Dec162015
Posted at 2:19 PM
As we close out the year 2015, we also mark two years since the launch of the Commerce Department’s Open for Business Agenda, a bold policy priorities framework for the Department of Commerce, centered on the tools needed for U.S. economic growth. These tools include U.S. trade and investment, innovation, data, environmental intelligence, and operational excellence, and this agenda reflects the Department’s role as the voice of business, as well as the Obama Administration’s keen focus on economic growth and job creation.
This year, Secretary Pritzker presented a path forward outlining her vision of how America can remain competitive in the 21st century. Secretary Pritzker emphasized the importance of making key long-term investments in the foundation of America’s economic growth – investments in people through skills training and immigration reform; investments in innovation and entrepreneurship; and investments in the country’s physical and digital infrastructure.
The following blogs generated the most attention and encompass the various pillars outlined in the both the Department’s Open for Business Agenda and Path Forward vision.
U.S. Department of Commerce Announces Most Popular Blogs of 2015
#1 - Innovation and Operational Excellence
#2 - Innovation in Workforce Development
Joyce Foundation, JPMorgan Chase, and the Annie E. Casey Foundation Support Apprenticeship Return on Investment Study
Guest blog post by Sarah Ayres Steinberg, Vice President of Global Philanthropy, JPMorgan Chase and Whitney Smith, Senior Program Director, Joyce Foundation
At today's White House Summit on Apprenticeship, we were thrilled that Department of Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker announced that the Joyce Foundation, JPMorgan Chase, and the Annie E. Casey Foundation will support a $450,000 effort to document the return on investment of registered apprentices for U.S. employers
#3 - Open Data
Announcing the Commerce Data Service
Post by Ian Kalin, Chief Data Officer, U.S. Department of Commerce
The Department of Commerce provides valuable services and data products that fuel the modern technology services Americans rely on every day. These data sets include information on technological innovation from the Patent and Trademark Office, demographic and economic data from the Census Bureau and the Bureau of Economic Analysis, export data from the International Trade Administration, and information on natural phenomena from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
#4 - Economic Data
#5 - Commercial Diplomacy
#6 - Business Investment
Guest blog post by Deborah Borg, President of Dow USA
In 1897, when The Dow Chemical Company first opened its doors in Michigan, our founder most likely wouldn't have known that more than a century later, Dow would be one of the world's largest chemical manufacturers.
#7 - Open Data and Intellectual Property
#8 - Export Promotion and Operational Excellence
45 American Companies Win President's "E" and "E" Star Awards for Export Excellence
Post by Penny Pritzker, Secretary of Commerce
Earlier this week, I had the honor of presenting 45 American companies with the President's "E" and "E" Star Awards, a recognition awarded to U.S. businesses that have made significant contributions to U.S. exports. These awardees, which range from small- and medium- sized businesses to household names, understand the importance of exports to their bottom line, American jobs, and the U.S.
#9 - Environmental Sustainability and Operational Excellence
Energy Savings Performance Contract Protects Environment-and Saves Taxpayers up to $7 million
#10 - Population Data
#11 - Innovation in Advanced Manufacturing
Building a High-Tech Future Through Partnerships & Planning: Commerce's NIST Announces $7.8 Million in Advanced Manufacturing Technology Grants
Post by Michael F Molnar, Director of Advanced Manufacturing, National Institute of Standards and Technology
The power and performance of the computer chip have improved like clockwork for half a century, as the number of transistors squeezed on a slice of silicon has doubled about every two years. Thanks to the U.S.-led semiconductor industry's almost formulaic progress, innovation has flourished for decades, enabling a steady stream of ever-more-powerful electronic products and capabilities.
#12 - Innovation in Infrastructure
Our Cities, Building a Better World
Guest blog post by Michael S. Burke, Chairman and CEO, AECOM
The expected influx of hundreds of millions of people into major urban centers around the world will create unprecedented new demands for government to add or update infrastructure that support opportunity, stimulate economies and improve quality of life.
