I - O P E N

Institute for Open Economic Networks

CIVIC FORUMS AS AN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT TOOL

WHITE PAPER
SEPTEMBER 2007

4415 Euclid Avenue Cleveland, Ohio 44103 www.i-open.org

 Strategic Doing in the Civic Space
New Practices and Tools for Economic and Community Development

I-Open Civic Forums

I-Open civic forums accelerate economic transformation.
I-Open civic forums represent an exceptional opportunity to transform our regional economy through open
innovation networks.

I-Open civic forums:

• Promote regional economic development by accelerating entrepreneurship and innovation;

• Accelerate innovation and entrepreneurship by building open economic networks (sometimes called
“clusters”) among academic, business, government and civic communities;

• Represent remarkably effective, low-cost marketing campaigns to support entrepreneurship and action
learning projects; and

• Create new economic opportunities by shifting public thinking about what is possible.

Innovate by Encouraging Purposeful Conversations

Regions and communities are home to large networks of higher education institutions and libraries. Seen from
one perspective, these institutions and organizations are remarkably fragmented. They operate largely separate
from one another. Seen from another, each organization -- ultimately, each person in each organization -- can
represent a node in a dynamic network of learning to support innovative businesses.

I-Open uses civic forums to build these knowledge networks and stimulate innovation and entrepreneurship.
We encourage open networks of collaboration built on trust and accountability. We model new civic
behaviors designed to overcome fragmentation by focusing on mutual interests, realistic business
opportunities and pragmatic next steps.

By accelerating trusted connections among the region’s extensive research, information and civic community
I-Open removes the barriers that stifle “open innovation systems” within regional economies. These
innovation systems -- sometimes called “clusters” -- drive regional prosperity.

Create College and University Partnerships to Build Civic Spaces

I-Open civic forums seek partners to:

• Build a strong regional brand in innovative economic development;

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 • Identify a network of dynamic civic entrepreneurs in communities who are transforming our regional
economies:

• Identify a network of dynamic civic entrepreneurs in communities who are transforming our regional
economies;

• Provide quick access to action learning opportunities for students;

• Gain access to a growing national network of business, education and civic leaders promoting a new
approach to regional economic development designed by I-Open.

The Civic Forum Process: A History

REI.Tuesdays hosted at the Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University,
introduced a new kind of public engagement: the civic forum. Reaching out to the academic, civic,
government and business leaders and citizens beyond campus boundaries in Northeast Ohio, REI.Tuesdays
became known as a neutral convening ground for the exchange of public opinion and expert knowledge for
the purpose of engaging small teams building projects and initiatives for regional transformation. Civic,
business, government and academic leaders stepped forward to present research and practitioner summations
of their solutions to the challenges affecting us all in our daily lives.

Participants were introduced to cutting edge economic development concepts, best global practices and new
principles of civic behavior that build trust and respect to accelerate the competitive value of civility. Each
session ended with an action plan for “next steps.”

Over the seventeen-month pilot, REI.Tuesdays gathered thousands of participants and hosted hundreds of
forums. Robust social networks formed, resulting in a multitude of self-organized work groups, roundtables,
focus groups and communities of commitment. The civic forum process piloted at REI, Case Western Reserve
University, was replicated in other area universities and colleges, libraries and private business groups in
Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky and South Carolina.

What emerged…
• BREWED FRESH DAILY covers news and opinion from Cleveland, Ohio on a variety of topics and
is one of the largest and most advanced blogging communities in the country. Emerging from
REI.Tuesdays in 2004 as an example of a new kind of citizen journalism, Brewed Fresh Daily has
increased its readers and content providers exponentially. Content covers all areas of economic
development attracting business, civic, academic and government leaders and serves as a regional
center for Ohio news and opinion.
http://www.brewedfreshdaily.com

• CENTER FOR PREVENTATIVE HEALTH & DISEASE MANAGEMENT, LLC began with a
team of researchers exploring new opportunities in healthcare management. As a result of their
research, HDM capitalizes on Cleveland’s access to some of the best hospitals and research
universities

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in the country. They developed a model to predict and prevent chronic illnesses rather than the model
of seeing and treating diseases.
http://www.nhm-inc.com/

• CITY WHEELS began as a student action-learning project to assess the regional benefits of car
sharing. CityWheels is now a family-owned business offering Ohio's first car-sharing service
throughout Cleveland and vicinity.
http://www.mycitywheels.com/

