By Lance Winslow
There sure is a lot of talk about innovation in America, and rightfully so. We are a nation of innovators, inventors, and entrepreneurs. We can build, create, and out think almost any country on the planet, or any civilization. Why is that? I believe it is due to our free-market thinking, liberty, and “Can Do” American attitude. When everyone gets in line in their thinking, and they decide there is something they want to do, they can and will make it succeed.
There was an interesting article recently in the Desert Sun, a local newspaper for the Coachella Valley. If you don’t know where that is one of the cities there is called Palm Springs, CA and it is fairly well known. The article was written by K. Kaufmann and the title was “Questions Raised as to Who Will Gain Most from iHub in Palm Springs,” and it was published on May 20, 2011. The article stated;
“The iHub, one of 12 state-designated innovation centers in California, is a partnership between Palm Springs, Cathedral City and Desert Hot Springs. Its primary purpose is to serve as an incubator for small renewable energy and clean technology companies and start-ups.”
In answering the question on that title, I have a few things to say. First off, maybe folks should stop pointing fingers about who will get the most out of it, and rather put all their energies into it. An innovation center and hub is about harvesting the accumulation of knowledge, human energy, potential, and wisdom available in the area or region, or perhaps sector of our economy. It’s about bringing all that together in a synergistic spot which radiates and flows outward with even more than what has been put in.
Therefore rather than infighting over who might get the most out of it, maybe all the participants should consider what they can put into it. In this case a local bank has donated $250,000 to the project, and the City of Palm Springs, along with the Coachella Economic Development Association have all joined hands in a common cause. It is my contention that this could work quite well. However, it must be done with a free-market flare, and without the bureaucracy or political infighting which often ensues over fiefdom’ism.
Why you ask? Well, because in the end, there is no place in a local innovation center for power grabs, or politics. So to answer your question yes local innovation centers do work, and they work quite well, but only if they are allowed to. Indeed I hope you will please consider all this because it was a topic of conversation recently at our think tank. If you have a similar program in your city or town, please shoot me an e-mail, and perhaps I can send you some good ideas along this topic.
Lance Winslow is the Founder of the Online Think Tank, a diverse group of achievers, experts, innovators, entrepreneurs, thinkers, futurists, academics, dreamers, leaders, and general all around brilliant minds. Lance Winslow hopes you’ve enjoyed today’s discussion and topic. http://www.WorldThinkTank.net – Have an important subject to discuss, contact Lance Winslow.
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