In the world of research and innovation, California’s Stanford University is a name that draws notice.
In the world of public policy, Stanford’s Hoover Institution is widely regarded as a leader in the field, which explains why Greenville leaders jumped at the chance to be one of three cities chosen for study and policy recommendations by a cadre of the institution’s graduate students.
On the radar
Greenville’s reputation as a great place to live and work has in recent years consistently put it on a variety of top 10 lists, but getting on the radar of a world-class research university came as a bit of a surprise, according to Mayor Knox White.
“Stanford, the Hoover Institution — that’s a significant institution in many respects,” he said. “If people want to know why things happen in Silicon Valley — Stanford’s a huge part of the story.”
Earlier this year, Greenville was chosen along with Mesa, Arizona, and Milwaukee, Wisconsin, as subjects of study for Hoover Institution graduate students to develop policy recommendations for improving economic development.
White tapped NextGEN Executive Director Eric Weissmann and his team to help define the area of focus, and Weissmann said the city’s efforts to foster and grow an innovation ecosystem was the logical choice.
In early March, White and Weissmann attended a Stanford Graduate School of Business policy lab. While there, they learned of the Hoover Institution’s work and got a taste of the “Stanford experience,” as Weissmann described it.
They were also briefed on the students’ findings and interacted with representatives from the other peer cities in the study group.
“This will hopefully be the first notch in a relationship that I want to keep building with Stanford,” Weissmann said.
On the right track
White said the study recommendations didn’t contain any surprises but did underscore the city and NextGEN are on the right track in terms of growing an entrepreneurial and innovation ecosystem.
Weissmann said one of the key elements in discussions during the visit related to the increasing prevalence of remote work and how this enables innovators and entrepreneurs to live anywhere.
He added Greenville is reaping the benefits of decades of effort to improve the quality of life for its residents and businesses, and this was cited as a competitive advantage in the study.
Among the study’s recommendations are:
- Expand collaboration with nearby research institutions to help position the city as an attractive environment in which to live and work for talented graduates, particularly in engineering, design and technology fields
- Build partnerships with regional businesses to become more directly involved in supporting the startup community
- Expand the number of angel and seed investors, both locally and regionally, and specifically target those with a focus on innovation
“We have no problem getting people to live here,” Weissmann said. “We’re on the right radar. The interesting thing is we now have a strategic roadmap.”
