Interventions to Create Stronger Regional Manufacturing Ecosystems

Before COVID-19, it was easy for many to ignore (at best) or push out (at worst) manufacturing from our cities and towns – zoning away industrial land, disinvesting in infrastructure and human capital, and not considering manufacturing as part of the innovation paradigm. However, policymakers, community action groups, workforce advocates, ESO’s, and many other practitioners are creating programs and policies that can build more vibrant, inclusive, and equitable manufacturing communities that last well beyond the pandemic. Through a lens of ecosystem building as an economic development strategy, we will hear about an organization leading 30+ governments in building their regional manufacturing ecosystem; a CDFI leveraging regional stakeholder partnerships to create financial tools for manufacturing businesses; and cross-sector collaborations to build a regional PPE-manufacturing supply chain.