedsbigideastosolvebigsocialproblems.

SiliconValleyisoneofthemostexpensiveregionsinwhichtolive.Becauseofthehighcostofliving,itisdifficultforfamiliestomakeendsmeetandmanycannotfindthemeanstomeetbasicneeds.Thenationalpovertythresholdforafamilyoffourisanannualincomeof$20,650(InstituteforResearchonPoverty).

Yet,accordingtoSecondHarvestFoodBank,forafamilyoffourinSantaClaraorSanMateocounties,withtwoparentsworkingfulltime,itcosts$77,069ayeartocoverbasicnecessities.

Thehighcostoflivingattributestosurprisingratesofhomelessness,inspiteoftheregion’swealth.Morethan6,000peoplebecomehomelesseveryyearinSanMateoCounty.ThetypicalhomelesspersonontheSanFranciscoPeninsulaisjust5yearsold.

Two-thirdsofthepeoplewhoarehomelessinourcommunityarefamilieswithchildren(ShelterNetwork).Unfortunately,thevastmajorityofhome-lesspeopleonthePeninsulaarehard-workingfamilieswhohavebecomehomelessbecauseofafinancialemergency.Thehomelessarenotindividu-alswithoutjobs—theyarepeoplewithoutenough.



Ourlocalfoodbank,SecondHarvestFoodBankofSantaClara&SanMateoCounties,distribut-edarecord24,070,076poundsoffoodtocountyresidentsduringtheir2007-2008fiscalyear.Thisisan11percentincreaseinfooddistributionoverthepreviousyear,as7percentmoreofVal-leyresidentsareseekingassistancewithfood.

Asaresult,manycompaniesfromaroundthevalleyfocusspecificallyonsolvinghungerwithinitiativesandholiday-focuseddrivestoprovideourfoodbankstheresourcestheyneedtofeedthelessfortunateintheValley.

Ratherthanadecliningmovement,theValley’sCSReffortsaregainingmomentum,eveninthesedifficulteconomictimes.Companiesareengagedcitizensbecauseitistherightthingtodo.Theyrealizeengagementisnotanice-to-do,butrathersomethingtheymustdo.Corporatereputationsaretieddirectlytotheirrelation-shipandstatureinthecommunitiesinwhichtheyoperate.SiliconValleyemployeesdesirenotonlyapaycheckbutaworkplacethatsharestheirvalues.

Moreover,throughactivephilanthropicandcommunityprograms,companiesarefindingthattheiremployeeshaveincreasedcorporatepride,whichenhancesretentionandrecruitmentefforts.

Thechallengeremains,however,tofindsystem-aticwaystobridgethegapbetweenthosethathavereapedthefinancialrewardsofSiliconVal-leyandthosethathaveyettoexperienceit.Cor-porationsarehelpingfillbasicneedsbutmorecanbedonetotransferbusinessknowledgeandskillstosolvingSiliconValley’sregionalprob-lems.

OrganizationsliketheCommunityFoundationofSiliconValley,EntrepreneursFoundation,JointVentureSiliconValley,andtheSiliconVal-leyLeadershipGroupareworkingtoincreasecorporateandemployeeengagementtosolveproblems,ratherthanjust“Band-Aiding”aquickfix.

Manycompaniesaresteppinguptothischal-lengeandlookingathowtheycanleveragetheircorporateskillstobenefitthecommunity.Col-lectively,throughcollaborationandknowledgetransfer,corporations,governments,andsocialsectorscanworktogether,intypicalSiliconVal-leyfashion,todevelopnewinnovationstosolveourcommunities’greatestneeds.

Dipti Pratt is marketing director for the Entrepreneurs Foundation, an organization that assists Silicon Valley-area companies with creating, managing and implementing corporate foundations and community programs.


Partnerships to Improve Infrastructure

By Carl Guardino


Californiansareremindedeverydaythatthestate’spopulationhasoutgrownitsroads,schools,andotherpublicfacilities.Theysitintrafficjams,theysendtheirchildrentoovercrowdedschools,theyadapttowaterrationing.

Thirty-eightmillionresidentsarestraininganinfrastructurebuiltforhalfasmany.Itisnotjustaninconvenienceineverydaylife.Commuterswhocan-noteasilygettowork,orchildrenill-equippedtojointheworkforce,slowdowntoday’seconomyandrestrictitsfuturegrowth.

Theestimateofwhatthestateneedstocatchupis$500billion—halfatril-lion—ininvestmentoverthenext20years.Evenbeforethestate’scurrentbudgetdebacle,itwasobviousthattheoldwaysoffinancingandconstruct-ingpublicfacilitiesthroughbondsandtaxeswereinadequatetothechal-lenge.

Fortunately,asGov.ArnoldSchwarzeneggerhasrecognized,Californiaisnotlimitedtoadiscouragingchoiceofmoretaxesormoretraffic.Itcanimportabestpracticefromotherpartsoftheworld.Bridges,roads,transit—orschoolsandlibraries—arebuiltjointlybygovernmentandtheprivatesector.Theycombinepublic-privatepartnershipstofinance,design,con-structand,sometimes,operateandmaintainpublicfacilities.Joiningthebestofbothworlds,public-privatepartnershipsproducebetterdesignedprojects,atlowercosts,andonafasterschedule.

