Building a Competitive Midwest through Regional Collaboration Webinar Series, Part V Creating a Midwest Export Economy hosted by the Midwestern Legislative Conference's Economic Development Committee Senator Heath Mello, Nebraska, Advisory Group Chair Ms. Laura A. Tomaka, MLC Committee Staff Liaison

Building a Competitive Midwest through Regional Collaboration Webinar Series, Part IV Creating a Midwest Export Economy Presenter Ms. Jennifer Bradley, Fellow and Co-Director, Great Lakes Economic Initiative, Metropolitan Policy Program, Brookings Institution Response Panel Ms. Laura Baughman, President, The Trade Partnership Ms. Mary Roberts, Director, Illinois Office of Trade and Investment, Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity

Building a Competitive Midwest through Regional Collaboration Webinar Series Designed to explore the potential for regional economic development collaboration in order to advance the economies of the Midwest region both on the national and international stage. The goal is to develop principles of collaboration by: (1)creating a better understanding of the interconnectedness of the region’s economies, including employment, job attraction and creation and wealth creation; (2)encouraging the region to engage in formal efforts for regional collaboration. The webinar series will examine the issue of collaboration in two ways: (1)an examination of why it is important for the region to consider collaborative efforts and how the region can benefit from working together; (2)an examination of five areas of potential collaboration, focusing on how states can advance growth agendas in these areas and what collaborative efforts in these areas could look like.

Building a Competitive Midwest through Regional Collaboration Webinar Series Six live, web-based teleconferences that will be made available to a wide audience of state officials, policy experts and interested parties. In addition to the live webinars, each will be recorded and made available on the CSG Midwest website. 1.Creating a Midwestern Growth Zone: Making the Case for Regional Collaboration 2.Early Stage Capital Building 3.Regional Energy Agenda 4.Education Reform and Improvement 5.Exports/International Trade 6.Better Marketing and Branding the Midwest: Creating a Regional Identity (Monday, June 13)

Building a Competitive Midwest through Regional Collaboration Webinar Series The project will culminate with a written summary of each of the webinars in 3-4 pages, presented in a single document, to be released this summer during the MLC Annual Meeting in Indianapolis (July 17-20). The MLC Economic Development Committee will discuss next steps for advancing regional collaboration at that time.

Exploratory questions Why important? Why is this area an issue for the Midwest region from an economic development perspective? What are the challenges faced by the Midwestern states in this area? What are the opportunities faced by the Midwestern states in this area? Why states can benefit more collaboratively than going it alone? Why does it make sense to collaborate? What are the benefits to collaboration in this area? What are the obstacles to collaboration? And what can be done to overcome those obstacles? What policy agenda can be created around this area? What specifically, is the role of the legislature? What can each state/province do individually to advance the agenda? What would/could collaboration look like? What form would/could collaboration take?

Building a Competitive Midwest through Regional Collaboration Webinar Series Creating a Midwest Export Economy Presenter Ms. Jennifer Bradley, Fellow and Co-Director, Great Lakes Economic Initiative, Metropolitan Policy Program, Brookings Institution Response Panel Ms. Laura Baughman, President, The Trade Partnership Ms. Mary Roberts, Deputy Director, Illinois Office of Trade and Investment, Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity

Moderated discussion -- Exploratory questions Why important? Why is this area an issue for the Midwest region from an economic development perspective? What are the challenges faced by the Midwestern states in this area? What are the opportunities faced by the Midwestern states in this area? Why states can benefit more collaboratively than going it alone? Why does it make sense to collaborate? What are the benefits to collaboration in this area? What are the obstacles to collaboration? And what can be done to overcome those obstacles? What policy agenda can be created around this area? What specifically, is the role of the legislature? What can each state/province do individually to advance the agenda? What would/could collaboration look like? What form would/could collaboration take?

Building a Competitive Midwest through Regional Collaboration Webinar Series Creating a Midwest Export Economy Discussion