Council Cited in Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Deborah L. Wince-Smith, president of the Council on Competitiveness, participated in the Americas Competitiveness Forum in Atlanta this week. The inaugural event was hosted by U.S. Secretary of Commerce Carlos Gutierrez. The forum brought government ministers from the Western Hemisphere together with leaders from the private sector, academia and non-governmental organizations to explore cutting edge ideas and best practices in several key areas of competitiveness.

Both Wince-Smith and G. Wayne Clough, vice chairman of the Council and president of Georgia Institute of Technology, were cited in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution today.

Atlanta on global stage

As host of the inaugural Americas Competitiveness Forum, Atlanta and Georgia were again on the global stage. Leaders from throughout the hemisphere spent two days discussing ways to improve productivity and economic prosperity by trading and partnering with other nations in the Americas.

The idea of the forum came from President Bush following the Summit of the Americas in 2005. Atlanta had to compete against Louisville, KY, and the Research Triangle Park, N.C., to hold the inaugural forum. Metro Atlanta and state leaders—from government, business and civic groups—raised $300,000 in cash and sponsorships to hold the two-day summit, which also had the backing of the U.S. Department of Commerce.

“We really wanted this,” said Hans Gant of the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce. Georgia Tech President G. Wayne Clough said the forum fits with the profile Atlanta is trying to present to the world.

“I think Atlanta needs to build on its presence as an intellectual place that understands economic development in the highest sense,” Clough said. “We have to constantly be ready to innovate.”

Deborah Wince-Smith, president of the Council on Competitiveness, which helped put together the conference, said it is a feather in Atlanta’s cap. “For Atlanta, it’s a signal that it is a gateway for innovation throughout the Americas,” she said. “When we look back 10 years from now, we will see Atlanta as an innovation hot spot. This is showcasing the best of America.”