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Subtle changes reap dramatic results At this point, most people are probably confused by all of the reports floating around on how the area can improve its economy. It seems that every few months a new plan for economic salvation emerges. But before the Brookings Institution and Tripp Umbach and any of the other plans to save northeastern Pennsylvania, there was the Battelle Report. When it was published late in 1999, it was widely hailed as the plan that would change everything. Now, almost seven years later, one can argue that no dramatic transformation has taken place. The region is not Wall Street West and the economy still relies heavily on manufacturing and lightly on technology for jobs. Nevertheless, in seven years some amazing things have happened, not the least of which is that people have embraced the idea of a "Great Valley." By this I mean that people have begun to think of the region as Scranton/Wilkes-Barre/Hazleton. Most of us recall the day when local folks defined their region as Minooka, Green Ridge or West Side, if they were Scrantonians. The new idea of a larger, more inclusive region isn't the only one that has taken root since Battelle. The other idea local people seem to have accepted is, "Why not here?" Ten years ago people would have scoffed at the idea of a local medical school. Although they may have offered other explanations, the unspoken reason usually was the conviction that the region was somehow deficient or unworthy. Now people not only accept the idea, they are excited by it. Although Battelle did not specifically call for a medical school and it is not GVTA's mandate to facilitate it, the mere fact that we are having the discussion would not have been possible were it not for Battelle and its aftermath. So Battelle didn't change everything. No matter. Its subtle influence has wrought dramatic results none the less.
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