UNITED STATES OF INNOVATION 2017
Alabama
AN ENTREPRENEURIAL FOOD HALL
Downtown Birmingham’s new Pizitz Food Hall is helping to ensure the area’s urban revitalization by supporting the next generation of restaurateurs. Along with spaces for established eateries, it includes an area where a rotating group of up-and-comers can test their concepts with the public for four to six months, rent-free.
Alaska
A NATIONAL BRAND BUILT ON LOCAL VALUES
Last fall, a pair of snacks began appearing in Whole Foods and other stores throughout the Pacific Northwest and West Coast: sleek packages of wild Alaskan salmon jerky and jars of smoked sockeye, under the label Dear North. The comestibles company is a subsidiary of the Huna Totem Corporation, which benefits its Alaska Native shareholders and the southeastern Alaskan community of Hoonah (population: 750). For years, Huna Totem has run a thriving cruise-ship port that celebrates the area’s Tlingit heritage. In an effort to create year-round revenue and jobs for locals, it launched Dear North, designed to export Alaskan products—and Hoonah’s values—to the rest of the country. “We wanted to share a piece of Alaska,” says CEO Russell Dick, “but also who we are and how we connect to the land.” The company is already planning to expand into other foods.
Arizona
A BOOST FOR VETERAN FOUNDERS
Former U.S. Air Force officer Phillip Potter is behind the year-old Armory, a Phoenix-based incubator offering mentorship and resources to veteran-led startups, which Potter says benefit from their founders’ backgrounds. A half-dozen city leaders throughout the country have already asked him to open outposts in their areas.
Arkansas
A PUSH FOR FASTER CLASSROOMS
The state’s effort to bring high-speed internet to all K–12 schools will be complete by summer. For Arkansas’s 600,000 students, that means additional devices in the classrooms and a more STEM-focused curriculum. The state is now exploring putting Wi-Fi on school buses to allow students to complete homework on the road.
California
A COLLEGE DEGREE FOR FREE
In the fall, San Francisco will become the first city to offer tuition-free community college to residents. It’s an idea other cities have toyed with—and former President Barack Obama supported—but San Francisco is the only one that has committed to absorbing all expenses, regardless of income.
Colorado
A MARKETPLACE FOR ADVENTURE
Denver-based Utivity applies the peer-to-peer model to skills instruction by inviting ski coaches, yoga experts, musicians, and more to list their services on its app and find eager clients. The app, which has developed a robust
