Peoria NEXT: Collaboration for the Future

Abstract

This is a story of managing change and the attempts of a conservative Midwestern community to enter the new knowledge-based economy. It tells of a community with a rich past but an uncertain future. Uncertain in its ability to embrace the spirit and power of collaboration, Peoria NEXT is a collaborative organization formed to transform a regional economic culture from one reliant on heavy industrial manufacturing to one focused on discovery, innovation, and commercialization of locally generated intellectual property.