economic development

Episode 123: Two Non-Negotiables for Attracting Deals on a Megasite | Christine Mackay, City of Phoenix, AZ
Episode 123: Two Non-Negotiables for Attracting Deals on a Megasite | Christine Mackay, City of Phoenix, AZ 150 150 America's Jobs Team

“You’ve got to love what you do, and you’ve got to be able to laugh at how you do it.” –Christine Mackay

Do you have feelings about megasites? When you think of these massive sites, do you get a little jittery thinking about the massive project that would occupy such a space? The sheer amount of time, talent and treasure needed to attract, land, and grow a company that large can be daunting, to say the least.

Christine Mackay, Director of Economic Development for the City of Phoenix, has pointed insights. She led the team that recently landed the huge Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing project which will end up building 6 factories on a megasite and, as the plans move forward, the expected investment keeps growing. Christine draws on her experience as she shares the two non-negotiables in developing and executing mega sites.

Christine talks about what she has learned over the last years of tremendous success leading economic development in Phoenix; under her tenure, the average wages of jobs announce have doubled and she’s closed deals amounting to over $60 billion. She dives into building a high performing team, how to foster collaboration, and keeping a sense of humor through it all. Tune in now for more from another amazing Top 50 Economic Developer!

America’s Jobs Team is sponsored by Research on Investment / Gazelle.ai

Episode 122: Did You Know Your “Meh” Feeling Has a Name? And Are You Ready to Conquer It?
Episode 122: Did You Know Your “Meh” Feeling Has a Name? And Are You Ready to Conquer It? 150 150 America's Jobs Team

“Languishing is a sense of stagnation and emptiness. And it might be the dominant emotion of 2021.” –Adam Grant

If you are feeling a bit aimless, a little blah in your life right now, know that you’re not alone. It’s called languishing and it’s so prominent right now that the New York Times wrote a whole article about it and how it may be the dominant emotion of 2021. Languishing is the middle ground of mental health; it’s that feeling of stagnation and lack of joy. The absence of well-being.

Knowing that economic development organizations are not immune to this increasingly pervasive feeling, Carla Sones and Faye Davis dive into how languishing shows up, but more importantly how to navigate yourself out of it. The goal is to get to flourishing, the coveted peak of mental health. That may feel like a bit of a stretch-goal right now, but Carla and Faye talk through several easy to implement steps to get you climbing out of the blah zone and on your way to flourishing yet again.

Do you want to hear more about assessing yourself, the concept of flow as an antidote to stagnation, re-learning how to celebrate, implementing new routines, and cultivating grace for yourself? Tune in now!

America’s Jobs Team is sponsored by Research on Investment / Gazelle.ai

Episode 121: Do You Use the Technology Industry to Diversify Your Community? | Danny Chavez, McKinney Economic Development Corporation
Episode 121: Do You Use the Technology Industry to Diversify Your Community? | Danny Chavez, McKinney Economic Development Corporation 150 150 America's Jobs Team

“Every company is a tech company today so if you’re not focusing on technology, as far as a means for your platform, I think it’s short sighted.” –Danny Chavez

What do you think about when you hear ‘tech start-up’? Do you immediately want to pass on the project? Does your economic development organization tend to be risk averse?

Carla Sones talks with Danny Chavez about why, as economic developers, we should be interested in the technology industry. At McKinney Economic Development Corporation, the team is always ready for the next project and Danny gives insight on how to move at the speed the companies want. These low risk, high reward projects just might be what your community needs to diversify the pipeline.

As a North America’s Top 50 Economic Developers, Danny is always looking toward the future of innovation. His mover and shaker energy gives vision on how we do our jobs in an ever shifting environment. Tune in to hear Danny’s perspective on tech and advice for up and comers in economic development!