InCalifornia,limitedpublic-privatepartnershipsarepossiblenow.InSanJose,BankofAmericaandChevronEnergySolutionshavefinancedsolarpanelsontheroofsofschools.Theschooldistrictenjoysasmallerelectricitybillandthebankandthecompanygetareturnaswell.



Otherexcitingpotentialprojectscouldemploypartnershipsonagranderscale:theproposed$4.7billionextensionoftheBayAreaRapidTran-sitSystem,BART,intoSanJoseandtherealign-mentofadangeroushighwaythroughthehillstotheCentralValley.

ThegovernoriscorrectinhiscallforlegislationtopromotewhathecallsPerformanceBasedInfrastructurecontracts,buttheproposalshaverunintocriticismfromsomeunionsrepresent-ingpublicemployees.

ThisisunfairtoCalifornia’staxpayers.Publicworkersdeservetobetreatedfairlyandtobepaidacompetitivewage.Butneitherofthesevaluesisincompatiblewithpublic-privatepart-nerships.Andpublicemployeesshouldnotbeabletolockupeveryinfrastructureprojectwhileroadsdeteriorate,waterallotmentsarecutback,andtransitprojectsgounbuilt.

Public-privatepartnershipsarenotarecipeforturningpublicworksintoprivateprojects.Incre-atingthearrangements,eitherpublic-orpri-vate-sectorunionlaborcanberequired.Unionmembers,publicorprivate,shouldunderstandthatpartnershipswillincreasethenumberofprojects,ratherthantakingjobsawayfrompub-licworkers.

Wherepublic-privatepartnershipsareusedwidely,theyprovideabout20percentofnewinfrastructure.ForCaliforniathissuggeststhatupto$100billionofCalifornia’s$500billionin-frastructureshoppinglistcouldbeexpandedby$100billion,withoutadditionalpublicfunds.

Twentypercentmoreforthesametaxdollars–thisisanofferthatgovernmentsatalllevelsinCalifornia,strugglingwiththeworstbudgetdeficitsinyears,cannotaffordtorefuse.

Carl Guardino is the president and CEO of the Silicon Valley Leadership Group.


The Financial Crisis Requires a Paradigm Shift

By Joel Kotkin

Back to Basics:

Itistemptingtolookatthecurrentfinancialmeltdown—andthe$700bil-lionfederalbailout—asasignofcapitalism’simpendingdemise.Certainly,thereputationofbusiness,particularlylarge-scaleenterprises,hashitahistoriclow.Thecallforever-greaterregulation,andevendefactonational-izationofwholeindustries,isgreaternowthanatanytimeinrecenthistory.

Businessmustrespondtothisrealitywithbothanacknowledgementoffailureandrecognitionoftheneedforbigchanges.Whatwereallyneedisnotarevolutionagainstcapitalism,butaparadigmshiftwithinit.Weneedtomoveawayfromfadsandquickbucks,andtowardsproductiveinvest-ment.Ifwedonotmakethatshift,thecurrentbubblewillsimplyrecreateitselfagain,perhapsinill-thoughtoutspeculativeventurespainted“green”butmotivatedbythesameshortsightedgreed.

Instead,letusstopthewholebubblecycleandgetbacktobasics.Thatmeansshiftingourinvestmentstowardsproductiveactivitiesfrommanu-facturingandbasicinfrastructure.Itmeansshiftinginvestmentprioritiesbyprovidingincentivesforthoseentrepreneurswhosemaininterestistobuildcompanies,notflipthem.

Overthepastdecade,wehaveseenarepeatedpattern.Americansinnovate,startnewcompanies,andbringamoribundeconomybacktolife.Thistakesplaceprimarilyinthesuburbsandtheexpandinggrowthregions.Thenthemarketsheatupandthereisarapidassetinflation—inthelate1990sdot-comstocks,morerecentlyrealestateandWallStreet—thatcreateahugewealtheffect,particularlyinelitecities.Itallendsupinadispiritingcrash.Thispatternmakesforgreatdramabutalsohaslong-termeffects,mostim-portantlyforourchildren.America’srobustpopulationgrowthnecessitatesrapidlongterm,andwidespreadeconomicgrowth.Thatmeansmovingawayfromafinanciallyorientedeconomytoaproduction-orientedone.

Back to Basics:


Businessneedstoembracethisagenda.

MostAmericanscannotsustainthemselvestrad-ingpaper.Wealsoneedrobustgrowthinahostofproductiveindustries—energy,fiber,food,manufacturinggoods,andhigh-endbusinessservices—thatcanprovidedecentemploymentformorethanafewWallStreets,well-placeddevelopers,anddotcomentrepreneurs.

