From restaurants, nightlife, and green spaces to a depth and breadth of job opportunities, affordable housing and a safe environment, what will it take to turn Columbia into a place that attracts the creative class?
Take the Columbia Talent Magnet Project survey at http://www.columbiatalent.com before noon Monday, October 20, 2008, and voice your opinion about our city and what it will take to turn it into a magnet for talent.
The Columbia Talent Magnet Project was created to find ways to appeal to and keep today's "Creative Class" in Columbia. The Project is a collaboration among EngenuitySC, the Greater Columbia Chamber of Commerce, the Columbia Metropolitan Convention & Visitors Bureau, New Carolina - SC's Council on Competitiveness, and Columbia Opportunity Resource (COR).
We are taking the “pulse” of our community to identify Columbia’s perceived strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities. What’s right, what’s wrong, and what opportunities do we have as a region to grow and prosper? Responses from the anonymous survey will form the foundation for dialogue at a Talent Magnet Summit in late 2008.
Friday, October 17, 2008
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
New Ideas for a New Carolina - 2009 Call for Entries!
New Ideas for a New Carolina 2009 Contest
Everyone Has A Dream or a Great Idea – What's Yours?
Do you want to win $5000? Do you have a big idea for a business? If so, then enter your idea at http://www.newideassc.com/ starting October 1, 2008 and ending December 2, 2008.
Share your ideas for business that stoke your fire, blow your mind and show your get-up-and-take-charge-of-my-dream spirit. Your idea could bring new jobs, new energy, new talents, new life and new wealth to South Carolina.
South Carolina's fourth annual New Ideas for a New Carolina Business Idea Contest officially launches October 1, 2008. The New Ideas Dream Team, a coalition of representatives from SC Launch!, New Carolina – SC's Council on Competitiveness, FastTracSC, ThinkTEC and other organizations around the state will spend October and November touring cities throughout South Carolina promoting this year's contest. South Carolina entrepreneurs can submit their ideas for a business until December 2nd at http://www.newideassc.com/.
The winners will be announced at the ThinkTEC Innovation Summit in Charleston on February 11, 2009. This year's contest award the grand prize winner $5,000 of seed money for their business idea, a scholarship to FastTrac® entrepreneurial training program, tickets to the ThinkTEC Innovation Summit and a Dream Team of Mentors to help the winner cultivate their idea. Four first place prizes of $2500, a scholarship to FastTrac® and tickets to the ThinkTEC Innovation Summit will be distributed as well as five $1,000 honorable mention prizes. Also, the contest will feature once again, the People's Choice category where the residents of South Carolina will be able to vote for their favorite idea.
So what are you waiting for? Enter your Idea at www.NewIdeasSC.com by December 2nd for a chance to win!
Click the following link to download the New Ideas Contest Flyer!
Click here for more information.
Everyone Has A Dream or a Great Idea – What's Yours?
Do you want to win $5000? Do you have a big idea for a business? If so, then enter your idea at http://www.newideassc.com/ starting October 1, 2008 and ending December 2, 2008.
Share your ideas for business that stoke your fire, blow your mind and show your get-up-and-take-charge-of-my-dream spirit. Your idea could bring new jobs, new energy, new talents, new life and new wealth to South Carolina.
South Carolina's fourth annual New Ideas for a New Carolina Business Idea Contest officially launches October 1, 2008. The New Ideas Dream Team, a coalition of representatives from SC Launch!, New Carolina – SC's Council on Competitiveness, FastTracSC, ThinkTEC and other organizations around the state will spend October and November touring cities throughout South Carolina promoting this year's contest. South Carolina entrepreneurs can submit their ideas for a business until December 2nd at http://www.newideassc.com/.
The winners will be announced at the ThinkTEC Innovation Summit in Charleston on February 11, 2009. This year's contest award the grand prize winner $5,000 of seed money for their business idea, a scholarship to FastTrac® entrepreneurial training program, tickets to the ThinkTEC Innovation Summit and a Dream Team of Mentors to help the winner cultivate their idea. Four first place prizes of $2500, a scholarship to FastTrac® and tickets to the ThinkTEC Innovation Summit will be distributed as well as five $1,000 honorable mention prizes. Also, the contest will feature once again, the People's Choice category where the residents of South Carolina will be able to vote for their favorite idea.
