Dennis is joined by generational expert Mark Perna, and together they discuss the current state of workforce efforts in America and boldly predict the future of workforce programs.  Mark's book - Answering Why?

In this episode, contributing correspondent Joi Cuartero Austin is joined by Jackie Swihart, Program Officer with Main Street America. Joi and Jackie discuss Leadership and board burnout  Economic development is challenging, with a lot of responsibility in building community prosperity, which is why you need a strong vision, good planning, and even better leadership at the helm of economic development and other partner organizations. Furthermore, if we weren’t already having trouble keeping...

Do you ever wonder how extremely busy people get so much done? Dennis is joined by Mark Perna and they discuss tips and strategies to be more effective at work. They also discuss the difference between activity and productivity.  Email strategies How to empower others Effective onboarding Spending your time effectively Silence internal negative talk

Dennis is joined by Mid America Economic Development Council's immediate past president, Horton Hobbs, to discuss the recent MAEDC Competitiveness Conference in Indianapolis. Dennis and Horton talk about highlights from the conference, Mid-Amercia EDC, and upcoming 2024 conferences. 

In this episode, contributing corespondent Sean M. Maguire talks affordable housing and economic development with Stephane Frijja, President and CEO of Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership.  

Dennis is joined by Keith A. Gillenwater, CEcD, MEDP, MPA, President & CEO of Grow Wabash County, and Jeff Pipkin, Economic Development Manager at Hoosier Energy, to discuss the Mid America EDC Competitiveness Conference.  Dennis, Keith, and Jeff discuss what makes the Competitivness Conference special. The conference is designed and planned by working economic development professionals. There's something for everyone from big idea projects to nuts and bolts advice, tours, and their...

In this episode Dennis talks about finding a career-changing mentor late in life. Phil, Dennis' mentor recently passed away and Dennis reflects and discusses the difference having the right mentor can make in your life. To honor his mentor Dennis wants to give back by paying it forward to a Develop This listener. 

Dennis is joined by generational expert Mark C. Perna. Mark has spent 2023 speaking to 100's of education, community and economic development groups and organizations with 10,000's of people. Mark gives his insight into the trends, opportunities, and challenges he see's working with the generations and organizations involved in workforce development. Finally Mark and Dennis discuss what gives them hope for the future. 

Winning Ugly In this episode Dennis talks about how we measure success and why being flashy may not always yield the best results.  Iowa Football Statistics Iowa's offense is currently ranked 133 of 133 in the FBS. Through 7 games, they have 13 total offensive TDs and have punted the ball 47 times. They average less than 250 total yards per game. Despite this, they have a top 10 scoring defense and are sitting comfortably atop the Big 10 West at 6-1. To have his contract extended beyond...

Recorded at the 2023 IEDC Annual Conference in Dallas, TX. Dennis is joined by Develop This! contributing correspondent Sean Maguire. Dennis and Sean give a recap and review of the 2023 IEDC Annual Conference in Dallas, TX. New IEDC Strategic Plan

PROVEN STRATEGIES FOR SOLVING HOUSING SHORTAGES IN COMMUNITIES ACROSS NORTH AMERICA  Bethany Quinn  -  Vice President of Strategy and Content Development for Golden Shovel Dennis is joined by Bethany Quinn from Golden Shovel, and they discuss PROVEN STRATEGIES FOR SOLVING HOUSING SHORTAGES IN COMMUNITIES ACROSS NORTH AMERICA, a Golden Shovel white paper.  For economic developers housing is one of the major topics we deal with, especially workforce housing. The data behind the Golden...

Ron Kresha - COO & CFO Golden Shovel Creating a Marketing Plan Ron Kresha, Chief Operating Officer, is a founding member who helped start Golden Shovel Agency on the premise that every community deserves to be recognized and to have the tools needed to compete for businesses and jobs. He is committed to providing services that improve communities and people’s lives. Ron refers to himself as a serial entrepreneur who has been told he’s “too stupid to know how to fail”. He wears that as...

In this episode Dennis gets personal about how a week of good news and bad news affected him. Economic development professionals get an up close and personal look at the highs and lows that happen in their communities. It's never easy to feel helpless trying to save a facility and people's jobs in your community. 

Aaron Brossoit – Golden Shovel Dennis is joined by Aaron Brossoit, the CEO of Golden Shovel. In this episode, they discuss the changes in digital marketing and what the future holds as we enter the metaverse and AI takes hold Aaron Brossoit, Chief Executive Officer, was a founding member of Golden Shovel and has been with the company since September 2009. He began as VP of Business Development and filled the COO position prior to becoming CEO. After earning his Bachelor’s degree from St....

