Presentation by Rose Baker and David Passmore at Blair County Economic Summit on September 20, 2010, in Altoona, Pennsylvania.

1. Blair County’s Competitive Economic Advantage Altoona, PA September 20, 2010 Rose M. Baker & David L. Passmore Penn State Workforce Education & Development Initiative

2. http://BlairCounty.notlong.com Summary Slides from this presentation Links to government & Blair County web sites Links to the report for download or to read online

3. Today…

4. Today…

5. Blair County v Pennsylvania Lower — • Educational attainment • Hourly earnings • Per capita income • Foreign born Higher — • % <18 years old in poverty • % with disability

6. Today…

7. Defining competitive advantage More highly concentrated than in nation More employed in 2008 than in 2005 Employment growth in region better than nation and in industry in nation More than 200 workers

8. Ten industries creatingcompetitive advantage Paper manufacturing Warehousing & storage General merchandise stores Building material & garden equipment & supply dealers Waste management & remediation services Food manufacturing Social assistance Miscellaneous store retailers Sporting goods, hobby, book, & music stores Miscellaneous manufacturing

9. Today…

10. Existing regional markets Business–to–business transactions Regional supplier Buys from Industry creating competitive advantage Regional business customer Sells to

11. Existing regional markets Business–to–business transactions Regional supplier Buys from Industry creating competitive advantage Regional business customer Sells to

12. Potential regional markets Substitution…Disconnects

13. Potential regional markets Substitution…Disconnects

14. Today…

15. Defining economic leverage Industries with robust growth at national level are more likely to expand regionally than industries with flat or declining growth. Larger establishments have potential for larger aggregate job increases than smaller establishments. Higher wage industries induce greater impacts on local economy than lower wage industries. Some industries make higher per capita contributions to local taxes and fees than other industries make. Some industries produce a larger “ripple effect” on regional income than other industries.

16. Industries ranked by leverageon Blair County economy 1. Paper manufacturing 2. Warehousing & storage 3. General merchandise stores 4. Building material & garden equipment & supply dealers 5. Waste management & remediation services 6. Food manufacturing 7. Social assistance 8. Miscellaneous store retailers 9. Sporting goods, hobby, book, & music stores 10. Miscellaneous manufacturing

17. Competitiveness, Human Capital, & Innovation in the Blair County Economy Altoona, PA May 22, 2009 Rose M. Baker & David L. Passmore Penn State Workforce Education & Development Initiative