Forum for Innovation

As Secretary of Education, I visited with students and teachers across America. And now, as Executive Vice President of the National Chamber Foundation, I meet with business leaders and innovators in diverse sectors and communities. These travels offer me a constant reminder of the dynamism that makes America what it is today. Enterprising places are all around us if we know where to look. !is latest edition of the Business Horizon Quarterly takes us on a journey from outer space to the #elds of North Dakota in search of people and places taking the initiative in search of economic growth.

The scope of our nation’s biggest challenge—creating and filling jobs—is largely national. Yet many of the solutions are being pioneered at the state and local level, or even internationally. !ese solutions are helping some communities avoid the worst of the economic downturn and chart a path to prosperity.

For 100 years, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce has been committed to preserving America’s free enterprise system. We look across the world— and beyond—to find the enterprising places that encourage businesses, entrepreneurs, and innovators to thrive in that environment.

Several common themes emerge in this edition of the Business Horizon Quarterly, such as the need for innovation, human capital, and a supportive regulatory environment to help the private sector foster economic growth. With today’s stagnant economy, we need more enterprising places. Our hope is to encourage more leaders to create them by highlighting the conditions that foster opportunity.

The National Chamber Foundation is proud to celebrate the first full year of the Business Horizon Quarterly. We look forward to many more to come.

Sincerely, 

Margaret Spellings