U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker Redesignates 12 Manufacturing Communities
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U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker today announced that 12 diverse communities will be redesignated as Manufacturing Communities as a part of the Investing in Manufacturing Communities Partnership (IMCP) initiative until 2018. The communities were all initially designated under the first round of the IMCP competition in 2014. The Investing in Manufacturing Communities Partnership is a U.S. Department of Commerce-led program 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. “These IMCP-designated communities are doing their part to develop comprehensive strategies to strengthen the local manufacturing sector and to attract business investment that makes our nation more globally competitive,” said Secretary Pritzker. “This Administration’s commitment to working with local and federal partners on economic development and technical assistance supports President Obama’s goal of bolstering manufacturing, expanding exports, and creating good-paying jobs for American workers.” To earn the initial designation, communities had to demonstrate the strength of an existing manufacturing industry in their region/community and develop strategies to make investments in six areas: workforce and training; research and innovation; infrastructure and site development; supply chain support; trade and international investment; and operational improvement and capital access. “Today’s redesignated communities have demonstrated great strength and have become increasingly committed to improving their regional manufacturing ecosystems,” said Jay Williams, U.S. Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development. “Manufacturers’ ability to innovate, to make, and to sell to the world is critical to local economies and our nation’s economy. I applaud these 12 communities for their efforts which contribute to this country’s economic success.” The 12 Redesignated Manufacturing Communities are:
Armed with support in federal economic development assistance, technical assistance, and matched/cluster funding from private entities, the 12 redesignated Manufacturing Communities will continue to receive coordinated support for their strategies from 12 federal agencies:
The redesignated communities will continue to work with their dedicated federal liaison to help them navigate available federal resources, participate in programming to advance U.S. manufacturing, and continue collaborative efforts within their industry sector and shared areas of growth and challenges. The Obama administration officially launched the national IMCP competition in December 2013. Since 2013, the Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration has invested nearly $23 million to support 49 IMCP projects and applicants across 26 states. These projects anticipate creating or saving more than 1,080 jobs, and generating nearly $855 million in private investment. For more information on IMCP, please visit: http://www.eda.gov/challenges/imcp/index.htm. |