By William Teasley, Project Manager.    At Market Street , we often talk about change and growth of communities and the people within them. As an outside observer it is sometimes easier to see what impedes communities moving forward than those from within which have become accustomed to what they know and see. During numerous input sessions in 2009, people have shared frustrations, positions, hopes, and dreams about their communities. There is one story shared by one...

By J. Mac Holladay, Founder and CEO.    It is hard to believe that we are headed to a new year and a new decade in a few days. Time Magazine called the last 10 years “The Decade from Hell”. The pace of change has continued to accelerate and certainly some of the changes are unprecedented. Two recessions, a cascading number of corporate scandals too numerous to list, natural disasters led by Katrina and Rita, and two ongoing wars. Then the last two years of “The Great Recession” (as...

  By Christa Tinsley, Project Associate.   Last week, the U.S. House of Representative passed its $154 billion jobs bill, called the Jobs for Main Street Act of 2010 . Among other things, the expansive legislation hopes to increase infrastructure projects that would provide construction jobs, as well as enable communities to retain and hire teachers, firefighters, and other public servants. The Senate will not look at the bill until the new year so elements of the bill may...

By Matt Tarleton, Project Associate.    “ Change is debilitating when done to us, but exhilarating when done by us .” – Rosabeth Moss Kanter This quote is one of Mac Holladay’s favorites, and it has quickly become one of mine as well. When looking back on 2009, many of us entered this year hopeful amidst tremendous economic uncertainty. We had elected a new president that inundated us with his messages of hope and change. But when I look back at what have likely been the two...

By Ellen Anderson, Research Manager.    While there are many varied strategies that can be employed in the name of economic development, the goal is wealth creation for local families. Per capita income(PCI) is one of the most common and reliable gauges for economic development progress because it measures community wealth per resident. Increasing per capita income can take years and require far-reaching economic diversification, quality of life, and workforce strategies. Exploring which...

By Alex Pearlstein, Senior Project Manager.   Time magazine has taken pity on Detroit. It is sponsoring a campaign called “ Selling Detroit ” that aims to help “America’s most struggling city (attract) business and talent.” Part of a yearlong project – Assignment Detroit – reporters and editors from Essence, Fortune, Money, Sports Illustrated, Time and related Web sites are living in a Detroit house and writing about the city from an on-the-ground perspective. Maybe Detroit is less depressing...

By Ranada Robinson, Project Associate.    Many feel that innovation and technology transfer are the keys to future economic growth.  With the decline in manufacturing jobs, math, science, and engineering fields have become increasingly important.  In a report recently published by Newsweek , attitudes about innovation and global competitiveness were compared across nationalities.   As I’ve become more acclimated to the consulting world, I’ve...