So what are you waiting for? Enter your Idea at www.NewIdeasSC.com by December 2nd for a chance to win!
Click the following link to download the New Ideas Contest Flyer!
Click here for more information.
Friday, October 3, 2008
Know an overachiever under 40?
Know an overachiever under 40? Nominate a Midlands business star making his or her mark with professional success and community involvement. The nominee must primarily conduct business in the 10 counties of the Midlands* and be under 40 years of age as of January 1, 2009. Deadline for nominations is Friday, October 10, 2008; winners will be published in the January 5, 2009 edition of Columbia Business Journal.
Click one of the following links for a nomination form:
PDF: http://www.thestateonline.com/20under40/20under40_2008.pdf
Word: http://www.thestateonline.com/20under40/20under40_2008.doc
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
We need your feedback!
Please take a few minutes to participate in the Columbia Talent Magnet Project survey. The goal of this survey is to take the “pulse” of our community to identify Columbia’s perceived strengths, weaknesses, and the opportunities for positive change from the perspective of the people who live, work, learn, and play here. What’s right, what’s wrong, and what opportunities do we have as a region to grow and prosper? Your responses will form the foundation for dialogue at a Talent Magnet Summit in late 2008 where business, government, civic, and cultural leaders will come together to discuss your thoughts and ideas. Stand up, be heard, and share your thoughts!
The Columbia Talent Magnet Project is committed to developing a dynamic region where education, economic prosperity, community engagement, quality of life, and experiences attract and retain the best and the brightest talent in the region and the country. This vision will fuel our community’s growth in the new economy. The Columbia Talent Magnet Project is a collaborative effort of EngenuitySC, The Greater Columbia Chamber of Commerce, New Carolina – SC’s Council on Competitiveness, the Columbia Metropolitan Convention & Visitors Bureau, and Columbia Opportunity Resource (COR).
We appreciate your participation in our study. Please click on the link below to begin the survey:
http://www.columbiatalent.com
The Columbia Talent Magnet Project is committed to developing a dynamic region where education, economic prosperity, community engagement, quality of life, and experiences attract and retain the best and the brightest talent in the region and the country. This vision will fuel our community’s growth in the new economy. The Columbia Talent Magnet Project is a collaborative effort of EngenuitySC, The Greater Columbia Chamber of Commerce, New Carolina – SC’s Council on Competitiveness, the Columbia Metropolitan Convention & Visitors Bureau, and Columbia Opportunity Resource (COR).
We appreciate your participation in our study. Please click on the link below to begin the survey:
http://www.columbiatalent.com
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Talent Magnet Survey!
We're excited to announce the Columbia Talent Magnet Project survey will go live tomorrow! Be on the lookout for an email or link to the survey!
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Citizen Input Sought on Transportation Plan
Residents of Richland, Lexington and Kershaw counties are invited to participate in a regional transportation plan. The Central Midlands Council of Governments is hosting drop-ins to unveil a 30-year plan for roads, bike and walking facilities, public transportation and freight travel in the region.
They are:
• 4 to 7 p.m. Monday — North Springs Community Center, 1320 Clemson Road, Columbia
• 4 to 7 p.m. Tuesday — Lexington Town Hall, 111 Maiden Lane, Lexington
• 4 to 7 p.m. Oct. 2 — Ballentine Community Center, 1009 Bickley Road, Irmo
• 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Oct. 4 — Dutch Square Mall, 421 Bush River Road, Columbia
Call Aaron Bell at (803) 376-5390, ext. 343.
http://www.thestate.com/local/story/535245.html
They are:
• 4 to 7 p.m. Monday — North Springs Community Center, 1320 Clemson Road, Columbia
• 4 to 7 p.m. Tuesday — Lexington Town Hall, 111 Maiden Lane, Lexington
• 4 to 7 p.m. Oct. 2 — Ballentine Community Center, 1009 Bickley Road, Irmo
• 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Oct. 4 — Dutch Square Mall, 421 Bush River Road, Columbia
Call Aaron Bell at (803) 376-5390, ext. 343.
