Megan Reichert

Good additional suggestion here. Data siloes lead to fragmented services, so improving the mechanics of data collection is imperative. https://lnkd.in/eZcZCZMY

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Supercharge your LInkedIn company page through this webinar on June 18 with Michigan Economic Development Corporation and LinkedIn.

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Here is what happens when you #empower people: they do amazing things! Kudos to the students involved in this project! Their innovation and hard work are driving positive change in our communities. Last month, the EPA awarded $23 million in Clean School Bus rebates to 24 school districts in #Wisconsin! (Yes, you read that correctly - $23 million worth of FREE #SchoolBuses). Several of these rebate applications began with a demonstration of this calculator. 🚍🔋🌍 #StudentEmpowerment #Innovation #Sustainability #CleanEnergy #ElectricBuses #ElectricVehicles #VehiculosElectricos #BusesElectricos

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NEWS: University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Breaks Ground on Science & Health Sciences Building -- The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire broke ground on the $340.3 million Science and Health Sciences Building in June of 2024. Designed by HOK and Potter Lawson, the 330,000-sf facility will collocate STEM courses in the sciences, technology, engineering, and mathematics with programs in nursing, psychology, pre-professional health sciences, and public health and environmental studies. The vibrant five-story structure will feature an accessible sixth level with a greenhouse, a telescope observatory dome, and a mechanical room. Driving the creation of a skilled workforce in northwestern Wisconsin, the transformative development will expand UW-Eau Claire's renowned undergraduate research programs while serving as the flagship for a new innovation cluster. Mayo Clinic Health System is supplying $13.7 million in funding and will occupy a shared research workspace in the facility spanning 10,000 sf. The Science and Health Sciences Building is envisioned as a catalyst for industry and government partnerships throughout the region, fostering economic growth and providing students with direct access to internship opportunities and career pathways. Miron Construction Co., Inc. is the general contractor for the project, which represents a contract value of approximately $245 million. Occupancy is expected in fall of 2027. https://lnkd.in/e6ccypmX #AcademicMedical #HigherEducation #ResearchAndDevelopment #Healthcare #AlliedHealth #Collaboration

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Another HUGE win for Illinois with the selection of the Illinois Fermentation and Agriculture Biomanufacturing Tech Hub (iFAB Tech Hub) as one of only a dozen selected by the U.S. Economic Development Administration! Congrats to Carly McCrory-McKay, Nicole Bateman, Beth Conerty, Laura Appenzeller, Gregory Webb, Cristobal Valdez, EdD, Kara Demirjian Huss and all of the 31 partners who made this successful! The Illinois Manufacturers'​ Association was proud to be a coalition partner and play a very small role this groundbreaking visionary plan for downstate Illinois in the Champaign-Decatur-Danville corridor. Thanks to ADM and Primient, along with P33 Chicago and Innovate Illinois for their leadership. Special thanks to the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the all-woman led team!!! Kudos to JB Pritzker, Andy Manar and Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity Director Kristin Richards who led state efforts. It was truly a #TeamIllinois win! iFAB will scale precision fermentation to convert underutilized corn feedstocks into high-value, customized alternative proteins, food ingredients, materials, chemicals, and more. By leveraging its regional assets in corn and soy feedstocks, food processing infrastructure, and research leadership, this Tech Hub will provide a domestic biomanufacturing testbed through the development and deployment of multi-use pilot and demonstration capacity and equipment for biomanufacturing innovators, while also training a skilled workforce.  iFAB will receive $51 million to help implement the public-private partnership plan. Nationally, $504 million in implementation grants were granted to 12 Tech Hubs to scale up the production of critical technologies, create jobs in innovative industries, strengthen U.S. economic competitiveness and national security, and accelerate the growth of industries of the future in regions across the United States.

