Dakota Future
Welcome to Dakota Future. We are the strategic link between business, education and government in Dakota County, Minnesota, USA. This partnership provides a meeting place where forward looking leaders are actively working to ensure Dakota County’s competitive position in a global economy. As a network of people and organizations, our strength grows with our membership. We warmly welcome your input and participation!
In January 2009, Dakota Future announced our goal to achieve designation as an internationally recognized Intelligent Community by 2012. Accordingly, we have now organized our economic development efforts around broadband development, knowledge workers, innovation, digital inclusion and marketing.
Our board of directors, membership and stakeholders include representatives of our local business community, our area colleges, city and county governments, chambers of commerce and workforce partners. This interchange of ideas and opportunities creates an atmosphere of collaboration, problem solving and optimism for the future.
As a membership organization, we encourage you to participate with us in our efforts in increase our economic vitality and competitiveness. To learn more, explore our web site or contact Bill Coleman, Executive Director, at 651-491-2551 or bill@dakotafuture.com.
You can also keep up to date through our Dakota Future Linkedin group.
2010 Intelligent Community - Suwon, South Korea
Suwon, South Korea was named the Intelligent Community of the Year last Friday. They won over the other six finalists, including some of my favorites – Dublin, Ohio; Tallinn, Estonia; and Eindhoven, Netherlands. Stockholm, Sweden was the 2009 Intelligent Community of the Year. Suwon is just 15 miles from Seoul. South Korea has now produced three of the last five Intelligent Community winners.
What I find most fascinating about this competition and these communities is how it reveals the culture of the participating communities and countries. “Happy Suwon” is the marketing tagline for the winning community. “Fast-fast” is their operating style. They get input from the people, make decisions, do things, measure results, move on. Always fast-fast. Eindhoven and Tallinn are fiercely strategic and highly encouraging of collaboration and innovation. The US communities seem more haphazard and free-flowing. In the European and Asian communities, there seems less conflict about the proper government role in moving a community forward. They seem to talk more about what should be done rather than to argue the proper approach to getting it done.
All of these communities put a strong emphasis on world class infrastructure – telecommunications, transportation, and education systems. They are working hard to put these in place and to make use of them to increase their economic competitiveness.
Notes from Building the Broadband Economy in NY
Participating in the Intelligent Community Forum’s Building the Broadband Economy has been very interesting and fun. Last night I sat with people from across Canada and learned about the emphasis that their leaders are putting on broadband as an economic development strategy – from the Atlantic Provinces, to Toronto, Ottawa, Calgary and Edmonton. They saw the support of their top government leaders as essential to their successful efforts. On behalf of Dakota Future, I was pleased to sign a Memorandum of Understanding that formalizes a culture of collaboration between communities adopting the Intelligent Community approach.
Today I co-facilitated a session entitled “Five Burning Issues in Rural Communities“. Our five issues were demographics, gaps in broadband services and the difficulty in forming effective partnerships with private sector providers, funding for infrastructure, digital inclusion and application development, creating a culture of use and the many barriers to application adoption for problem solving, and leadership. It turns out that the list from the urban group was amazingly similar!
I am awed by the strategic thinking and doing going on around the world as communities and country’s strive to create and maintain competitive economies. In the same way, people from around the world are very interested in the Blandin Foundation’s approach to our MN Intelligent Rural Communities project. I have been asked many detailed questions and have received very positive feedback. I look forward to reporting lots of progress next year!
Setting the Course - May 7, 2010
Last year, we set our goal – Top Seven by 2012! Since then, we completed our Intelligent Community benchmarking. We launched our Intelligent Community Initiative. We achieved “Smart 21” Intelligent Community status. Now, together, we set our sights even higher!
Join us as we receive the reports of our Intelligent Community Initiative cross-sector work groups
Broadband :: Knowledge Workers :: Innovation :: Digital Inclusion :: Marketing / Advocacy
Dakota County Intelligent Community Initiative
“Setting the Course!”
Friday, May 7, 2010
8:00–10:00 a.m. :: Dakota Room
Dakota County Technical College, 1300 145th Street East, Rosemount, MN
Each group will present their strategies, leadership and resources that, if implemented, will enhance our chances at Top Seven Intelligent Community designation in 2011, and more importantly, increase our long term community vitality and economic competitiveness!
