As an unsettled economy continues to behave in volatile ways, forecasters are predicting that a new generation of innovative technologies holds the promise of both driving economic recovery and sparking an extended period of economic expansion in America. If such forecasts are on target, there will be many opportunities for businesses and communities that are ready to take advantage of economic updrafts. During the last economic expansion many community colleges and the people they should serve did not gain lift from these updrafts. During the next expansion, the author believes that community colleges must take the initiative, anticipate changes before they occur, and then use these changes to create new economic opportunities for their constituents. The writer discusses steps community colleges can take before the economy fully recovers to position themselves, their communities, and their students to benefit from emerging economic opportunities.