IMCP aims to bring local communities and federal government together to plan for long-term industry.
The Commerce Department on Wednesday announced 12 more communities have received designations in the Obama administration’s Investing in Manufacturing Communities Partnership (IMCP) initiative.
The communities selected will have an opportunity to be selected for a special designation that will award them with $1.3 billion in federal dollars and assistance from a variety of government agencies.
So let’s refresh your memory on what exactly the IMCP is.
IMCP is an ongoing Obama administration initiative comprised of several phases. The goal is to push coordination between the federal government and localities that are trying to bring new, long-term industry to their communities.
The Commerce Department completed phase one of the initiative in September 2013 when it awarded 44 communities with $200,000 planning grants — a total of $7 million. In May 2014, Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker announced the first 12 communities that were designated as Manufacturing Communities.
This year’s list ranges from communities in Pittsburgh to San Antonio to Minneapolis.
For example: The Louisiana Chemical Corridor, led by Louisiana State University and stretching from New Orleans to Baton Rouge, has plans to develop a chemical manufacturing community that increases positive social and environmental impacts, including job growth, waste reduction and product innovation.
Another community in California, the Central Valley AgPlus Food and Beverage Manufacturing Consortium, has a mission to foster the growth and creation of food and beverage businesses and middle-skills manufacturing jobs in the Central Valley.
The Commerce Department said the first 12 designated communities are making “incredible strides in workforce development, advanced manufacturing innovation, and building partnerships.” Southern California’s designation, for example, helped enable Chaffey College to secure a grant for $15 million from the Labor and Education departments to establish a training center, which will train workers in advanced manufacturing for highly technical, highly skilled jobs.
The 12 communities announced today include:
- The Greater Pittsburgh Metals Manufacturing Community led by Catalyst Connection in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
- The Alamo Manufacturing Partnership, led by the University of Texas at San Antonio in the San Antonio, Texas metro area.
- The Louisiana Chemical Corridor led by Louisiana State University, stretching from New Orleans to Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
- The Madison Regional Economic Partnership (MadREP) in the Madison, Wisconsin region.
- The Made in the Mid-South Manufacturing Alliance led by the Greater Memphis Chamber spanning five counties in surrounding Memphis, Tennessee.
- The Greater Peoria Economic Development Council leading a five county region in central Illinois.
- The Minnesota Medical Manufacturing Partnership led by GREATER MSP in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
- The South Central Idaho Region led by the Region IV Development Association in Twin Falls, Idaho.
- The Utah Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Initiative led by the University of Utah in the Wasatch Front region.
- The Pacific Northwest Partnership Region, led by Business Oregon in Oregon and Southwest Washington.
- The Connecticut Advanced Manufacturing Communities Region, an eight county area centered on Hartford, Connecticut, is led by the State of Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development.
- The Central Valley AgPlus Food and Beverage Manufacturing Consortium led by California State University in Fresno.
Read more: Commerce Plans to Add More Manufacturing Communities to IMCP.