Many thanks to our work group members who have followed through with their commitment to the
Intelligent Community Initiative. Our progress to date would not have been possible without your efforts!!
Why Is Our Internet So Slow?
That was one of WCCO’s Good Question of the Days this week. It’s a sign of how prominent broadband had become that such a question would make the network news. It’s one of the issues Dakota Future has been working on – especially with the Intelligent Community Forum, where Dakota County competed with communities all over the world based on local technology and innovation.
The other day, Jason DeRusha asked Christ Mitchell (from Institute for Local Self Reliance) about it this week, “Why Is Our Internet So Slow?” Chris gave a concise description that touched on the difference in policies, monopolies, adoption and cost.
Here’s a quick excerpt from the show:
In Europe, it’s a different set-up.
“They have greater competition in the broadband market and that all comes from government policies,” said Mitchell.
In Europe, there’s often one company that builds the network (often a non-profit cooperative or a government-run agency), and separate competing companies that are allowed to pay for the right to sell service to customers.
That creates a market for innovation and lower prices.
Dakota County seeks Google Gb fiber network
Dakota Future, in collaboration with Dakota County CDA and our Dakota County communities, has announced plans to seek the Google Gb fiber network investment for Dakota County. Landing Google would mean a $300 million private sector investment in Dakota County, attract new tech-savvy residents and be a magnet for innovative companies. A project web site is launching at www.dakotafuturefiber.com.
You can show your support by joining the Dakota Future Fiber Facebook and LinkedIn groups.
More information is available here.
Dakota Future Annual Meeting
Dakota Future held its annual meeting and welcomed several new board members to the group. Ruthe Batulis of Dakota County Regional Chamber of Commerce returns to the board after a two year absence. Chuck Cappellin of HGA Architects and Engineers, Mark Tupper of CenturyLink and Dakota County Commissioner Liz Workman also joined the board. New ideas and energy are always a great addition.
We have now published our 2009 Dakota Future Annual Report.
We would like to thank Patti Neuman, formerly of HGA, and Dakota County Commissioner Will Branning for their service on the Dakota Future. Commissioner Branning was a founding member and strong supporter of Dakota Future and countywide economic development.
For a brief time, we mourned the fact that we did not make the Top Seven Intelligent Communities list, kind of like getting the bronze medal at the Olympics. Then we got over it and are back at work aiming for next year. Our Intelligent Community Initiative work groups around broadband, knowledge workers, innovation, digital inclusion and marketing/advocacy are in full swing to reach their May 7 deadline for developing goals, objectives, leadership and resources in their topic area. It is exciting to hear about their progress and creative thinking.
Today is our IT Entrepreneurs networking event in Apple Valley. We have a great group of business owners on our panel discussion. We are going to take a look at the Dakota County broadband video and do some socializing, enjoying some food and beverages. We hope that some college students to participate as we have marketed to our area colleges. It is a beautiful day for networking!
Helping you grow your own successful IT business
Dakota Scott IT Entrepreneurs and others are invited to and upcoming event…
Helping you grow your own successful IT business
February 18, 2010
4-6 pm
Old Chicago Restaurant, 14998 Glazier Ave, Apple Valley
Appetizers & Beverages provided
$10 at the door
A panel discussion from 3 successful IT Entrepreneurs
Register by emailing cindyjohns@comcast.net
Dakota County ICF event January 20
Dakota County has already been named a Smart 21 Intelligent Community. Please join us for the announcement of the TOP SEVEN INTELLIGENT COMMUNITIES to see if we continue in the competition for Intelligent Community of the Year!
Wednesday, January 20, 4:30 – 6:00 p.m.
Enjoy! Restaurant
Complimentary Hors d’oeuvres with cash bar.
Please RSVP to info@dakotafuture.com
ICF Notes January 8, 2010
The Intelligent Community Forum committees met earlier this week to discuss Dakota Future’s application. Here are the notes from the various sessions:
Marketing Team Notes
Knowledge Works Team Notes
Innovation Team Notes
Broadband Team Notes
Digital Inclusion Programs
Dakota County Libraries - 220 computers for public access computers in ten locations.
Workforce Centers - Computer labs, computer training classes and ad hoc computer assistance.
Dakota County Technical College - 356 particiants with the DCTC Project Work Plan since inception.
Inver Hills Community Collge - is part of a 3 college consortium of a Center of Excellence for Strategic Information Technology and Security.
