HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - Futures Committee - 09/14/2011 -
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Meeting Minutes
City of Fort Collins
Futures Committee
Regular Meeting
300 LaPorte Ave, City Hall
September 14, 2011
4:15 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Attendees:
Representing Colorado State University
Martin Shields, Ph. D.
Council representatives:
Gerry Horak
Wade Troxell
Staff:
Darin Atteberry
Bruce Hendee
Organization
1. The meeting convened at 4:15PM.
2. The meeting minutes from the 8-24-11 meeting were approved.
Following is a summary description of the conversation
1. Gerry asked what kind of econometric tools do we have to work with.
2. Martin suggest a good resource would be a book by an economist from Harvard,
Ed Glaser, Triumph of the City
3. Martin indicated it is hard to maintain vitality based on the competition for
intelligent people. The point was that success comes a cascading system of
attracting intelligent people, which then leads to an inflow of more talent. Fort
Collins is having success in this arena due in a significant part to CSU. A clear
threat though is if the funding begins to wane. This is a clear threat based on
shrinking state and national funding.
4. Wade and Gerry both wanted to know what models are available for long term
prognostication. Martin indicated this was a difficult question because of
disruptive innovation and the tendency for rapid market shifts based on new and
transformative innovations
2
5. The question was posed by the group “ What does it take to attract the young
entrepreneur? What does the environment look like?
Density
Quality of Life
Bicycles and an ability to bicycle to work and play
Younger generation is looking for experience as much as income.
6. Another question posed was” What are the policies the City needs to implement
to facilitate entrepreneurs?
a. Martin suggested a company/ group called SAGE consisting of former
technology people
7. Another probing question: “What made the Breweries happen?
8. one point of consensus was Fort Collins has done a great job of leveraging its
assets; young people, university, RMI, downtown, culture etc.
9. A suggestion coming from the meeting was to convene a meeting of
entrepreneurs and ask them why they started a business in Fort Collins.
10. Some key considerations the group felt were important:
An encouraging public entity and public processes
Diversity – Since many of the professionals trained at CSU are international
students, keeping them here after graduation is difficult because they do not
have the cultural setting to make them comfortable.
Attracting and keeping the right people has three interrelated components:
a. Intellectual Capital
b. Cultural Capital
c. International entrepreneurs