At a panel discussion event Wednesday in downtown Dayton, a group of prominent business developers, Wright-Patterson Air Force, government and education officials called for new ways of thinking to promote increased economic growth in the Miami Valley. The discussion, organized for the Dayton Development Coalition's 2017 annual meeting, also included proposals to improve Ohio’s education system to prepare more workers for highly skilled manufacturing and technology jobs.
Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley told the crowd of around 700 people that innovation can be fostered by bringing together diverse manufacturing, engineering and arts-related businesses in new, mixed-use urban spaces.
“Creating spaces where small businesses can share ideas, share best practices and really collide off of each other, and that is what we are trying to do particularly in the downtown area, is really make sure that we have an urban core that people want to come to, that people want to work in and that really creates that sense of colliding for great ideas,” Whaley says.
The Dayton Development Coalition hosted the event, held at the Benjamin and Marian Schuster Performing Arts Center's Wintergarden. The Dayton Development Coalition is a major economic development organization for the 14-county Dayton region.
The event also featured University of Dayton President Eric Spina, Lt. Gen. John Thompson, Commander of the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Emerson company President Edward Monser, JP Nauseef, chairman and CEO of Krush Technologies and Retired Air Force Gen. Teed Michael Moseley.