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Detroit's first agrihood, the Michigan Urban Farming Initiative (MUFI), is a groundbreaking project that reimagines the relationship between urban communities and agriculture. Established in 2011 in Detroit's North End neighborhood, MUFI has transformed the concept of vacant land use by turning empty lots into a vibrant urban farm. Spanning three acres, the farm produces over 300 varieties of fruits, vegetables, and herbs that are distributed to the local community at no cost. MUFI's mission is multifaceted: to combat food insecurity, promote sustainable agriculture and create a community-centric approach to urban living. In a city where access to fresh produce is often limited, the initiative provides a lifeline to residents, offering free, high-quality food. This helps address food deserts and ensures that the local community has access to nutritious, fresh produce. Beyond just farming, MUFI is committed to revitalizing the neighborhood. The agrihood features educational programs, community gardens, and a volunteer program that brings people from different backgrounds together. These initiatives not only educate participants about sustainable agriculture but also foster a sense of community and shared purpose. MUFI's agrihood also emphasizes sustainability. The initiative utilizes environmentally friendly farming practices that prioritize soil health, water conservation, and biodiversity. Their methods demonstrate how urban agriculture can be both productive and sustainable, setting a standard for similar projects nationwide. The agrihood concept in Detroit is more than just an urban farm; it’s a holistic model that integrates agriculture, education, and community engagement. By revitalizing vacant urban spaces and fostering a healthier, more connected community, MUFI’s agrihood serves as an inspiring blueprint for cities across the country looking to blend urban living with sustainable agriculture. #Agriculture #sustainability

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If you haven’t checked out how the Leadership Ohio program can elevate your approach to work impact, team building & workplace innovation, send me a message and I will connect you!

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NOAA, Biden-Harris Administration announce $1.3 million for Cleveland project to Strengthen Climate-Ready Coasts initiative Today, Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo announced that the Department of Commerce and NOAA have recommended $1.3 million for a Northeast Ohio Black Health Coalition (NEOBHC) project to make the state’s Lake Erie coast more resilient to climate change and other coastal hazards. The nationally recognized NEOBHC is the first coalition in the state of Ohio to focus exclusively on the African American community. Its mission is to create equity in the African American community addressing the cumulative impact of racial, economic, environmental and social justice inequities on education, employment, housing and health by working to educate, advocate for and empower the community. The project, Building Resilience to Extreme Weather in Northeast Ohio, will establish a resilience hub of 30 community-based organizations in the region experiencing high poverty rates and climate change vulnerability. “The primary focus is on extreme temperatures and the impact on public health in communities of concern,” said Yvonka M. Hall, NEOBHC Executive Director. “Through regional collaboration and local expertise, NEOBHC will address barriers to climate resilience, invest in climate literacy and public engagement and secure funding to implement resilience-focused projects.” The effort builds on existing actions designed to address disproportionate impacts of extreme weather and flooding in the region, while building capacity among the resilience hub organizations and thereby maximizing the breadth of community benefits. The awards are being made under the Biden Administration’s Climate Resilience Regional Challenge; a competitive, $575 million program funded through the nearly $6 billion total investment under the Biden-Harris Administration’s Inflation Reduction Act. Administered by the Department of Commerce and NOAA, the Climate-Ready Coasts initiative is focused on investing in high-impact projects that create climate solutions by storing carbon; building resilience to coastal hazards such as extreme weather events, pollution and marine debris; restoring coastal habitats that help wildlife and humans thrive; building the capacity of underserved communities and support community-driven restoration; and providing employment opportunities. “Climate adaptation starts by building resilience at the local level,” said NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad, Ph.D. “With this funding, we’re proud to support community-driven resilience efforts that will help bridge the climate adaptation gap and protect public health in Northeast Ohio.” https://lnkd.in/gP6NwyHa

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Registration is now open for this collaborative international webinar with our friends in Germany!!! This will prove to be a wonderful webinar sharing experiences, best practices and innovations with our German counterparts and celebrating 10 years of #NationalApprenticeshipWeek !!! Register today!!! You will not want to miss it!!! #apprenticeshipswork

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Mission--leading as if life matters--it does. One artist, demonstrates the power of caring and reminds us all of its absence in much of commercial life. We can use our art to enable and use the power of culture to create change https://lnkd.in/eABTsiVZ

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BIG thanks to Chris Holman, Michigan Business Network (MBN) for having me on his program once again to discuss the Michigan Venture Capital Association 2024 Impact Report as well as we discussed about all the good news happening in the investment and entrepreneurial ecosystem. Check it out at: https://lnkd.in/gKf9AYRM #venturecapital #data #michigan #fundraising #economicgrowth #venturestrong #michiganvc #Michiganventurecapital