• DEFRAG is an international business network focused on next generation industry opportunities in

creative digital media. The quarterly conferences offer an integrated, multidisciplinary approach to
address our innovation imperative in rich media, with a focus on education and workforce
development. Conferences present new research, models and projects envisioning alternate futures.
Unlike any other time in the history of civilization, Defrag encourages collaborative leadership and
team projects identifying gateway solutions capable of the scale and interactivity needed to address
critical world challenges, such as climate change, renewable energies and urban re-densification.
http://defragohio.pbwiki.com/

• FRIDAYS @ THE CORRIDOR is modeled after REI.Tuesdays. The “Fridays @ the Corridor”
monthly event is a series of interactive forums that seek to inform, educate and network Charleston's
knowledge-based community on a variety of topics that are relevant to their respective companies.
By listening to the needs and concerns of member companies, the Digital Corridor engages qualified
professionals in the Charleston business community to lead discussions that provoke thought and
action. It is this effective engagement that can lead to economic benefit on the part of the attendee
and therein lies the value proposition of Fridays @ the Corridor. “We also have the Fridays at the
Corridor networking gatherings, but we wanted this to be for another purpose besides getting
together and having coffee."
http://www.charlestondigitalcorridor.com

• MIDWEST BIOFUELS LLC developed the first retail biodiesel pump in Northeast Ohio in
partnership with American Merchandising Services, a local urban minority owned business
enterprise. Midwest Biofuels is a provider of bio-based fuels and chemicals, and advanced technical
services to assure successful introduction of these products to commercial and private fleets in
Northeast Ohio.
http://realneo.us/events/midwest-biofuels-announces-its-first-retail-biodiesel-pump-in-
northeast-ohio-aug-2005

• REALNEO emerged out of REI.Tuesdays, and continues today as a well-developed, highly engaged
Web 2.0 platform. REALNEO is described as an open, free social network of people interested in
arts and culture, economy, education, environment, health and technology, focusing on Northeast
Ohio with global members perspectives. People are encouraged not only to enjoy the content but
also to set up an account, join the community of content providers and start their own blog. In late
2005, internet entrepreneur Norm Roulet captured editorial and public commentary over months of
REI.Tuesdays weekly civic forums to develop REALNEO, a Web 2.0 platform. At the time, the

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 Drupal platform strengthened an emergent community dedicated to accelerate economic action and
today, this on-line platform continues to expand significantly providing a full battery of social
software tools. The website and its thousands of members provide a regional lifeline for community
advocacy, and support a multitude of initiatives and business development opportunities.
http://realneo.us

• REGIONAL AUTOMATED TECHNOLOGY AND EDUCATION CENTER (RAMTEC) was

designed as a model to accelerate innovation among smaller manufacturing companies in Northeast
Ohio and to replicate the model in regions across the country. The RAMTEC initiative provided
education, training and skills for automated manufacturing, led in the development of automated
manufacturing technology and provided automation solutions for industrial applications.
http://osed.smartworkspaces.com/index.php/Main/RamteC

• TRANSTECH was an initiative dedicated to nurture and promote Northeast Ohio’s opportunities in
regional transportation to create jobs and wealth throughout the region in vehicle technology-related
manufacturing and economic development.
http://weatherhead.case.edu/news/newsitem.cfm?idNews=154

Here’s what civic leaders in Northeast Ohio said about REI.Tuesdays:

• REI’s focus on building networks and on magnifying the effectiveness of existing networks in NE
Ohio provides exactly the kind of practical activity that makes best use of our resources
University Professor
• It is with great pleasure that I write in unequivocal support of Ed Morrison and REI. Ed and his staff
have been tireless in their efforts to reach out and communicate with the surrounding community.
Their success in doing this is demonstrated in the energetic collaborations between individuals and
institutions where none existed before
Museum Director
• “Regionalism” and “economic development” have never been greater topics of conversation or higher
public policy priorities than today. Diverse ideas and opinions on a myriad of critical subjects are
invited to REI, dissected by the audience and used to advance our community’s knowledge and
momentum in practical and innovative ways
Director - Economic Development
• REI is a great platform to connect us with regional business and industry leaders on many levels. REI
also provides a great window for our interests in bridging the gap between academia and the real
world. I hope that REI will continue grow as the important player in NEO to bridge academia and
business.
Chair, Digital Arts

To carry on the work of REI, Ed Morrison, Betsey Merkel, Susan Altshuler and Dennis Coughlin founded
the Institute for Open Economic Networks (I-Open) in July 2005. I-Open continued to conduct civic forums
throughout Northeast Ohio. I-Open civic forums are the first step in building open economic networks.
Forums combine guided leadership, education, public participation and collaborative technologies to promote
new thinking and action in regional economic development.

