Duvall & Associates, Inc.
BUSINESS ADVISOR NEWSLETTER
 

Look on the bright side Dayton: You've always got technology

- by Alan Duvall 

Published in Dayton Daily News July 23, 2006 

Dayton is grumpy – awash in self-pity over erosion of area employment opportunities.  America is grumpy as well, with pundits bemoaning the outsourcing of manufacturing jobs to low-cost countries as well as a dwindling supply of math and engineering graduates.

 What to do?

As an upbeat alternative to hand-wringing, Dayton needs to focus on the positive attributes it retains that cannot easily be replicated elsewhere and effectively leverage those attributes to market the area as a “cool” locale for aspiring entrepreneurs.

Dayton possesses a golden triangle of assets.  An abundance of fine higher education institutions including the University of Dayton and Wright State University.  The Air Force Institute of Technology at Wright Patterson Air Force Base, a world-class military and research institution.  A rich heritage of scientific and engineering innovation sparked by such historical luminaries as the Wright brothers and Charles Kettering.

The tradition is kept alive by locally-based companies like Lexis-Nexis and NCR.

For one innovative solution, there's Clark Beck, one of George H.W. Bush's,  “Thousand Points of Light” and founder of the Wright STEPP program for Dayton inner-city students. 

Early on, Clark recognized education as the great equalizer in society.

Clark’s concept:  Marry the golden triangle with seventh through tenth grade students from the Dayton Public School system who have demonstrated aptitudes for math and science.  Forty new students per class are annually selected (160 total) to participate in a four-week  program hosted by Wright State. 

Curriculum includes math, engineering, science and computer classes accentuated with field trips and speaker presentations.

A similar concept, Honor Seminars of Metropolitan Dayton, offers opportunities for eighty Juniors and Seniors in Dayton suburban high schools who have demonstrated superior academic aptitudes in math and science.

These programs identify and nurture America’s future “techies” at an early age by providing unique  experiences.  With more funding, college scholarships could be granted to the best of the best.

And hopefully – many participating students will repay the area by staying local and someday marketing advanced math and science business endeavors in the Dayton region. 

Then Dayton could reclaim its historical summit as a truly "cool" techie environment.

Alan Duvall is a certified public accountant in Dayton.  Contact him at Alan@Duvallcpa.com.