2010 Chair’s Agenda

Ohio Governor Ted Strickland was the Midwestern Governors Association’s Chair for 2010. Strickland’s agenda, Midwestern Jobs: Training Workers and Investing in Businesses for the New Energy Economy, built on previous regional efforts to foster economic growth and opportunities for the Midwest in the new energy economy.
Governor Strickland focused his agenda on two objectives. The first focusing on increasing investment capital opportunities for Midwestern businesses. The region has enormous energy resources to lead the nation in the new energy economy, as well as a strong manufacturing and agribusiness base.

The second objective of Governor Strickland’s agenda as chair was to help ensure the region’s workers have the necessary skills for advanced energy jobs. Building a skilled workforce is an essential component of any state or regional effort to attract capital and businesses to the region, and Governor Strickland’s agenda focused on identifying areas for states to collaborate on a regional basis in order to meet workforce demands.

The governor convened a meeting of regional stakeholders to assist in achieving these goals. At the meeting, Invest in the Midwest: We Make the Things that Power the World, policy leaders embarked on a discussion about on how to improve the investment climate in the region. From this meeting, the MGA produced Midwestern Investment Platform for the New Energy Economy.