Dennis is joined by IEDC Presdent and CEO Nathan Ohle to discuss the upcoming IEDC 2023 Annual Conference, September 17 – 20th, 2023 – in Dallas, Texas Dallas, TX, is one of the country's most economically and socially diverse cities. The 1920s were an age of dramatic political, technological, and social change for some, yet not for others. In Dallas, we'll usher in the next-generation 'Roaring 20s,' spotlighting how to build thriving, sustainable, resilient, and equitable communities for...

Joseph Stefko, ROC2025 President and CEO, joins Develop This! contributing correspondent Sean Maguire. Sean and Joe talk about what's changed in Rochester for the better and how it's shaking off the rust belt of the past. Fun and interesting things about Rochester include food, museums, wine, and more. Economic Development in Rochester Today More than Kodak How does ROC2025 fit in? In 2020, the City of Rochester posted its first decennial population increase since the 1950s. The number...

In this episode Dennis discusses the conundrum many economic development professionals find themselves in trying to deal with stakeholders on both sides of a controversial project. Some of these types of projects can incldue. The use of eminenet domain Utility franchise fees Utility rate cases for rate increases Tax Increment Financing (TIF) Dennis offers some tips to help navigate these tricky waters. Enage your board of directors Host a neutral forum Communicate, communicate,...

Responding to RFPs is a Team Sport Dennis and Broderick discuss the sometimes intense process of responding to a request for a proposal with a tight deadline. RFPs many times come on short notice and successfully completing the RFP requires being prepared and having a team of rapid response partners.  RFPs can come from a variety of sources ·       State ED ·       Site selectors ·       Utility partners ·       Rail partners Being prepared High-quality maps  Acreage, ownership,...

Friend of the show Mark Perna joins Dennis and they discuss Mark's experience in taking the IEDC Basic Economic Development Course in Nashville.  Why did Mark Perna decide to take the IEDC Basic Economic Development Class? What was Mark's impression of the class? How can the IEDC Basic ED Course help others better understand economic development? 

“Making semiconductor chips in Upstate New York” with Develop This! Contributing Correspondent Sean Maguire and guest Nick Bruno from MV EDGE. Sean and Nick discuss their love of Utica and semiconductor projects in upstate New York Tomato pie, chicken riggies, and Utica Club beer How’d you get here? How did you get into semiconductor work? Overview of Wolfspeed in Marcy/Utica How did the work in Albany set the stage for Wolfspeed?  How does Wolfspeed fit into the Micron investment in...

Dennis is joined by Mark Perna and they discuss how economic development professionals can help our business and industry partners connect with students. In a time of full employment, worker shortages, and a skills gap business and industry partners are increasingly looking to economic development professionals to help bridge the gap with their future workforce. There is an increase in job fairs, career expos, and career exploration events. A company's approach to these events can make or...

Economic Gardening: No Green Thumb Needed   Economic Gardening is an economic development model that embraces the idea that entrepreneurs drive economies and places a laser-like focus on creating jobs by supporting existing companies in a community. It originated in the late 80s in Littleton, CO when the state was in a recession and the community lost a major employer. Local leaders realized that only a small percentage of all companies were “high growth” but those companies were creating...

Nathan Ohle – President and CEO of IEDC Economic Recovery Corps - Program launched on May 11th The Economic Recovery Corps Program (ERC) is a multi-year, $30 million collaborative initiative designed to accelerate recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic in distressed communities and regions throughout the U.S. by connecting organizations with the talent and capacity needed to advance new ways of doing economic development that promote economic resilience and transformative change.  The ERC is...

2023 Economic Development Week – May 8 - 12, 2023 In this episode, Dennis and Broderick discuss Economic Development Week and why economic developers are not always great at telling their stories.  Economic Development Week gives economic development professionals a platform to showcase to their community the contributions made to their local economy throughout the year. Utilize IEDC’s toolkit to help support your message and increase your impact Economic Development Week was created by...

Walking the Economic Development Tightrope For many of us, there has been a fundamental shift in how we approach economic development. As the job market has tightened the challenge of bringing in a new project has increased exponentially. How do we continue to look for opportunities when our current employers can’t fill their staffing needs? Everyone loves the new announcement and golden shovel ceremonies How does that play with our existing companies? 750,000 jobs are unfilled in the...