RICHMOND, VA-In late 1998, The Greater Richmond region received a $1.2 million grant for WORKFORCE ONE, the regions workforce initiative. The grant was from the Virginia General Assembly via the Virginia regional Competitiveness Program. The Greater Richmond Chamber of Commerce leads the initiative. The WORKFORCE ONE plan is divided into five sections:

• Developing leadership
• Connecting companies
• Connecting our community
• Connecting the community with continuous learning
• Ensuring success and sustaining our work

The five sections have a total of 21 Action Steps.

MEMPHIS, TN-MEMPHIS 2005 update

1. Memphis held their 2nd Annual Investor Meeting 1/21/99 at the Fogelman Executive Center (UofM). NationsBank and Time Warner Communications sponsored it. Time Warner taped the meeting and we have edited the video down to 1.5 hours to be viewed on TV Memphis starting 2/28/99. We hope to also include on WKNO (public) and the Library Channel. We will also provide an excerpt on our web site via Time Warner's Roadrunner Internet system.
2. We have created the 2nd annual Investor Report which is a 12 page newsletter format that not only conveys performance results from the University but also the 1998 accomplishments by program area.
3. We have signed a Memorandum of Understanding with a supplier (certified MBE) to begin the urban revitalization projects, which is called the Memphis 2005 Demonstration Project. Areas involved in the inner-city include Park Ave. (Orange Mound), Airways/Lamar gateways.
4. We have expanded our partnership for Minority Business Development to include the Hispanic Business Alliance and the Memphis Minority Contractors Association.
5. The MEMPHIS 2005 web page has been updated.

WILKES, NC-Wilkes Vision 20/20 has received a $6,000 grant from the Wal-Mart Foundation payable over a two-year period. The Wilkes Town Hall meeting will be May 17, 1999.

SCHUYLKILL, PA-Schuylkill completed their very successful first year of Vision Collaborative Implementation with the announcement that they had been selected as one of the 12 Keystone Opportunity Zones in Pennsylvania. The Schuylkill Carbon KOZ includes 2,550 acres in 12 sub-zones. Pennsylvania will market the KOZ zones and provide tax incentives for employers who invest in the zones. The Strategic Alliance that submitted the application included 2 counties, 17 municipalities and 10 school districts that had to vote to be included and to join the state in providing development incentives. This is a real example of 29 elected boards working together in Schuylkill. Denise Schlegel, Vision Director, coordinated the preparation of the KOZ application.

RAPID CITY, SD-The Black Hills Region's first annual Town Hall meetings on January 18 and 19 are still generating strong response. They have gained 5 new Vision Partners. The Vision team is reviewing the Key Benchmarks update and the Foundation Team leaders are focusing on 18 Key Strategies for 1999 special emphasis. They said, "It makes the plan more manageable even though it also means that serious work begins."

MOBILE, AL-ENVISION MOBILE-BALDWIN had a very enthusiastic First Annual Report meeting at breakfast on March 3^rd. There were 200 in attendance to hear 14 Vision Partners describe progress on strategies that they have adopted. ENVISION now has 348 Vision Partners, Vision Partners have adopted 131 Strategies out of 150, and 31 accomplishments were described in the annual report.

HARRISBURG, PA-Pennsylvania Governor, Tom Ridge, is trying to recruit Pennsylvania Alumni to return to the state to live and work. This is in response to 8,000 high-tech jobs that went unfilled last year. This is an effort to attempt to turn around Pennsylvania's out-migration of young people. Pennsylvania ranks 46^th among the states for the ratio of working age versus retirement age individuals with a ratio of 3.7 as compared to 3.1 for FL, 4.9 for North Carolina, 5.9 for Georgia, 6.0 for Colorado, 4.6 for the U.S., 7.7 for Atlanta, 7.6 for Austin and 6.6 for Raleigh.

CHARLOTTE, NC-Bank of America and First Union were in a bidding war to see who can give the most to the Charlotte Art and Science Council's annual fund drive. First Union and its employees gave $1.91 million and Bank of America and its employees gave $1.903 million. The ASC raised $7.8 million in this year's fund drive. Charlotte's drive is #1 in giving per capita among 70 United Arts Drives. (Source: 2/26/99 Greensboro New and Record.)

SCHUYLKILL, PA-Denise Schlegel developed these brief definitions for the Vision language. Any thoughts