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LISTEN to our interview with Rachel Friedman, Founder + CEO, TENFOLD® + TENSPACE®, S1, Ep4 of the "LENSES for VISIONARIES shaping the future of Columbus + Beyond" podcast series co-hosted with David Staley. In this series, we invite visionary leaders across Columbus, OH to share their perspectives about leadership and how to shape our collective future. *** S1, Ep 4 Summary: Amongst many things Rachel explores with us in this episode, keep an ear open for a few gems such as: 1.    How will the workplace evolve post-Covid? And how will physical spaces be central to successful brand culture succeeding in the future?? 2.    Leaders must be proactive and intentional in managing company culture – those who can’t do so will struggle going forward 3.    The risks of bootstrapping a business vs. seeking significant outside investment as one considers the dynamics of growth and innovation while pushing boundaries 4.    Her team’s TENSPACE initiative seeks to revolutionize the retail experience by connecting engagement and emotion 5.    Intentional togetherness is vital to building genuine trust within organizations *** Each conversation begins with 5 questions: 1. What are you curious about? 2. What is your “What If…? question? 3. When have you challenged something that you had always unquestionably accepted? 4. What is the biggest “wicked problem” you want to explore? 5. What do you want the world to look like in 10 years? From there, we openly explore a range of possibilities and backstories. As listeners will learn (or may already know from personal experience), each of our Columbus-based guests are leaders who boldly challenge the status quo. They don't just accept the way things are. They are unafraid to tackle the most complex, wicked problems. In so many ways, they already live in the future, ahead of their time. And maybe, most of all, they embody all of these attributes in service of others so they may thrive in the years ahead. *** Season 1 guests include: - E1: Alex Bandar, Founder + CEO, Columbus Idea Foundry - E2: Donte Woods-Spikes, author, educator, filmmaker, community catalyst - E3: Dr. Annalies Corbin, Founder + CEO, PAST Foundation - E4: Rachel Friedman, Founder + CEO, TENFOLD® and TENSPACE® - E5: Josh Harrison, President, Improving - E6: Frederic "Dr. B" Bertley, CEO, COSI - Center of Science and Industry - E7: Dr. Melissa Crum - Inclusion Coach, Founder, Mosaic Education Network - E8: Jamie Greene, Founder + Principal, planning NEXT - E9: Matthew Goldstein, Founder + CEO, Besa - E10: Megan Kilgore, City Auditor, City of Columbus

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Which Indiana communities are most vulnerable to climate change? In an interview with Indiana Public Media / WTIU / WFIU, ERI Executive Director Gabriel Filippelli said each city and town faces a different set of challenges but identified three key factors that affect a community’s vulnerability: 📉 Elevation: Low-lying communities may be more susceptible to flooding during periods of heavy rain than communities on higher ground. 🏙️ Gray infrastructure: Urban areas with few trees and lots of paved surfaces become warmer than surrounding areas during heat waves, exposing people to the health risks of extreme heat. 🤝🏽 Income levels: Lower-income communities tend to be at higher risk of flooding and heat than other communities, making it imperative that solutions to climate change are implemented equitably. Through tools like the Hoosier Resilience Index, ERI works with local governments in Indiana to help them understand the specific set of risks climate change poses to their community. These insights can guide decision-making as leaders prioritize projects and actions that improve community resilience. Explore the Hoosier Resilience Index: https://hri.eri.iu.edu/ #resilientcommunities #climatechange

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Thank you Kimberly Riley for the thoughtful Op-Ed in Crain's Cleveland Business describing some of Team NEO's recent successes. While business expansion announcements often get a quick mention in local media, people outside the economic development community don't always realize the immense amount of work that takes place to get these projects across the finish line: Our Business Development team (team I am a member of) often spends months and years fostering relationships with companies to set the groundwork for an attraction or expansion opportunity. Team NEO's Sites Team spends countless hours working with city officials, developers, and engineering firms to get sites and buildings ready for use. The Talent Team can spend months collaborating with higher-ed, workforce development, and HR professionals to assemble staffing, hiring and training plans. Our Project Management team works quickly and efficiently with the company and JobsOhio to structure programs to make a project feasible. Along the way we work side by side with government officials, nonprofit economic development partners, professional services organizations, utility and infrastructure providers, and many others to make a project happen. Ribbons are cut, local employees are hired, and we move on to the next opportunity to grow prosperity in our region. Economic development is an exciting and rewarding business to be a part of, and it is great to be a member of the organization moving the needle on this in Northeast Ohio. #economicdevelopment #northeastohio https://lnkd.in/gpm-MraY

