Category Archives: Economic Opportunity

Economic Opportunity refers to job creation and training, small and minority business development, economic incentives, improvement districts, economic development corporations, trade and commerce, minority and women owned business contracting policies, emerging technology, tourism, events, entertainment, live music, film and television production, sports, library, culture, art, and related matters.

ADLER ANNOUNCES MINIBOND PLAN TO SAVE MUSIC VENUES

As the official announcement was being made at the Bond Buyer conference in Los Angeles, Mayor Adler announced that the Mayor’s office had submitted one of five winning applications in the Neighborly Bonds Challenge, which called on innovative public agencies interested in offering their communities the opportunity to invest directly in local projects. Winning will allow the Mayor’s office to collaborate with Neighborly to establish a $10-million minibond to purchase and preserve iconic music venues, fulfilling one of the objectives the Mayor identified in the Music & Creative Ecosystem Omnibus Resolution introduced last February.

“I am excited about the possibilities that winning the Neighborly Bonds Challenge offers us. This is not a taxpayer bailout. Instead, this provides our community a way out of a problem that has hurt us deeply for generations. We have already lost clubs we will never get back, such as the Armadillo World Headquarters and Liberty Lunch, places where the Austin became the city we love today. We cannot lose these music venues without losing something that is vital to our identity and to our soul. Austin won’t be the Live Music Capital of the World if we keep losing music venues. Now, thanks to Neighborly, we have a way to do something about it,” said Mayor Adler, who envisions using Neighborly’s expertise, skill, and technology to crowdsource a $10 million investment vehicle that can create permanent affordability for music venues. “This is a creative solution for the creative class.” Continue reading →

Speech – Mayor’s Challenge to End Veteran Homelessness

Thank you, Congressman Doggett, for that introduction. And thank you, Secretary Castro, for being here today, and good morning to everyone here.

Not with us today is Senator Kirk Watson, whose staff showed up to help with this initiative and never left. He can’t be here today, but rest assured he’ll know that we’re thanking him now, so thank you, Kirk.

Normally, the way you do this is to start off by thanking people before you get to the meat of your speech. This is not going to be that kind of speech. It’s all going to be all thank you’s. There are going to be so many thank you’s that if this were an Oscars speech I’d never be allowed to finish.

We’re here today to celebrate that all of you have achieved what at one time was thought impossible — the functional end to chronic veteran homelessness in Austin. And I mean all of you. If success has a lot of fathers, we’re never going to be able to establish paternity here.

Continue reading →

What I learned in South Korea

Screen Shot 2016-07-09 at 3.38.12 PMWanted to give you a quick download from the first leg of the trade delegation’s trip to Asia in South Korea. Austin has strong ties to South Korea. Several hundred Koreans come to SXSW, mostly bands but with a growing interactive contingent. Samsung has invested about $16 billion in Austin. UT has the largest of all foreign alumni associations in Seoul. And, Richard Jung’s sister-in-law lives here (a wonderful hostess, btw!).
While we were here, Korea announced a new national slogan “Creative Korea” that signifies not only a cultural heritage but the direction and focus of its forward development. And, in this environment, we delegates from the Innovation Capital found ourselves at home. In fact, we visited several new start-up incubators and accelerators that felt like we were right at home. Continue reading →