1. Building Inclusive Competitiveness in Urban
America from Pipeline to Productivity
Changing the economic narrative
Developing innovation ecosystems
Connecting the disconnected
Urban Innovation21 Johnathan M. Holifield
Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh – Homewood Co-founder and Chief©2012 A21
Evangelist
March 14, 2012 The America21 Project

2. Building Inclusive Competitiveness in Urban
America from Pipeline to Productivity
8 Trim Tab Practices to
Achieve Inclusive
Competitiveness
Changing the economic narrative
Developing innovation ecosystems
Connecting the disconnected
©2012 A21
2012 Copyright Johnathan M. Holifield, Principal and Co-founder, The America21 Project, Inc. and Founder, Trim Tab System, LLC

3. What is Inclusive Competitiveness?
Or
Benchwarmer Competitor
Measuring our performance in areas
important to Western PA’s economic future
Are we benchwarmers or competitors?
2012 Copyright Johnathan M. Holifield, Principal and Co-founder, The America21 Project, Inc. and Founder, Trim Tab System, LLC

4. How Is Inclusive Competitiveness Achieved?
New Individual Practices
New Organizational Practices
Bottom line: Trim Tab Practices
2012 Copyright Johnathan M. Holifield, Principal and Co-founder, The America21 Project, Inc. and Founder, Trim Tab System, LLC

5. What are Trim Tab Practices?
Individuals and
Homewood is organizations
the Ship are the
Trim Tabber
Western PA’s innovation economy assets are the Rudder
High-leverage individual and organizational actions
that turn the rudder and, ultimately, turns the ship in
the desired direction
2012 Copyright Johnathan M. Holifield, Principal and Co-founder, The America21 Project, Inc. and Founder, Trim Tab System, LLC

6. Trim Tab Practices Yield Results
• Launched and Led Regional Innovation Initiative
• $600K into $5M of Entrepreneur Economic Impact
• $40M into $250M Early-stage Capital Network
• Innovation-based HS/Turnaround Education Model
• Regional Tech Workforce Alliance
• Statewide Innovation Organization Alliance
• $40M+ Grants, Cash, In-kind Support
Not the only way . . . a proven way
©2012 A21
2012 Copyright Johnathan M. Holifield, Principal and Co-founder, The America21 Project, Inc. and Founder, Trim Tab System, LLC

7. Individual Trim Tabber Attributes
• Treat problems like market opportunities
• Lead by Action, Persuasion, Influence
• Conspicuous Public Presence
• Flexible and Well-networked
• Strong Convictions
• No Fear of Judgment
• Energetic Creator
2012 Copyright Johnathan M. Holifield, Principal and Co-founder, The America21 Project, Inc. and Founder, Trim Tab System, LLC

8. Organizational Trim Tabber Attributes
• Firm place to stand
• Well-networked Facilitators
• Disinterested, Not Uninterested
• Hub, Spokes and Nodes Approach
• Honest, Objective Broker
• Flexible, Agile Drivers
2012 Copyright Johnathan M. Holifield, Principal and Co-founder, The America21 Project, Inc. and Founder, Trim Tab System, LLC

9. Practice 1: Comprehend Speed of the Game
• Bo Jackson Moment
• High Bar for Everyone; Higher Bar for Us
• Further Democratization of Information
• Most Meritocratic Economic Era
• Money, Without Collateral
• Not the Civil Rights Struggle
• Flatter World
©2012 A21
2012 Copyright Johnathan M. Holifield, Principal and Co-founder, The America21 Project, Inc. and Founder, Trim Tab System, LLC

10. Practice 2: Mine the Environment
• How Innovation Ecosystems are built
• Innovation Asset Urban Location
• 19th and 20th Century Asset Visibility
• 21st Century Asset Invisibility
• Making the Invisible, Visible
• End of the Day . . . The Market Must Respond
©2012 A21
2012 Copyright Johnathan M. Holifield, Principal and Co-founder, The America21 Project, Inc. and Founder, Trim Tab System, LLC

11. Practice 3: Begin at the Beginning
• Measure competitiveness, not participation
• Innovation Asset Stewardship Mapping
Angel Networks/Venture Capital Sources/Banks
Innovation Councils/TBED Orgs./VDOs
Bioscience/ICT/Adv. Manufacturing Companies
University/Corporate Research Capabilities
Chambers/Econ. Dev./Philanthropy
Incubators/Accelerators
©2012 A21
2012 Copyright Johnathan M. Holifield, Principal and Co-founder, The America21 Project, Inc. and Founder, Trim Tab System, LLC

12. Practice 4: “The Way” Over “The Thing”
• Simple Process (Way)
• Deployed on Diverse Content (Things)
• A.O.L.
Aggregate key wealth and resources
Organize them into actionable forms
Leverage them to achieve desired impact
©2012 A21
2012 Copyright Johnathan M. Holifield, Principal and Co-founder, The America21 Project, Inc. and Founder, Trim Tab System, LLC

13. Practice 5: Be the Lubricant
• Engine Oil
• Public Policy
• “Private Policy,” i.e., the Big Urban Agenda
• Integrate into the Value Chain (Wetting
Beaks . . . Don Fanucci)
• Money
©2012 A21
2012 Copyright Johnathan M. Holifield, Principal and Co-founder, The America21 Project, Inc. and Founder, Trim Tab System, LLC

14. Practice 6: Encourage Entrepreneurial Churn
• Old Notions of “Economic Stability”
• Energy, Vitality, Creative Destruction
• Risk-Averse
• Risk-Astute
• No undefeated seasons
• Create Customers
©2012 A21
2012 Copyright Johnathan M. Holifield, Principal and Co-founder, The America21 Project, Inc. and Founder, Trim Tab System, LLC

15. Practice 7: Pursue Exponential Impact
• Leverage, Leverage, Leverage
• Measure Outcomes
 What gets measured gets done
 What gets measured and rewarded gets done well
• Aggregate Incremental/Exponential Breakthrough
©2012 A21
2012 Copyright Johnathan M. Holifield, Principal and Co-founder, The America21 Project, Inc. and Founder, Trim Tab System, LLC

16. Practice 8: Embrace Asset Obsolescence
• Trim Tabber Role = flexible/enduring
• Innovation Ecosystem = adaptable/enduring
• Innovation Ecosystem Assets = constant change
• No Asset has “Right” to exist
• Only Support Assets Demanded by the Market
©2012 A21
2012 Copyright Johnathan M. Holifield, Principal and Co-founder, The America21 Project, Inc. and Founder, Trim Tab System, LLC

17. Questions
Let’s Talk
©2012 A21
2012 Copyright Johnathan M. Holifield, Principal and Co-founder, The America21 Project, Inc. and Founder, Trim Tab System, LLC

18. Contact Us:
General: 8 Trim Tab Practices to Achieve
info@blackinnovation.org Inclusive Competitiveness
Johnathan M. Holifield
Co-founder and Chief Evangelist
The America21 Project
Email:
johnathan@blackinnovation.org
Phone:
716.361.9889
2012 Copyright Johnathan M. Holifield, Principal and Co-founder, The America21 Project, Inc. and Founder, Trim Tab System, LLC