by John Moore
Wow! These are certainly interesting times. The economic underpinnings of the entire globe are transforming before our very eyes, and the pace of change is unprecedented in human history.
Whole industries are turning over in periods of years, not decades, with some being born seemingly overnight, while others die without so much as a proper eulogy. People are working remotely at an ever-increasing rate, and many of the jobs they’re filling didn’t exist 10 years ago. These changes seem to be accelerating exponentially. Areas like the Upstate must retool faster than ever to remain competitive in this brave new world.
You may be thinking this refers to the situation today. Actually, these observations were true well before we ever heard the name COVID-19 or experienced the tumultuous year forever known as 2020. We’ve actually been in the midst of a global economic transformation for a couple of decades, though we may not have realized it. Then 2020 came along and opened our eyes by throwing gasoline on the fire and accelerating the changes impacting us.
Leading macrotrends like remote working, e-commerce and artificial intelligence have been disrupting the world we live in well before the global pandemic. They represent both opportunities and threats to our region’s prosperity, depending on how we respond. Ultimately, our future will be shaped by our willingness to reimagine economic development and retool our efforts to better reflect the global marketplace in which we compete for talent, capital and innovations.
The words spoken by timeless innovator and sage Ben Franklin over 200 years ago surprisingly ring more true today than ever: “When you’re finished changing, you’re finished.” So here’s to an exciting 2021. Let’s show the world we’re far from finished!
John Moore is venture partner with Material Capital Partners of Charleston and principal with Momenteum Strategies, a Greenville consulting firm specializing in developing innovation-based strategies for economic development organizations and communities.
John Moore is venture partner with Material Capital Partners of Charleston and principal with Momenteum Strategies, a Greenville consulting firm specializing in developing innovation-based strategies for economic development organizations and communities.
The post Moore to the point with John Moore: The world was changing long before COVID-19 appeared first on UPSTATE BUSINESS JOURNAL.
