Why being a "logistics city" could be Louisville's ultimate downfall

UPS-Truck (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

A staggering number of us Louisvillians are giddily patting ourselves on the back for the flattering portrait of our hometown recently painted by the National Journal, the apex of which was this brief missive on how much business the UPS WorldPort has brought to the Derby City.

In truth, that article just threw down the gauntlet of how and why Louisville must prepare for the future, because that which makes us wealthy now will not persist.

The advent of 3D printing will decimate the logistics industry just as surely as the advent of the Internet decimated the content publishing industry. If Louisville is to survive the next-thirty-years' shift from centralized to distributed bespoke manufacturing, we need to position ourselves now.

Louisville could be the startup hub of the Midwest

The indefatigable Terry Boyd over at Insider Louisville spliced together some older quotes from my colleague-friend-boss, Rob May, and myself explaining how Louisville could actually participate in the 21st century economy. There's a lot of wisdom (mostly from Rob) and a lot of criticism (mostly from me). I'd love to hear what other folks think of our fair city and its prospects for growing tech-centric jobs -- and whether the Louisville Digital Association is doing right by its mission.