How Many Caterpillars are in Your Backyard?
Trade has become an integral part of the United States and world economies, and the level of exports in an industry is an important measure of its competitiveness.  The combined total of U.S. exports and imports has increased from 11 percent in 1970, to 24 percent in 1999, and has continued to increase since then, according to the Progressive Policy Institute.  Clearly, industries that thrive in the U.S. have a significant presence in world markets, and communities and states without companies that are global traders will be left behind.  However, staying competitive will be increasingly difficult, as recent downward trends in the U.S. financial markets and evidence of a softening economy indicate a recession is on the horizon or closer.  Yet Caterpillar Inc., headquartered in Peoria, IL, enjoyed record sales and profit in 2007 and is forecasting another record year in 2008.  What can you do to help the companies in your community do the same?

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LED Site Certification Program
Taimerica has contracted with Louisiana Economic Development (LED) to develop its first Site Certification program.  In today's competitive market for businesses and industries, it is necessary for communities to address issues in infrastructure, utilities, permitting and planning to minimize the prospect's lead time before they can begin operations.  Call us for more information on staying ahead of your competition.

BRAC Visioning in Huntsville
Ed Bee and Dave Kolzow of Taimerica traveled to the Huntsville region in February to conduct visioning sessions to get local perspective on project direction.  The latest round of the Base Realignment and Closure Commission (BRAC) will be generating significant economic growth and change in the thirteen counties of the Huntsville region over the next five years.  Taimerica is part of a team helping this community develop a strategy and plan for these changes.

Taimerica Modeling Economic and Fiscal Impacts
Taimerica has also been modeling, as part of the project in Huntsville, the economic and fiscal impacts of the changes that will result from the BRAC process.  New military missions at Redstone Arsenal and buildup among private sector contractors will result in increases in regional jobs, income, population, K-12 students, traffic and demands on municipal services, and Taimerica has developed a sophisticated series of models to estimate and predict the impact of these changes.  In addition, the Acadiana Region Supports and Services Center, formerly the Southwest Louisiana Developmental Center, has asked Taimerica to estimate their economic impact on the economy in south Louisiana.  This facility provides outreach and residential support services to individuals with developmental disabilities in six parishes.  Call us for more information on using one of these techniques, or for developing a new model for your situation.