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A key state Biohealth Tech Hub workforce project aims to connect #underserved communities with #employment gaps across the sector. That’s according to Mark Thomas, EdD, chief strategy officer for Madison Area Technical College, a tech hub consortium member that’s leading the project. He spoke yesterday during BioForward #Wisconsin’s Wisconsin BioHealth Summit in Madison, highlighting the #ABCPathways program. “We are at peak population, and so we have this almost existential #laborshortage, right? And yet we have populations that are historically underserved with low employment and #lowincome,” he said, adding “this is what we’re trying to do, is solve that labor-economics problem.” This effort falls under the states’ #techhub effort, which has a focus on #precisionmedicine and related industries such as #biotechnology #manufacturing. Consortium partners — led by BioForward, Inc. — landed $49 million in federal dollars to execute a number of related projects, and leaders have secured more than $32 million in additional committed investment, including $7.5 million from the state. 🔎 Read more at https://lnkd.in/g2bTksR7

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The Health Policy Institute of Ohio recently released a new data snapshot highlighting health in rural and Appalachian Ohio (https://lnkd.in/gwdjGArm). The snapshot illustrates differences in community conditions and highlights health outcomes for Ohioans living in rural and Appalachian counties. As illustrated below, early deaths have increased in Ohio over the past decade, and Ohioans living in rural, Appalachian counties continue to die early at a much higher rate than other rural counties or Ohio overall. The snapshot also includes links to resources for state and local leaders. According to the snapshot, “There are many effective strategies that state and local leaders can use to ensure that Ohioans living in rural areas have access to the resources and environments needed to promote health and well-being.”

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2025 may seem far away, but the most successful grant applications are built on careful planning. Now is the time for Michigan nonprofit organizations to identify future opportunities and align their programs for maximum impact. River City Grant Writing, your trusted partner in grant funding and 2025 grants, offers the strategic planning needed to set your organization up for success. #GrantWriting #NonprofitFunding #2025Grants #Philanthropy

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My question for the day: how are you helping? One of my favorite ways to help is in the non-profit #cbustech community. And guess what, there are a lot of ways to help: · Speak: join us at League of Professional System Administrators (LOPSA) Columbus to share your professional experience and lessons to an audience of infrastructure and operations pros. Hit up [email protected] if you're interested in speaking. (no marketing or product pitches!) · Volunteer: Tech Community Coalition is establishing committees to help the 50+ active tech and startup community groups in Columbus. Hit up [email protected] or Volunteer day of at Summerfest: https://lnkd.in/grRUjKGC · Donate: the cbus tech non-profit community is largely funded by for-profit companies and the volunteer teams can't do it without financial support. Responsible for a budget? Grow your brand and reputation by supporting the overall tech community at Summerfest https://lnkd.in/g8rU38xp The things above not a fit? That's cool, help out your favorite group or check out OLF Conference. Or just show up, join us at Summerfest to learn more about our community: https://lnkd.in/duTPeuNb Still not sure? Hit me up and let me know how you want to help, I'll connect you with the right folks. Also, if you're in Columbus tech, happy to get you added to our local Slack with 5k+ tech pros. Not sure why you'd want to help? Read Adam Grant's book "Give and Take" and after check out the "Go-Giver." Two of my favorite books. Helpers win. Or as good ol' Mr. Rogers likes to say, "look for the helpers."

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Eric Wohlwend’s Proponent Testimony: The Truth About Ohio’s Water Bill Crisis. Cities refuse to turn of water when tenants live in our private homes. Then they put liens on our property so #bigwater can be paid by the property owners. While we have a lien on our property. The water company signs the very same tenant up at another property so they can run that water bill up and not pay for what they used. It is not legal for property owners to turn off the water. Only water companies can do that. #Bigwater is the only utility that has passed the responsibility of collections on to property owners without giving us the ability to stop service. If they cannot do their own collections, perhaps they should sell to Aqua Ohio or another private company. They could learn how the gas and electric company collect from the people that use their services. #Bigwater could learn from any other business on earth,how people get paid for providing service.

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