First Coast Forward: Experts Weigh In On Downtown’s Progress

The Brooklyn Museum’s new café, designed by the Office of Tangible Space, uses a series of “islands” and “streams” to guide foot traffic and create a more welcoming atmosphere. The Brooklyn Museum’s new cafe uses nature as the key to solving a notoriously tricky design challenge. Designed by the interior design agency Office of Tangible Space, the revamped cafe is part of the Brooklyn Museum’s 200th anniversary celebration, which has also included a thoughtful reworking of the museum’s logo.

This frees up valuable mental bandwidth, enabling leaders to channel their cognitive resources toward the most critical tasks and strategic initiatives. Currently, the volume of information often eclipses its value. Is our relentless pursuit of knowledge, in fact, counterproductive? Decision paralysis, cognitive overload, and a pervasive sense of being perpetually behind are just a few of the consequences.

How one hypergrowth brand removes roadblocks to creativity. Innovation supercharges growth, creates or reinvents categories, forms new business models, and enhances productivity. But barriers to innovation abound, and many companies struggle to systematize innovation as an ongoing process.

When the power grid fails, affordable options can provide needed power. One of the greatest challenges we face today is adapting to the increasing frequency of extreme weather events, growing grid failures, and energy capacity constraints. Home-based energy independence is now more critical than ever. Hurricanes like Ernesto in Puerto Rico, Beryl in Texas, and the wildfires and heat waves on the West Coast are putting immense strain on our grid and disrupting daily life.

To achieve long-term growth, communities can adopt branding strategies to boost their reach, magnify impact, and strengthen their network. A Mongolian farm wanted to improve its branding and help its community, while developing new products. A dual brand strategy did the trick: one brand for its overarching smart farm initiative, and another, Smart Berry, for its flagship strawberry produce to be launched early next year.

We need to support these organizations that are in the community with solutions. Each year, the climate crisis intensifies, threatening the livelihoods of billions. Yet, amid this growing emergency, social, or impact enterprises—businesses prioritizing purpose and profit—are emerging as unsung heroes. They are driving innovative solutions that could turn the tide.