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Kansas has been named a Top 10 state in eight of 20 categories in Business Facilities magazine’s 2010 Rankings Report, officials announced today.

The annual Rankings Report rates the 50 states on their economic development efforts, with an emphasis on states that are leading the way in emerging industries such as alternative energy. Kansas was a Top 10 state in the following categories: Economic Growth Potential (10), Biotechnology Strength (5), Biofuels Manufacturing Research (10), Alternative Energy Industry (10), Wind Energy Manufacturing (3), Quality of Life (3), Employment Leaders (5) and Best Education Climate (3).

Not the basketball team, but the city.  An op-ed in yesterday's New York Times profiles a change in economic development philosophy in Syracuse, including a project that sells people dilapidated houses for a buck:

Fort Wayne's DeBrand Fine Chocolates has entered the national wholesale market, President Cathy Brand-Beere said.

The chocolatier has created a wholesale division, begun fielding queries from retailers and will advertise DeBrand's wholesale opportunities in several national trade publications in September.

As the economic downturn begins to loosen its grip, many organizations are moving away from cost cutting and toward innovation and growth. The CEOs behind these strategic decisions recognize that in a business environment characterized by higher levels of uncertainty and risk, the ability to generate and sustain innovation programs will be a crucial element of long-term differentiation and growth. Despite this executive-level focus, however, Forrester has found that corporate leadership often lacks the strategy and tools to support a comprehensive innovation agenda.

Building upon a regional economic development initiative launched by the Council on Competitiveness (2006) and sponsored by the Economic Development Administration (EDA), the Employment and Training Administration (ETA) of the U.S. Department of Labor promoted and funded the Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development (WIRED) Initiative. In late 2005, ETA released a solicitation for grant applications (SGA) for WIRED that stated, “The ultimate goal of the WIRED Initiative is to expand employment and advancement opportunities for American workers and catalyze the creation of high-skill and high-wage opportunities.”

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Everyone's talking about what areas LEPs should cover, and the lack of funding. We need more discussion about their powers. We think transport and housing are the key issues for LEPs.

To create the 2 million private sector jobs the OBR forecasts will be produced over the next few years will require effective collaboration between cities and their hinterlands.