America’s Jobs Team is sponsored by Research on Investment / Gazelle.ai

Episode 120: How is Your Leadership Moving Your Team to Collaboration? | Kimm Lauterbach, REDI Cincinnati
Episode 120: How is Your Leadership Moving Your Team to Collaboration? | Kimm Lauterbach, REDI Cincinnati 150 150 America's Jobs Team

“Even though there is a competition factor, there is way more of a collaboration and camaraderie.” –Kimm Lauterbach

How do you keep spirits high? How are you setting a positive tone for your team? Are you seeing the conversations you’re having now compared to a year ago are completely different?

In today’s episode, Kimm Lauterbach talks to Carla Sones about all of the ways economic development has changed over the last year, the last ten years and the last twenty years. As President and CEO of REDI Cincinnati, Kimm understands what it is like to collaborate, shift and motivate to continue to make a lasting impact. She touches on the long term effects of the influx of federal funding and how to look forward to site development, infrastructure and talent.

Kimm is recognized as one of North America’s Top 50 Economic Developers. Her vision for the industry, her prepared leadership and her enthusiasm to keep energy high are just a few reasons for this acknowledgment. Catch this episode to hear more from Kimm!

America’s Jobs Team is sponsored by Research on Investment / Gazelle.ai

Episode 119: How to Sharpen Up Your Conflict Resolution to Cut Through Tension | Lenora Fisher, Greater Peoria Economic Development Council
Episode 119: How to Sharpen Up Your Conflict Resolution to Cut Through Tension | Lenora Fisher, Greater Peoria Economic Development Council 150 150 America's Jobs Team

“We have to serve our people, they are our greatest asset.” –Lenora Fisher

Is conflict a consistent hurdle in your work life? While economic development works for the prosperity of all, we often-times find ourselves in the middle of political hot takes and polarizing viewpoints. Do you know how to best navigate these tensions?

Join Lenora Fisher, Director of Business Attraction at the Greater Peoria Economic Development Council, as she’s interviewed by Faye Davis, to start gleaning insight on how she handles conflict resolution. Lenora talks about the actual strategies she uses to ground herself in the humanity of the folks that may be causing friction, and how she moves forward in the spirit of collaboration.

Lenora also has great insight on creating a community which is not only magnetic but also sticky, and her thoughts on truly serving people are inspiring. Lenora is recognized as one of North America’s Top 50 Economic Developers for her ability to provide insights and create conversation around information not found in any data sources, and her interview today highlights her depth of thought and intention. Tune in now to hear more!

America’s Jobs Team is sponsored by Research on Investment / Gazelle.ai

Episode 118: Is Internal Pressure Causing You to Lose Passion and Productivity?
Episode 118: Is Internal Pressure Causing You to Lose Passion and Productivity? 150 150 America's Jobs Team

“Don’t ever let the pressure exceed the pleasure.” – Joe Maddon

Does it feel like there is constant external pressures on you and your work? Is it possible that you are using external pressure to hide or confirm pressure you are feeling internally?

Today, Faye Davis talks with Carla Sones about internal pressures and how it effects our work and lives. As leaders, we so often don’t take care of ourselves as much as we care for the people we work with. We can fall into the trap of not giving ourselves grace and to expect no road bumps in our work. This puts too much weight on our day to days.

Carla shares encouragement on how to not perceive success and failure as your self worth and how to relieve some of that stress. Pressure can be a positive force for productivity, but how do we not let it shift to demanding too much of ourselves? Tune in to this episode to find out!

America’s Jobs Team is sponsored by Research on Investment / Gazelle.ai

Episode 117: Is Intentionality Driving the Prosperity of Your Community?| Jonathan Coleman, Laurens County Development Corporation
Episode 117: Is Intentionality Driving the Prosperity of Your Community?| Jonathan Coleman, Laurens County Development Corporation 150 150 America's Jobs Team

“Do what’s best for the community. Don’t do something just to get your name in the paper.”” – Jonathan Coleman

Do you ever feel the pressure to get that next project announced? How is your recruitment driven? Do you purposefully chose the companies for your region?

On today’s episode, Faye Davis talks with Jonathan Coleman on the intentional recruitment for your specific community. At Laurens County Development Corporation, Jonathan and his team always have their eyes on higher median income, which has driven the growth of their community. With their focus on talent development within their area and marketing to their young people, it is easy to see why Laurens County is prospering.

