As a first step toward launching a feasibility study on the Austin Manufacturing Innovation Park--a proposed R&D center located in the former site of Brach's Confections--CLCR and Austin Coming Together (ACT) have assembled a Project Committee led by Greg Hummel, partner at the business and litigation firm Bryan Cave.

Mr. Hummel concentrates his practice in public-private partnership matters, including: tax increment financing, special district financing, energy efficient retrofits, alternative energy projects, public finance, project finance, design and construction, real estate development and redevelopment, and incentives for large small businesses, such as tax credits, labor training and other grants. Additionally, the Project Committee will include representatives from JP Morgan Chase, the City of Chicago, the State of Illinois, the University of Illinois-Chicago, and other public and private partners.

The Austin Manufacturing Innovation Park is based on the "Cluster R&D" model pioneered in Europe, where not-for-profit research and development centers make cutting-edge technology accessible to small and medium-sized companies. These centers generally have a geographic element tied to specific industry clusters, and are committed to local community development.

After 30 years of intense research and community engagement, the Center for Labor & Community Research has found that the advanced manufacturing industry represents the highest possible fusion of public and private interests -- the key to a socially, economically, and environmentally sustainable society.

Advanced manufacturing industry can help:

• Build a strong middle class by creating quality jobs that pay family-sustaining wages and open doors to exciting career paths.
• Create sustainable economic growth by generating concrete wealth for investors and owners while keeping America globally competitive.
• Solve the environmental crisis by producing new technologies and processes that preserve and restore our planet.
  

CLCR develops programs and partnerships in support of advanced manufacturing in the United States. Our Manufacturing Renaissance Council (MRC) development model unites business, labor, government, and community stakeholders in support of advanced manufacturing in their city.

• The National Manufacturing Renaissance Council, an all-star leadership team united in their commitment to advanced manufacturing, strategic partnerships, world-class education, and community development.
• The Chicago Manufacturing Renaissance Council, the original MRC, working since 2005 to make Chicago the global leader in advanced manufacturing through innovative programs like Austin Polytechnical Academy, a college and career prep high school focused on manufacturing and engineering, located in Chicago's West Side neighborhood of Austin.
• The Bay Area Manufacturing Renaissance Council, a strategic partnership in support of advanced manufacturing in the San Francisco Bay Area, inspired by CLCR's model in Chicago.