~~~ Illinois Institute of Technology research on BR&E... IIT students are conducting research on business retention training and personal skill sets essential for success in working with existing businesses. In support of this research, Blane, Canada Ltd is helping identify interview participants for IIT. Interviews will be conducted in February and March. If you are available to be interviewed, please contact Sarah, sgroninger@blanecanada.com. Thanks for your help.

~~~ Hat's off to our friends at the Greater Dubuque Development Corp... They used the occasion of holiday greetings and gift giving to extend an invitation:
"We miss you. Come home for more than just the holidays!"
Go to: http://www.AccessDubuqueJobs.com. Attractive and tasteful To/From gift cards were distributed throughout the community with the message on the back. Well done!

~~~ Conduct a location search on any U.S. state or community... DevelopmentAlliance.com offers detailed state, county, metropolitan and micropolitan statistical data for companies seeking new business locations. The website enables comparisons of critical data sets from every U.S. County and gives corporate site selectors the ability to select up to five communities at once for a side-by-side comparison. This free service is offered by Conway Data, Site Selection magazine, SiteNet.com and IEDC. Source: SEDC Newsletter

~~~ Synchronist Users... When you next login to e-Synchronist, check out the update link shown in the message center. The Update Letter will bring you important information on recent changes and upgrades. Update Letters will be provided periodically to improve communications and help you utilize Synchronist System to your advantage.

~~~ "Green" is the trend... "We are seeing more and more tenants are making "green" a requirement in their site selection process." Green requirements might include use of recycled materials, low flow toilets which conserve water, low emission paints, green roofs, solar hot water, etc. Do your available building or planed spec. buildings pass these new tests? Source: Bill Kincaid Jr., Vice President, CB Richard Ellis, Global Supply Chain Practice.

~~~ Flipside of discontent... accepting constraints. We all do it. We make little and big choices everyday because it would take too much effort to fix. My filing is a great example. Some would say not everything has to be on my desk all the time. Although some say - and I accept this view - this is a reflection of my creative bent. What constraints should you challenge?

~~~ "Advanced Business Retention... Beyond the Basics" The only course for advanced techniques and strategies, April 21-22 seminar is offered by Blane, Canada Ltd. in Chicago. Registration is limited to 25 participants. Sign up early! Advanced Business Retention or contact Sarah at sgroninger@blanecanada.com

~~~ Speaking of constraints... economic development professionals have accepted a number of assumptions about the effectiveness of a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunity, and strengths) Analysis. New Blane, Canada Ltd. research on SWOT analysis research has proven 4 basic assumptions are no longer valid. For example: 1) Frequency of response is a good way to identify priority issues identified in a SWOT Analysis. Reality: Frequency has a 30% likelihood of being accurate (70% failure rate). Want a pre-release copy of the article? Send me a note. ecanada@blanecanada.com

~~~ Constraints and creativity... you have seen this in action no doubt. When faced with a constraint, it is easier to be creative. Taking options off the table helps stimulate creativity. Think about the blank page syndrome. It is easier to design a new jobs web site to attract young job seekers if you have a model like www.apple.com than it is to design a new website when all you know is it needs to be less formal. We have used this technique in economic development for years. "Borrow from the best with pride."

~~~ One well established trend in the work environment... is connectivity. Think about your own office and work requirements. Work today is a network of places both geographic and virtual. Therefore, the corporate real estate executive must rely on the expertise of the CTO (chief technology officer) to determine site suitability. Do you have the right expertise on your team to address the CTO's highly technical questions?

~~~ Be kind to callers... If your phone system directory requires the caller spell the person's name you are trying to reach, make sure everyone provides their name AND their extension in their voice mail announcement. It is a tremendous pain to call multiple times and be forced to keep spelling because there is no way to get the person's extension number. Thanks. It will make a difference for someone.

~~~ Since I'm on pet peeves... Blank subject lines drive me nuts! However, more importantly the vast majority are dumped without viewing as presumed junk mail. Provide subjects in ALL e-mail correspondence. No exceptions. Make the subject relevant.

Blane, Canada Ltd.
1506 Cadet, Suite 100
Wheaton, IL 60187-7380
ph 630.462.9222
fax 630.462.9210

info@blanecanada.com