Puget Sound Named Manufacturing Community

The Puget Sound area was announced today as one of the first 12 communities that will be designated Manufacturing Communities as part of the Investing in Manufacturing Communities Partnership (IMCP) initiative.  The Puget Sound Regional Council will lead our region’s effort.

The U.S. Commerce Department-led program is designed to accelerate the resurgence of manufacturing in communities nationwide by supporting the development of long-term economic development strategies that help communities attract and expand private investment in the manufacturing sector and increase international trade and exports.

The first 12 Manufacturing Communities include:
• The Washington Puget Sound region, led by the Puget Sound Regional Council
• Southwest Alabama, led by the University of South Alabama
• Southern California, led by the University of Southern California Center for Economic Development
• Northwest Georgia, led by the Northwest Georgia Regional Commission
• The Chicago metro region, led by the Cook County Bureau of Economic Development
• South Kansas, led by Wichita State University
• Greater Portland region in Maine, led by the Great Portland Council of Governments
• Southeastern Michigan, led by the Wayne County Economic Development Growth Engine
• The New York Finger Lakes region, led by the City of Rochester
• Southwestern Ohio Aerospace Region, led by the City of Cincinnati
• The Tennessee Valley, led by the University of Tennessee
• The Milwaukee 7 region, led by the Redevelopment Authority of the City of Milwaukee

Initiative aims to revitalize manufacturing through public-private partnerships and coordinated federal funding.  The 12 designated Manufacturing Communities will receive coordinated support for their strategies from the following eleven federal agencies with $1.3 billion available in federal economic development assistance:

• Appalachian Regional Commission
• Delta Regional Authority
• Environmental Protection Agency
• National Science Foundation
• Small Business Administration
• U.S. Department of Agriculture
• U.S. Department of Commerce
• U.S. Department of Defense
• U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
• U.S. Department of Labor
• U.S. Department of Transportation

These communities will also receive a dedicated federal liaison at each of these agencies that will help them navigate available federal resources. They will also be recognized on a government website, accessible to prospective private foreign and domestic investors, looking for information on communities’ competitive attributes.

From the 70 communities that applied, these 12 were selected by an interagency panel, based on the strength of their economic development plans, the potential for impact in their communities, and the depths of their partnerships across the public and private sector to carry out their plans.
In order to earn the designation, communities had to demonstrate the significance of manufacturing already present in their region and develop strategies to make investments in six areas: 1) workforce and training, 2) advanced research, 3) infrastructure and site development, 4) supply chain support, 5) trade and international investment, 6) operational improvement and capital access.

For more information on IMCP, please visit: http://www.eda.gov/challenges/imcp/index.htm.