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 both your community and within your leadership capabilities.

Over the years, the Consultant Connect team has seen many amazing economic development heroes reach incredible goals, and we know these winning moments happen because of continuous learning, evolving and innovation. Join us each week for in-depth interviews and relevant leadership development topics to help economic developers grow. We firmly believe that when leaders get better, communities thrive!

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

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Episode 163: Are You Surrounding Yourself With the People You Want to Learn From? | Courtland Robinson, Virginia Economic Development Partnership
Episode 163: Are You Surrounding Yourself With the People You Want to Learn From? | Courtland Robinson, Virginia Economic Development Partnership 150 150 America's Jobs Team

“I am at my best when I’m bowling with the guardrails down.” –Courtland Robinson Do you give due credit to the people around you? Are you intentional about the people you surround yourself with professionally? How can you put yourself in a position to learn about the people you want to? Today, Faye Davis talks…

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Episode 162: How Are Efficiency and Sustainability Interweaving with Attraction Work? | Karla Moran, Salt River Project
Episode 162: How Are Efficiency and Sustainability Interweaving with Attraction Work? | Karla Moran, Salt River Project 150 150 America's Jobs Team

“You have to take opportunities as they come to you.” –Karla Moran Sustainability is gaining momentum all over, and the corporate world is no different. How does that influence attraction work from a utility perspective? What demands do incoming businesses have with regard to renewables? And how does that play out in a place like…

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Episode 161: How Will Community Preparedness Level Up Economic Development Efforts? | Michael Harvey, Northwest Arkansas Council
Episode 161: How Will Community Preparedness Level Up Economic Development Efforts? | Michael Harvey, Northwest Arkansas Council 150 150 America's Jobs Team

“If you want to target talent, you need to customize what your region’s strengths are for the type of people you’re trying to attract. I firmly believe that the jobs will follow the talent.” –Michael Harvey Walmart, Tyson Foods, JB Hunt. Number 4 on the “Best Places to Live” list by US News. One of…

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Episode 160: Is Your Community Ahead of the Curve in Reskilling Its Labor Force? | Eileen Cai, Charlotte Regional Business Alliance
Episode 160: Is Your Community Ahead of the Curve in Reskilling Its Labor Force? | Eileen Cai, Charlotte Regional Business Alliance 150 150 America's Jobs Team

“Training the labor force to meet the future needs is now more important than ever.” –Eileen Cai Workforce. Chances are that this will come up in industry-related conversation within five minutes. And for good reason; communities everywhere are putting their best and brightest brains together to attempt to solve the labor shortage. So what does…

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Episode 159: How Can Symbolism Changes Positively Affect Perceptions of a State’s Business Climate? | Mitch Stringer, Cooperative Energy
Episode 159: How Can Symbolism Changes Positively Affect Perceptions of a State’s Business Climate? | Mitch Stringer, Cooperative Energy 150 150 America's Jobs Team

“I worked passionately both personally and professionally to support the flag change along with economic developers from across the state. We have a lot of work to do to better our state, but this change was a big step in the right direction and an accomplishment that will be felt for generations to come.” –Mitch…

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Episode 158: What Are the Best Practices of Engaging Site Consultants?
Episode 158: What Are the Best Practices of Engaging Site Consultants? 150 150 America's Jobs Team

“The goal is to build relationships. Both site consultants and economic developers are hungry for relationships with one another, not just learning from one another but really feeling connected.” –Carla Sones Are you traveling to a site consultant’s market soon? What are the rules of engagement around inviting site consultants for a meal while on…

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Episode 157: How Can Creative Partnerships Boost Resources for Small Organizations? | Cathy Knapp, Southwest Michigan First
Episode 157: How Can Creative Partnerships Boost Resources for Small Organizations? | Cathy Knapp, Southwest Michigan First 150 150 America's Jobs Team

“Rather than feeling bad about limited resources, the conversation became about forming partnerships to create more opportunities for a rural county.” –Cathy Knapp Economic development can look vastly different for rural areas; often, the local organization is a one-person shop. Challenges around needing to prioritize time for projects with office management tasks can be huge…

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Episode 156: So, You Want to Host a Fam Tour Next Year?
Episode 156: So, You Want to Host a Fam Tour Next Year? 150 150 America's Jobs Team

“Site consultants want to come out and build relationships and learn. As you’re planning your visit, it’s really important to think about what the goal is of the tour.” –Carla Sones So, you’re thinking about inviting some site consultant friends to learn more about your region. Do you know where to start? Have you thought…

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Episode 155: How Will Your Organization Navigate the Prosperity and Inclusivity Paradigms? | Chris Camacho, Greater Phoenix Economic Council
Episode 155: How Will Your Organization Navigate the Prosperity and Inclusivity Paradigms? | Chris Camacho, Greater Phoenix Economic Council 150 150 America's Jobs Team

“The regions that can adapt to change by producing the next generation of talent, along with addressing equity and inclusion, will have more balanced and prosperous economies.” –Chris Camacho Economic recovery is on a fast track, and the greater Phoenix area is running full steam ahead. Having recovered over 80% of the jobs lost in…

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Episode 154: How Has Maryland Nurtured Impactful Networks for Effective Economic Development? | Jayson Knott, Office of Business Development at the Maryland Department of Commerce
Episode 154: How Has Maryland Nurtured Impactful Networks for Effective Economic Development? | Jayson Knott, Office of Business Development at the Maryland Department of Commerce 150 150 America's Jobs Team

“Having experience in most of the roles I now oversee, I have become a player-coach to my team.” –Jayson Knott How will your experiences today play into your future? Have you ever tried to reframe your perception of your role today in terms of how the skills you’re learning now will shape the career path…

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