“Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.” –Abraham Lincoln As 2022 has already taken us by storm, there’s no better time than now to evaluate our strategies for the year. Just like chef’s use “mise en place” to gather all their ingredients and…

“For me, maximum flexibility is key. The ability to transition as things change is really important, as is the ability to relate to people that are coming from different circumstances and places.” –Charles Wood What better way to launch into the new year than by learning from an economic developer truly moving the needle on…

“There is virtue in work and there is virtue in rest. Use both and overlook neither.” –Alan Cohen Coming out of 2020, we thought there couldn’t be a wilder year. Coming to the close of 2021, we might have been wrong! All signs point to a busy year leading to another busy year. How are…

“Great things in business are never done by one person. They’re done by a team of people.” –Steve Jobs We all know that one coworker that you can count on for anything. As soon as you need help you automatically think of them. But what is it that makes that person such a team player?…

“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…