Jonathan has great insight on community prosperity goals and the health and wealth of his region. It is clear why he is one of North America’s Top 50 Economic Developers. Tune in to this episode to see for yourself!

America’s Jobs Team is sponsored by Research on Investment / Gazelle.ai

Episode 116: Is Your Delegation Building Trust, Engagement and Opportunity?
Episode 116: Is Your Delegation Building Trust, Engagement and Opportunity? 150 150 America's Jobs Team

“If you want to do a few small things right, do them yourself. If you want to do great things and make a big impact, learn to delegate.” – John C. Maxwell

Is your day filled with small tasks that keep you from focusing on your big strategic goals? Do you love the work you are doing and can’t imagine letting any of it go? It might be time to shift your perspective of delegation.

On today’s episode, Faye Davis talks with Carla Sones about the importance of delegation. When you have been bitten by the economic development bug and love the work you do, it can be hard to delegate your day to day tasks. That is where a change in how you view delegation comes into play.

As leaders, it is our job to focus on the core mission of our organizations. How does our delegation bring our team into the confidence to focus on that mission with us? When we stop defining ourselves and our worth on the tasks we do, we step into a place of moving forward. Listen on to hear more action steps on delegating!

America’s Jobs Team is sponsored by Research on Investment / Gazelle.ai

Episode 115: Are You Working on Removing the Barriers to Success in Your Community? | Will Williams, Western South Carolina Economic Development Partnership
Episode 115: Are You Working on Removing the Barriers to Success in Your Community? | Will Williams, Western South Carolina Economic Development Partnership 150 150 America's Jobs Team

“We have over time paved the way and taken down barriers to success, and my region is beginning to see the fruit from all the hard work we have done.” —Will Williams

Getting your community noticed and in the funnel for projects is tough. As a smaller community, it can be even tougher. Are you aware of hurdles that may be standing in the way of successfully attracting more companies to your region?

Today, Faye Davis talks with Will Williams,  President and CEO at Western South Carolina Economic Development Partnership, about business attraction in smaller communities. Will is recognized as one of North America’s Top 50 Economic Developers in part for the success he has had attracting investment into his region, and he tells about some of the lessons he has learned along the way. He talks candidly about his continuous journey to find out the barriers standing in the way to success.

Will shares the long-term strategies he has implemented in his community. He also dives into the massive project he took from request for proposal to announcement in 3 months, including a massive pivot to a new site in the middle of the time line. Will is full of sound advice on community partnerships and great anecdotes on project work, tune in now to hear more from him!

America’s Jobs Team is sponsored by Research on Investment / Gazelle.ai

Episode 114: Is Your Productivity Getting Burned Up by Little Fires?
Episode 114: Is Your Productivity Getting Burned Up by Little Fires? 150 150 America's Jobs Team

Corporate meeting and group work in modern company in office interior. African american woman manager in protective mask holding tablet, talking to workers keeping social distance during epidemic

“Don’t be fooled by the calendar. There are only as many days in the year as you make use of. One man gets only a week’s value out of a year while another man gets a full year’s value out of a week.” —Charles Richards

At the end of a busy workday, do look back and find that you’ve spent the bulk of it putting out small fires? Are strategic priorities taking a backseat to urgent-in-the-moment tasks that in the long haul do nothing to move the needle for your community nor your organization’s long-term goals? How are you role-modeling productivity best practices to your team?

The recipe for productivity is made up of many ingredients: time management, goal-setting, delegation, and many more skills come into play. Today, Carla Sones and Faye Davis talk about their strategies to getting the big work done without getting burned out by the small fires.

If you’re looking for concrete action steps on how to effectively manage your time, set goals, and outline meeting structures to get the most bang for your (time) buck, this episode is right up your alley. Tune in now to hear more!

America’s Jobs Team is sponsored by Research on Investment / Gazelle.ai