June 15. The Charlotte region’s Global Vision Leaders Group has published its 2016-18 strategic plan, aimed at helping the region strengthen its current assets and develop new ones for greater global competitiveness. The Global Vision Leaders Group is an ad hoc, non-political group of more than 100 industry, business, government and education leaders in the 29-county greater Charlotte region.

In a booklet titled “Strategy for the Greater Charlotte Region Global Initiative, 2016-2018: Seizing the Opportunity for a Prosperous Economic Future,” the group explained the motivation behind its global economic ambitions.

Many metropolitan regions in the United States and the world have adopted strategies to ensure they are globally competitive for economic prosperity, the plan said. A large number of industry leaders and economic development professionals agree that regions need to be anchored by hubs of collaborative efforts to ensure global competitiveness. The group’s vision is that the Charlotte region becomes a global hub of commerce.

The plan’s strategies include addressing global initiatives in a strategic manner, encouraging cluster industries and organizations to spur innovation, developing a regional export strategy and network of trade and investment strategies, and ensuring that the regional talent pipeline meets industry demand. The plan also emphasizes the importance of enlisting support from regional leadership and establishing a vigorous communication campaign to publicize these strategies and outcomes.

The Global Vision Leaders Group was established as a result of a series of global competitiveness summits Central Piedmont Community College began holding in 2012. The group’s purpose is to help build the greater Charlotte region’s global identity and assets, with the region becoming a global hub of commerce with sustained growth and high-quality jobs.

The Global Vision Leaders Group steering committee points to recommendations made by Bruce Katz and Jennifer Bradley of the Brookings Institution to metropolitan regions that want to foster continued growth and economic development. The Charlotte Regional Collaborative for a Global Economy, a consortium of the 15 community colleges serving the greater Charlotte region, with support from JPMorgan Chase, commissioned the Brookings Institution’s Metropolitan Policy Group to conduct an assessment of the Charlotte region’s global assets.

Among the Brookings’ recommendations was that metropolitan region can no longer depend solely on government assistance to spur growth.

“Metro leaders understand that cities are networks rather than governments, so they find the right institutions to organize these networks. These networks then address the big challenges that face cities and metros and, at their best, develop the game-changing ideas that will make the most of each place’s unique assets and bring shared benefits of growth,” said Katz and Bradley.