City of Cleveland Economic Development Director to present on World Bank panel

WASHINGTON D.C., December 10, 2015— Director Tracey Nichols is presenting on a panel at the World Bank Group HQ on Thursday December 10, to describe a practitioner’s viewpoint of achieving both growth and inclusiveness in economic development.  The New World Bank Report is directed at developing countries around the world.  Nichols was selected as a result of work that has been done in Cleveland that utilizes public, private and non-profit partnerships to achieve these goals.  Cleveland has been recognized as a leader on economic inclusion and Nichols has talked on the topic at a variety of conferences around the United States.  The report cites successful cities as not just attracting outside investment, but also working to grow existing firms as well as supporting the creation of new companies.  In addition, successful cities feature growth coalitions of public and private stakeholders. 

Mayor Frank G. Jackson has often said, “The rising tide must lift all boats.” The City of Cleveland has made economic inclusion a priority.  Cleveland has supported retention of companies and jobs through the Cleveland Industrial Retention Initiative (CIRI) as well as through their work to return brownfields and vacant properties to productive use, partnering with for-profit, non-profit and government organizations in these efforts.  Additionally, the City has worked with Anchor Institutions through the Greater University Circle Initiative which has a number of inclusion efforts, such as University Hospital’s Step Up program, which strives to help lower income neighborhood residents find meaningful employment at the hospital and works with individuals to assist with promotional opportunities, that again opens entry level positions.  The Health Tech Corridor has seen a number of new businesses created and the City has worked with Jumpstart, Cleveland Foundation and the Small Business Administration to bring a new program to the Corridor that will offer opportunities for 100 lower income individuals who wish to create a business. And the City of Cleveland has worked with private for-profit, non-profit and institutional partners to implement the Community Benefits Agreement, where all citizens have an opportunity to participate in the current growth that Cleveland is realizing. 

The Director will speak on a panel with Henry Overman  from What Works Center;  Juan Camilo Beltran, the head of the Chamber of Commerce in Bucaramanga, Colombia; and Christian Ketels  and Marcel Giugale from World Bank, after a presentation of the report. 

Director Nichols has worked previously with the City of Johannesburg, South Africa through a program at the World Bank where US Cities provide technical assistance to other cities across the world via Skype.