A good lesson for the Midwest

Hmmm. This is definitely a game plan that many midwestern cities are missing... and should embrace. This is an excerpt of an interview with former Apple evangelist Guy Kawasaki.

John: This is not related to the book, but here in Tampa Bay we have a "high tech" corridor called the I-4 Corridor, but it isn't experiencing rapid growth at the moment. Are you familiar with this sector, and if so, or if not, what do you think it would take to attract more tech businesses to the Central and West Central Florida regions? Guy: I'm not familiar with the corridor, but I'm asked similar questions by many regions in the world. My answer is always the same: a great engineering school. You get great engineers, you'll get great tech companies. The venture capitalists, lawyers, accountants, and rest of the infrastructure will follow. This isn't a chicken-and-egg question. There is definitely an order: great engineers cause great tech businesses. Most people don't adopt my advice because it's cooler and more politically acceptable to do something like a tax credit, venture capital fund, or sponsored incubator. My education recommendation will take twenty years to bear fruit. Silicon Valley, as we know it, started in the late 20s.

Inside Real Estate Journal: Interview with Guy Kawasaki