“If you can think of the project through a different lens, there is often a way you can leverage a non-traditional tool to fit the project you’re working on.” –Joe Agostinelli The cost of materials and goods for projects is a topic we are all too familiar with right now. It often seems that incentive…

“Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for.” –Barack Obama As this year comes to a close and a new year looms, lots of people are thinking about new year’s resolutions, setting goals for next year, and working on strategies…

“The biggest part of learning anything is taking your ego out of it. Nobody has all of the answers.” –Heather Ennis Gathering knowledge and building expertise are cornerstones of the work economic developers do. We have to be lifelong learners, always keeping abreast of new developments and trends within industries. So how can you continue…

“What we know matters but who we are matters more.” –Brené Brown Before you click away, stick with us for just a minute; we know that the word “vulnerability” can alienate people quickly. When we are talking about needing to be more vulnerable in our professional lives, we don’t mean sitting around in a circle…

“Buffalo, as a whole, has been involved in supporting the entrepreneurial ecosystem and its innovation for a long time.” –Kim Grant Why should economic development organizations implement a strategy for supporting entrepreneurs? Can these efforts make a difference in attracting talent? And if so, what elements should be part of the support network for start-ups?…

“Confidentiality and transparency are not mutually exclusive, but rather they are two sides of the same coin.” –Thomas de Maiziere In business these days, there is an ever-increasing amount of conversation around transparent relationships. And for good reason; employees working for companies with high levels of transparency report higher engagement and commitment, as well as…

“Most economic development leaders have something to say and are good people to say it within their communities; they’re trusted entities. It’s important to be able to communicate clearly about where you stand and what the focus is.” –Kenny McDonald Project announcements are happening left and right in most communities, and one thing that can…

“Maturity is humility. The mature person need not experience the satisfaction of ‘I told you so.'” –Ann Landers As economic developers, we often have an inkling about the direction our communities need to be moving way before it becomes mainstream knowledge. Sometimes, we spend years attempting to teach community partners about impending developments and needs…

“The shift facing our community and communities across the nation means economic developers must be agile and cultivate assets, like workforce, policy and brands, like never before. “ –Emily Jerkins How are research professionals becoming increasingly vital to economic development work? Why is their time and effort foundationally critical to understanding regions and guiding future…

“Don’t let perfection be the enemy of productivity.” –Alice Boyes We’ve all been there. A big project is due, the pressure is mounting, you have the whole thing basically ready to go but it’s missing a few of those final details. There’s a hard deadline looming for the whole deliverable, and yet you can’t seem…