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WE ARE AMERICA’S JOBS TEAM.

America’s future relies on people like you to foster a dynamic economy. It’s a big responsibility, but you are not alone in shouldering the weight. You are part of America’s Jobs Team!

You know—as do we—that the business of creating jobs is hard work, requiring more than just a little bit of elbow grease. You’ve got to have: deep industry knowledge; community and workforce familiarity; an ability to form deep relationships and create unity; perseverance; and the drive to keep growing.

Over the years, the Consultant Connect team has seen many amazing economic development warriors battling for their communities. We are connecting with these fellow community champions to dive into how they got to where they are, what lessons they have learned along the way, and what inspires them daily. We firmly believe that when leaders get better, communities thrive!

Listen to the America’s Jobs Team podcast below, or find it on iTunes.

Sign up to receive America’s Jobs Team directly to your inbox!

May 19: How to Harness the Power of Positivity with Jon Gordon | COVID-19 MINISERIES
 May 19: How to Harness the Power of Positivity with Jon Gordon | COVID-19 MINISERIES 150 150 America's Jobs Team

Ron Kitchens has a conversation with Jon Gordon, bestselling author, and speaker. Jon dives into his journey to become more positive as a naturally negative person and shares the importance of filling voids with positivity so negativity does not seep in. Jon has some great advice to cultivate characteristics that will help you thrive as a…

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May 12: Breaking It Down: What Do the Key Findings Mean? | COVID-19 MINISERIES
 May 12: Breaking It Down: What Do the Key Findings Mean? | COVID-19 MINISERIES 150 150 America's Jobs Team

Today, Carla Sones dives into the key findings from the COVID-19 Impacts Site Selector Survey (click the link to download your free copy). Consultant Connect heard from hundreds of economic developers that were desperate for insights from site location consultants on emerging trends, industry forecasts, and ideas on how to best respond and pivot from…

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May 5: How Can You Help Relieve Your Small Businesses’ Struggles? | COVID-19 MINISERIES
 May 5: How Can You Help Relieve Your Small Businesses’ Struggles? | COVID-19 MINISERIES 150 150 America's Jobs Team

Jeff Pappas, executive vice president of site selection and brokerage at ESRP Real Estate Services, joins Consultant Connect for C2 O’Clock this past Friday. He introduces us to one of his clients which is laser-focused on helping small businesses weather the COVID-19 storm. Brandon Willey and Eric Keosky-Smith talk about the ways their company, Hownd,…

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April 28: What Can We Learn from Past Disasters? | COVID-19 MINISERIES
 April 28: What Can We Learn from Past Disasters? | COVID-19 MINISERIES 150 150 America's Jobs Team

Gray Swoope and Nancy Blum-Heintz of VisionFirst Advisors joined Consultant Connect recently for a live Zoom presentation to share their experiences with economic recovery after a crisis. As Executive Director of the Mississippi Development Authority under Governor Haley Barbour, Gray led the efforts in Mississippi post-Hurricane Katrina to reestablish business and community connectivity. Nancy was…

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April 24: John Longshore | Global Location Strategies | COVID-19 MINISERIES
 April 24: John Longshore | Global Location Strategies | COVID-19 MINISERIES 150 150 America's Jobs Team

John Longshore talks with Ron Kitchens about the things he believes economic developers should focus on to stay relevant in a world that is changing by the hour. John is a Principal and VP of Innovation at Global Location Strategies, where he has spent his time for the past six years. He has led numerous…

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April 24: Cristina Paredes | Office of Economic Vitality | COVID-19 MINISERIES
 April 24: Cristina Paredes | Office of Economic Vitality | COVID-19 MINISERIES 150 150 America's Jobs Team

Cristina Paredes joins Carla Sones on the podcast and shares how she re-purposed an existing website with minimum effort in order to fill a desperate need in her region, and where she’s putting the majority of her focus in this time of rapid change. Cristina is a director at the Tallahassee-Leon County Office of Economic…

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April 23: Ann Petersen | Atlas Insight | COVID-19 MINISERIES
 April 23: Ann Petersen | Atlas Insight | COVID-19 MINISERIES 150 150 America's Jobs Team

Ann Petersen joins Ron Kitchens to talk about the implications COVID-19 will have on incentives and incentive compliance. Ann shares her predictions for the rest of the year and dives into what economic developers should be focusing on in this time of flux. Ann is a director at Atlas Insight. With 15 years of combined…

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April 23: Roger Lee | Economic Development for Central Oregon | COVID-19 MINISERIES
 April 23: Roger Lee | Economic Development for Central Oregon | COVID-19 MINISERIES 150 150 America's Jobs Team

Roger Lee joins Ron Kitchens to talk how his organization is responding to the impacts from COVID-19. Roger and Ron talk about the resiliency and ingenuity shown in manufacturing and technology, and what great economic development organizations will look like in the future. Roger is the CEO of Economic Development for Central Oregon (EDCO), where…

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April 22: Rob Cleveland | Cornerstone Alliance | COVID-19 MINISERIES
 April 22: Rob Cleveland | Cornerstone Alliance | COVID-19 MINISERIES 150 150 America's Jobs Team

Rob Cleveland talks with Carla Sones. Rob talks about the challenges in pivoting a team from their daily roles to taking on brand new responsibilities for the foreseeable future, and how he’s keeping his team engaged. Rob joined Cornerstone Alliance as president in 2015. Located in Michigan’s Great Southwest, the Cornerstone Alliance is Berrien County’s…

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April 22: Brett Bayduss | Site Selection Group | COVID-19 MINISERIES
 April 22: Brett Bayduss | Site Selection Group | COVID-19 MINISERIES 150 150 America's Jobs Team

Brett Bayduss talks with Carla Sones about what the longterm effects of COVID-19 may be. He dives into whether the work-from-home culture is here to stay or if people will naturally gravitate to office environments again, and reminds us that it’s okay to just be there to listen to your community. Brett is executive vice…

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