This report outlines the organization and progress of the Regional EDGE effort in Southwest Michigan. It tells the first chapter in the ongoing story of a collaborative cluster-based economic development process.

This process began at a town hall meeting at Kalamazoo College in January 1998, sponsored by the Kalamazoo Consortium for Higher Education. The beginnings were necessarily Kalamazoo County based, but the process is moving toward a more inclusive regional effort.

We envision the region as the nine counties of southwest Michigan. Most of our efforts to date have only reached into some of Calhoun, Van Buren and Allegan counties. The economic data analysis of each of the Research in this report is limited to these four counties. But out vision and our commitment is to move outward in a continuously more inclusive way with like minded businesses and infrastructure participants.

Thanks to the following Paper and Printing Cluster Members for their donations and efforts that made this document possible:

Economy Printing
Georgia Pacific
Kalamazoo Gazette
Western Michigan University, Dept. of Paper and Printing