http://www.thestate.com/local/story/535245.html
Monday, September 22, 2008
Columbia, SC Deemed a Very Walkable City
http://www.columbiacvb.com/docs/sep.Walkable_City%2009.2008.pdf
Columbia, SC – (September 5, 2008) According to www.walkscore.com , Columbia received an 86 out of 100 score in walkability. Walk Score calculates the walkability of an address by locating nearby stores, restaurants, schools, parks, etc., and measures how easy it is to live a car-lite lifestyle. With a score of 86, Columbia is considered to be a "very walkable" city with the flexibility to be able to get by without owning a car. The Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center, in the heart of it all, scored a 91.
Walk Score uses a patent-pending system to measure the walkability of an address. The Walk Score algorithm awards points based on the distance to the closest amenity in each category. If the closest amenity in a category is within .25 miles (or .4 km), they assign the maximum number of points. The number of points declines as the distance approaches one mile (or 1.6 km)—no points are awarded for amenities further than one mile. Each category is weighted equally and the points are summed and normalized to yield a score from 0–100. The number of nearby amenities is the leading predictor of whether people walk.
Ric Luber, president/CEO of the Midlands Authority for Conventions, Sports & Tourism (MACST) states, "Being a ‘very walkable’ city is a great thing for Columbia. We want our visitors and our residents alike to be able to enjoy strolling along the streets of the city center. After all, we’re a 12 month destination - we want everyone to maximize their potential to enjoy our outdoors everyday possible."
About Walk Score
"What I can walk to" is a common home-buying and apartment-renting criterion. Walk Score's patent-pending technology calculates a Walk Score for any property and shows a map of what's
nearby with reviews to help you find a great neighborhood. Walk Score launched in July of 2007 and over 1 million addresses were searched in the first month. Walk Score has been featured in over 500 blogs and 75 newspaper articles and radio segments.
The Midlands Authority for Conventions, Sports & Tourism is the parent organization to the Columbia Metropolitan Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center, the Columbia Metropolitan Visitors Center, and the Columbia Regional Sports Council. The organization was founded in July, 2001 for the purpose of marketing Columbia in anticipation of providing an avenue for generating an economic impact.
Columbia, SC – (September 5, 2008) According to www.walkscore.com , Columbia received an 86 out of 100 score in walkability. Walk Score calculates the walkability of an address by locating nearby stores, restaurants, schools, parks, etc., and measures how easy it is to live a car-lite lifestyle. With a score of 86, Columbia is considered to be a "very walkable" city with the flexibility to be able to get by without owning a car. The Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center, in the heart of it all, scored a 91.
Walk Score uses a patent-pending system to measure the walkability of an address. The Walk Score algorithm awards points based on the distance to the closest amenity in each category. If the closest amenity in a category is within .25 miles (or .4 km), they assign the maximum number of points. The number of points declines as the distance approaches one mile (or 1.6 km)—no points are awarded for amenities further than one mile. Each category is weighted equally and the points are summed and normalized to yield a score from 0–100. The number of nearby amenities is the leading predictor of whether people walk.
Ric Luber, president/CEO of the Midlands Authority for Conventions, Sports & Tourism (MACST) states, "Being a ‘very walkable’ city is a great thing for Columbia. We want our visitors and our residents alike to be able to enjoy strolling along the streets of the city center. After all, we’re a 12 month destination - we want everyone to maximize their potential to enjoy our outdoors everyday possible."
About Walk Score
"What I can walk to" is a common home-buying and apartment-renting criterion. Walk Score's patent-pending technology calculates a Walk Score for any property and shows a map of what's
nearby with reviews to help you find a great neighborhood. Walk Score launched in July of 2007 and over 1 million addresses were searched in the first month. Walk Score has been featured in over 500 blogs and 75 newspaper articles and radio segments.
The Midlands Authority for Conventions, Sports & Tourism is the parent organization to the Columbia Metropolitan Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center, the Columbia Metropolitan Visitors Center, and the Columbia Regional Sports Council. The organization was founded in July, 2001 for the purpose of marketing Columbia in anticipation of providing an avenue for generating an economic impact.
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