Western North Carolina has faced economic challenges for decades. Industries that once brought prosperity – tobacco, textiles, furniture manufacturing – have waned. As a largely rural area, it is not an easy place to develop new industry. Rather than continue bidding wars with other locations to chase "the next big thing," the region decided to focus on its local assets, and businesses with an organic connection to the region. A cluster of outdoor equipment companies has emerged, one that taps the recreational opportunities of the Blue Ridge Mountains as it competes on a national scale.

In just six years, North Louisiana has created a fast-growing cyber cluster in a region historically dominated by manufacturing and oil and gas. The catalyst for this stems from the combined vision of local and state leaders to diversify the region's economy and inculcate a knowledge-based workforce.

SARTA (Sacramento Regional Technology Alliance) is invigorating agriculture technology ventures through its new AgStart cluster program. Drawing on California's core tech and agriculture sectors, AgStart facilitates the research and development of ag tech companies and entrepreneurs. Said SARTA CEO Meg Arnold: "There is a huge, and growing, need for agriculture technology to increase productivity and yield, improve cost effectiveness, and enhance the efficient use of water, energy, and land. Sacramento ...

This article by the NJ Spotlight shows how the new State Strategic Plan for New Jersey addresses the needs of its large growth industries in biopharma and advanced manufacturing, as well as opportunities to spur sustainable economic growth in the context of the state's political and cultural climate.

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Image: Peter Ginter