The Space Economy continues its upward trend (literally). NASA appears to have awoken from a deep sleep with an ambitious new program to use the private sector to build next generation space exploration vehicles for low earth orbit (the space station), the moon, and Mars.
NASA is also employing the services of 11 private sector firms to do detailed planning and engineering studies for moon exploration and colonization projects. The good news about this is that NASA will be creating private sector jobs across the U.S., rather than creating a few public sector jobs in a few NASA locations. How about your region. Do any of these eleven companies (see link above) have facilities in your area? Do you have companies in your area that have sub-contracts with these firms?
Are you concerned about keeping your youth in your area? How about working with the local schools to develop a "high space" curriculum ("high tech" is passe) that includes rigorous science and math classes designed specifically to focus on engineering, spaceflight, and space problems? Get that going, then use it as a marketing tool to promote your region as the first "high space" program in the world. It sure beats claiming you are going to be the biotech center of the U.S.