Asheville Attorney and Mayor Esther Manheimer today joined U.S. Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx as a keynote speaker at the opening of “The Collider,” a climate sciences innovation center in downtown Asheville.
Esther’s remarks are included here:
The Collider marks the culmination of literally decades of public and private efforts to leverage the significant federal investment in the NCEI for private sector job growth in Asheville. It’s a cornerstone of Asheville’s current economic development strategy (AVL 5×5) for science and technology.
The public and private sector partners that convene in the Collider for meetings, or that choose to locate in the Collider to conduct business, are putting Asheville on the map among the world’s most respected scientists and big data technologists. That’s the kind of intellectual and human capital that strengthens and grows the economy.
Beyond the walls of the Federal Building and its archive of data, today there is a flourishing network of dozens of Asheville-based businesses, entrepreneurs, technologists, consultants with considerable spinoff economic activity. These innovators use NCEI data to build technology tools that allow local and national governments, and increasingly, corporations to make better decisions for their citizens and stake holders.
Good examples of Asheville-based, private sector businesses in the ‘climate services’ sector include these firms in The Collider: FernLeaf Interactive; Global Science & Technology; Acclimatise Group Ltd.; the Earth Partners; HyrdoCycle Engineering, PC; and UNC Asheville’s National Environmental Modeling and Analysis Center (NEMAC).
In Asheville the list of climate services firms includes: Locus Technologies; Case Consultants; Climate Data Solutions; Riverside Technologies; Climate Interactive and more.
This emerging economic activity around environmental and climate data technology, tools and services is estimated to be a one trillion-dollar industry in coming years. Asheville is positioned to be the center of that industry – and we are ready, willing, and able to welcome and encourage this industry.
To the firms that we have here right now – thank you for investing in Asheville.
To any firm that might be considering locating here – we would be thrilled to have you. Right now in The Collider there is half an acre of space available. So when I say that we are ready for you I mean that literally. We are ready for you on Monday.
Let me know what questions you have about Asheville. We are not only a unique destination on so many top ten lists – we are a great place to raise a family and to build a fulfilling and rewarding life.
