Jon Talton, the Seattle Times economics reporter, last week had a sobering column noting that, while our regional economy at the moment is doing well in comparison to the rest of the state and the nation, dark clouds are gathering on the horizon. (Here is a link to the article.)  Specifically he mentioned ten factors that should constitute a wake-up call to anyone who values working and living in our environmentally beautiful, culturally rich region and wants it to stay that way so they can continue living here.

Some of these issues have a direct link to our region’s ability to be innovative.  Near the top of the list is Microsoft’s need to recapture its innovation magic and regain leadership in the IT revolution. 

But just a bit of reflecting on the other nine items reveals the need for some real creative thinking leading to new innovative approaches.  Innovation is the answer.  A good place to start building your own innovative abilities along with the ability to help organizations be more innovative is with the ASTDps Innovation Initiative SIG event, “Understanding Innovation: The ‘Silicon Valley’ Case Study” this coming Tuesday evening. 

As I post this only four seats remain.  Go to the registration link elsewhere on this website.  In the event that online registration has ended, please contact me at governmentaffairs@astdps.org.  No promises, but I will make a reasonable effort to see if we can accommodate you for this exciting and important learning event.