Forthesebroader-basedindustriestogrow,weneedtoimprovebasicinfrastructureformovinggoods,providingenergy,andeducatingskilledworkers.Thiscanbeseeninboththelargestcitiesandthesmallesttowns.“Onelooksbackatthatmap,‘LandscapebyMoses,’”writesthenotedsociologistNathanGlazerinlookingatthelegacyofNewYorkCity’smasterbuilderRobertMoses,“andifoneaskedwhathasbeenaddedinthefiftyyearssinceMoseslostpower,onehastosayastonishingly:almostnothing.”

Indeed,despitethestaggeringprivatewealthgeneratedbythestockmarketandrealestateinNewYork,thecity’spublicinfrastructurehasbeenlargelyneglected.TherearebillionsfornewstadiumsandotherelementsofMayorBloomberg’s“luxurycity”butnotmuchforthehoipolloi,particularlyintheouterboroughs.

Thecitycontroller’sofficehasestimatedthatinfrastructurespendinglevelsinthelate1990sandearly2000swerebarelyhalfofwhatwasrequiredneedtomaintainthecity’sstreets,mainroads,andrailwaysin“asystematicstateofgoodrepair.”SubwaysandraillinesinAmerica’srichestcityarefrequentlyshutdownafterheavyrainsduetofloodingcausedbypoordrainage.Brownoutsandblackouts,inpart

causedbyunderinvestmentinenergyinfra-structure,havebecomecommonduringsum-merhigh-useperiods.

Similarly,California’sonceenviedwater-deliverysystems,roadways,airports,andeducationfacilitiesareinseriousdisrepair.Inthe1960s,infrastructurespendingaccountedfor20percentofallstateoutlays,butasthetechnocraticper-spectivetookholdinSacramento,infrastructurespendingfelltoitsjust3percentofallexpen-ditures,despitetherapidgrowthofthestate’spopulation.

Manycommunitieshavedecidedthatinsteadofattendingtobasicneeds,toinvestinspec-tacularnewconventioncenters,sportstadiums,artsandentertainmentfacilities,hotels,aswellasluxurycondominiumsandfortheso-called“creativeclass.”Somehavepouredmoneyintoprojectsthattheythinkwillattractafewbigcorporateexecutiveswithluxuryboxesoroperatickets.Othershavepouredtheirresourcesintowaystolure“creative”professionalswithedgymuseums,jazzclubsandculturalcenters.

Americansoftendeludethemselvesthattheycanthrivesimplybybeingcleverer,morecre-ative—evenmoreself-fulfilled—thanourcompetitorsare.China,India,orotherlow-wagenationswillnotbecontenttoconcedehigher-endeconomicactivitytous.

Placeswherewealthexistsandisbeingcreatedwillproveevermoreenticingtoeliteindustries,whetherinsoftwaredesign,specialefforts,high-endlegalservices,architecture,fashion,andevenhedgefunds.


Inthecomingyears,forexample,Dubai,Mum-bai,andShanghaiwillemploytheirenormouswealth—gainedinsuchunfashionablepursuitsasdrillingoilormakingsteel—tobreakintothelucrativebusinessesformerlydominatedbyWallStreet,HollywoodorSiliconValley.Youcannotgiveupproductive,wealth-generatingenterpris-eswithoutconsequencesthatalsowillhitthemosteliteand“creative”workers.

Incontrast,apolicythatfocusesonbothold-fashionedandnew,greeninfrastructurewouldspurpositiveimpactsonemploymentacrossabroadspectrumofactivities.Wecouldusenewbridges,roads,trains,andenergytransmissionfacilitiestohelpresuscitatetheGreatPlainsaswellasthebeleagueredGreatLakessotheyex-ploitthenaturalresourcesandlogisticaladvan-tagesthatmadethemproductivehotbedsinthefirstplace.

Wecanturnourcities,botholdandnew,intoidealspotsforthenurturingofhostsofgrowingindustriesbyprovidingadequateskillstrain-ing,newtransportationsystems,andupdatedpowergrids.

Governmentsateverylevelcanandshouldplayacriticalroleinthisgreatproject,bothinfinanc-ingphysicalinfrastructureandprovidingcriti-calskillstraining.However,giventhefinancialrealitiestoday,wealsoneedtotakeadvantageofprivatecapitalavailablebothhereandabroadforsuchinvestments.Byshiftingtotheseactivi-ties—bothonthefinancialsideandasactiveparticipants—businesscanrecreateaviableandrespectedroleinsociety. SoratherthansimplyrescueWallStreet,orletithangouttodie,letusfigureouthowtoredirectit.Weneedtoshiftincentivesawayfrommind-lessspeculationandthecreationofever-moreobscurefinancialinstruments.Instead,letusfindwaysofencouraginginvestors—andcom-panies—tomaketheirprofitsinwaysthatspurproductionandwidespreadwealthcreation.

Joel Kotkin is a presidential fellow at Chapman University and executive editor of www.newgeography.com. He is finishing a book on the American future.

1615HStreet,NWWashington,DC20062-2000

Phone:202-463-3133Fax:202-463-5308

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