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Who participates?
Civic forums are free and open to the public. Everyone is welcome. Forums offer a way for busy people to
connect to information, resources and capabilities to accelerate entrepreneurial initiatives. People from
business, government, academia, and students interested in building their networks come to learn about new
opportunities in the region and how they fit in.

I-Open professionals share their expertise in organizational and behavioral tools, such as social network
analysis, appreciative leadership, collaborative Internet technologies and large group facilitation. Participants
learn how they can apply open economic network practices immediately to spot opportunities and plan next
steps.

What’s discussed?
People move in the directions of their conversations. I-Open civic forums design strategic open
conversations to find out what’s happening, explore what’s possible, and to align people so they can work
together. Some of the more recent topics include:

• Business Development Opportunities: 2020 Energy Policy Act

• Creating Arts Districts as Economic Development Engines
• What Lakefront Access Means to Regional Business
• Building Global Markets: Arts and Entertainment as Creative Industries
• International Student Networks: Doors to the Global Marketplace
• Wind Innovation and Manufacturing Opportunities

Why do civic forums work?

I-Open civic forums work for two reasons. First, they are part of a larger framework that I-Open has
developed: Open Source Economic Development. This framework views economies as networks nested in
other networks. Open Source Economic Development generates strategy maps and other tools to keep
people focused on where they are and where they want to go.

I-Open is currently deploying the Open Source Economic Development model in regional strategies in Ohio,
Indiana, Kentucky and South Carolina. As the leader of Indiana’s Leadership program has noted, “The
model of Open Source Economic Development and its emphasis on civic networks and dialogue as
competitive strategies are truly innovative practical tools that our research shows to be unique in the
nation...Open Source Economic Development is remaking Indiana’s economic landscape.”

I-Open civic forums work for a second reason. They are not stand-alone events; they are part of a larger
process to build networks and translate ideas into action. We relentlessly focus on “What’s next?” We have
coined the term “Strategic Doing” to describe this continuous process of identifying high leverage initiatives
and moving these initiatives forward.

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Roles and responsibilities of the civic forum host
A civic forum process is led by a Civic Forum Leader responsible to teach civic entrepreneurs a blend of the
latest research in economic development, organizational and behavioral tools, such as social network
analysis, collaborative leadership, and building on-line Web 2.0 communities. Others include the Network
Development Coordinator, Content Provider, and the Civic Forum Participant.

Title Description Who Skills FT/PT

Civic Forum Economic Development pro- Open Source FT/paid
Leader fessional; educator; govern- Economic Develop-
ment; academic; business ment; civic forum
or civic leader; student; process
entrepreneur
Network Day-to-day forum Educator, city, academic, Trained in leading FT/paid
Coordinator operations work in business, civic leader, an open guided
close partnership student entrepreneur participatory
with a designated process of civic
Civic Forum Leader engagement
to organize, facilitate
networks, communi-
cate, and coach the
development of civic
entrepreneurs as well
as logistics associated
with the civic forum
process
Content Provides the content for Anyone with initiative Readiness to pre- FT/PT
Provider the civic forum and an idea sent clearly. Well volunteer
program(s) and drives informed, committed
all activity and outcomes, organized intent
contacts, additional guests,
panelists, contributors as
speakers or audience
Participant Listens, may participate Anyone who is interested Curious about the FT/PT
verbally, offers alternate in attending future; interested volunteer
points of view, research, in learning
working and practitioner
knowledge, other initiative
leaders

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Where do civic forums take place?
Forums are held on a designated day and time each week at a location determined by the forum host. For
example, I-Open Tuesdays were launched through a partnership with the Cleveland Area Metropolitan
Library System (CAMLS) and were hosted at Northeast Ohio branch libraries.

What is a typical civic forum schedule?

6:00 – 6:15 P.M. Presenter & Audience Introductions
6:15 - 7:00 P.M. Presentation of new information
7:00 – 7:45 P.M. Discussion
7:45 – 8:00 P.M. Wrap Up & Next Steps

How do civic forums help us see new opportunities?

