I posted a link to your editorial at the recent Plain Dealer article by John Funk. It is awaiting approval. Thank you for articulating the crisis so well.

I like Toledo more and more every day!

Could the federal stimulus have affected this? IBC' market switched from distribution to research and development and sales.

I can see the lack of vision in all this, they will use Cali as a location for R&D the actual production will happen in Asia, the manufacturing will occur in in Asia. The R&D here (US) and distribution, marketing and sales here, but nothings going to be bought from the Europeans they are to expensive.

Cleveland as a distributor would work if products were coming from Europe, it won’t it will be developed here in the US and then produced in Asia and then distributed into and from the largest markets.

Not smart…many of Toledo’s ventures will fail as the markets capitalize on Asia as they will continue to do. That’s wise because doing that will eventually bring Asia to parity with other markets, when there is no less expensive alternatives….there will be no inexpensive alternatives.

So what is or would be the cat seat? Having the ability to be and have bidirectional functionality. Capitalizing on the low cost production until it no longer exists. But when it is gone then being able to change directions is a matter of adaptability and the only real measure of intelligence.

We do not need Issue six we need something much bigger and more comprehensive. Using federal dollars to attain it and also low cost production abroad to attain it, is it that difficult to see? If the goal is sustainability then take every advantage there is to get to it.

It is not the auto factory shutting down that had the largest employement losses, it was the dealerships.

If you open a family dollar store…then make sure you have the import agents and warehousing and distribution locally or you’re a lamb.

Better quality and more refined distribution channels add value, they add costs they are jobs. As the supplier compete they have to do more to win the favor of consumers. Their cost increase and with that parity is forth coming be prepared markets do shift.

The Asians also see the market and will invest here to insure there own stability in the market. Look at the Japanese and Europeans they are heavily invested in the US. Its about being competitive and hard working. The best for less…not the most expensive or the cheapest.

We are missing accountancy at many levels, and with that real feed back loops, sustainability is the longest life cycle if it is anything. Built in obsolescence is not wise it must be replaced with high quality. The Asians will not attain that without us being more discerning and thats a distribution feed back loop.

We use branding to do that and we really need to reduce marketing in its contrived value. Products need to be detailed and tracked from beginning to end. Consumer satisfaction is more than a state of mind, real value is less subjective its about how long it lasted and how well it maintained doing its purpose.

Oh my….we better get serious about it.

Every product needs a disclosure a bar code that tells everything in per units, as its production location, its total amount of input and it relative competitiveness. High costs are inflationary and the root of it is profit and greed, however if the metrics are best and the profit is highest it is a function of efficiency and the reward is profitability. In other words do not let them lie about it anymore, if you are the best then proves it!

We lost what one lonely german that was here for how long...and could only find people on the west coast that under stood them?  

Ohio as the next silly-con-artist valley girls!!!

If you remember computer chips were the collaboration of the techie culture, tinkerer, hobbiest, students, researchers and software coders. This stuff was pushed from ivory tower labs to garages and basements. Because the technology was accessible and being handled on so many levels, many products came out including the personal computer.

So far this is not the case wiith energy production devices. This technology has not filtered down into the culture to the same degree as computer chips. If you ask, is there a market for solar in Ohio, you limit the idea to buying and selling a product you can acquire from anywhere. Buying and installing solar products does not create a green economy.

At present the tree is top heavy with no supporting "grass-roots" to create an economic environment. You have to create a base of folk who are geeky, nerdy, techie who handle this technology in their garage. This way when people come here with their energy wares, they will have droves of people to talk to who know the technology, not just interested in the idea of getting green here.

If you want to get serious about green energy, take a city block and transform it into a green sustainable place. Solar on a prominent building is meaningless to me on the street. Put solar on my home and all my neighbors, families and friends will see and know about it. At CWRU, put the solar on the dorms to stir up students not institutional buildings. This will stimulate many many green avenues.

When the people base is green, you will have no problem moving or doing anything green here. Don't overlook the people.