Economic development program (EDP) : end of grant report

EDP was an extraordinary success. (1) The EDP Business Management Internships in U.S. companies were the most visible and powerful aspect of the program. The original concept, pioneered by CCI from 1989 to 1993, worked beautifully and continued to prove itself time and time again. The Russians were eager to learn and their American counterparts were eager to transfer to them as much knowledge as they could absorb. Between 1993 and 1996, EDP trained 444 Russian business owners from 650 firms in 309 U.S. cities. (2) The program"s broadest long-term impact may come from the establishment of six EDP Russian Business Centers. The Russian offices assisted have become regional empowerment centers and have emerged from EDP more active than ever, providing many different services for their local business communities. (3) EDP"s Business Consulting Project was most important for non-English speaking Russian small business owners. The only problem was helping the Americans realize the need to adapt their consulting to Russian businesses. Nonetheless, non-English speaking Russian business owners received much of what they lacked. Perhaps the most important component of EDP"S Consulting Project was the fact that 61 EDP Fellows were selected to co-consult with the Americans, thereby educating U.S. consultants about Russian business reality. (4) The mass media component of EDP was given a lower priority than the other three, but the overall goals were accomplished nonetheless. EDP had continuous media exposure in both Russia and the United States for the duration of the program. The EDP Fellows took their experience back to Russia, where they were covered by thousands of newspaper and magazine articles and television cameras. They brought home photos and video footage showing American companies, homes, churches, and civic events. The viewing of this material gave hundreds of thousands or millions of Russians a different glimpse of America. The Fellows themselves are now ready to embark on a new course of study within the internship format. In EDP"s final phase, "Next Stop Russia," a travel program designed to further the Russian-U.S. relationships initiated by CCI"s program, was launched. The program focuses on educational, cultural, and service-oriented itineraries and programs. It is self-funded and provides a stream of revenue for the Russian offices. Of the numerous lessons learned from the project, the most important are as follows: (1) Never underestimate U.S. volunteers" interest in whether Russia makes it or not. (2) Never underestimate the competency of U.S. volunteers as TA providers. (3) Never underestimate the capabilities of Russian citizens to absorb, digest, and implement new information. (4) Never wait until you know how to do something before starting -- the greatest solutions will appear in the middle of implementing. New methods will emerge, new ideas will drop into the mind, old assumptions will fade, exciting innovations will replace them. (5) Take risks. If your intention is right and you have an innovative staff with a committed mentality, nothing is impossible.