Each civic forum addresses an area of economic development and investment. We exercise our brains by
starting at the 10,000 foot level then telescope down to the next steps to make things happen. We ask both
“What’s the Big Idea?” and “What’s the Next Step?”

Civic forums model new patterns of civic behavior in communities. In our complex world today, no one
individual has all the answers. By presenting new ideas for examination and debate, we brainstorm our “best
shots” together. If you are a participant, regular engagement and intellectual discussion is invigorating and
thought provoking. Everyone leaves a forum knowing more.

How to market civic forums

Begin by sending weekly updates to your opt-in e-mail contacts. Your local blogging community can publish
commentary and follow up conversations on the Internet. Traditional publications may contribute articles.
Weekly e-mail communications list upcoming forum topics, offer web links to project updates, access to
online communities and new knowledge about best global practices in economic development.

How participants stay connected

We capture e-mail contacts every meeting. Attendees contribute to an opt-in network database that is not
shared or sold to third parties.

Some rules for success

 Be persistent and patient. Building communities of open innovation takes time and commitment. This
is the most important and exciting work you will ever do in your lifetime for the benefit of future
generations.

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  Make a commitment and be ready for constant activity. Understand civic forums create a process of
engagement with the potential for transformative innovation and exponential growth of activities.
This is how civic forums are much more than “just another meeting”.

 Model civility. Civic forums model new patterns of civic behaviors and allow citizens the opportunity
to practice these new behaviors and conversations in a safe, neutral environment with the under-
standing that no one individual has all the answers. By making the environment safe enough for
anyone to present new ideas for examination, debate, and improvement we will have truly
brainstormed our “best shot” projects together.

An invitation to partner with I-open

I-Open builds partnerships and collaborations leading to initiative building and transformative projects in
economic, regional and community development. I-Open reaches out to civic, business, and academic
leaders, government officials and citizens to develop Civic Forums in communities and regions.

I-Open seeks partners based on the strengths that individuals and organizations bring to the partnership, their
connections, their willingness to work in teams, to share new ideas, information, resources and capabilities.
We look for partners that believe in reciprocity (partners giving and receiving exchange of original ideas, new
research working knowledge, and access to financial resources) and that place a high value on new ideas and
have a fresh perspective for the future. I-Open is looking for trusted collaborators to help guide a process, a
project or an initiative resulting in transformative change.

As a partner with I-Open, to begin and develop a civic forum in your community, here are the roles and
responsibilities of I-Open and the civic forum host:

I-Open will: Civic Forum host will:

Mentor, coach and teach forum host how to
develop a successful forum (i.e. weekly
newsletter/e-mail interview process for topic
discussions and speaker selection, developing
a comprehensive e-mail list) for a specific
timeframe to be decided by I-Open and the
host partner.
Secure a venue for weekly forums.
Designate a manager/faciltator to help guide
each forum.
Send out a weekly e-mail to market the
forum.

Initiate an on-line community space using Choose topic discussions and/or speakers for
Web 2.0 collaboration and enterprise each forum.
development.
Collect data for social network mapping at
Complete social network maps from each session.
collected data
Provide cookies and coffee.
Lead quarterly civic forums to teach:
• Leadership Training
• Strategic Doing
• Social Network Mapping

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What you can do today
• Start a civic forum process.
• Comment on current web blogs and start a blog of your own.
• Initiate an online Web 2.0 collaborative space.
• Read a “Hot Pick” book from the library.
• Pursue your best idea and make it happen with the help of trusted colleagues and friends.
• Connect others you know in an e-mail introduction; encourage them to share their ideas and to
explore a new opportunity together.
• Attend conferences locally, regionally and nationally to build your networks and seek out people with
interesting ideas and perspectives.
• Spend time browsing the Internet about topics that interest you.
• Buy a graphics drawing program and experiment with developing creative visuals.
• Show an interest in people you meet randomly by introducing yourself and starting a conversation.
• Make an appointment to interview people you would like to meet and know more about.
• Introduce yourself to entrepreneurs at your local café and library.

To learn more, please contact:

The Institute for I-Open Economic Networks
4415 Euclid Avenue
Cleveland, OH 44103

Ed Morrison, Director Regional Strategy

216-650-7267
edmorrison@i-open.org

Betsey Merkel, Director Network Development

216-246-2447
betseymerkel@i-open.org

Susan Altshuler, Director Finance and Contract Administration

216-577-9957
susanaltshuler@i-open.org

Dennis Coughlin, Director Operations

216-288-2698
denniscoughlin@i-open.org

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