Seven years ago, I wrote an article for the Whittaker Report which outlined the summer internship goal of discovering a “Holy Grail Algorithm” which would presumably predict the future. While I remain naive regarding the scope of this goal, I acknowledge...
This month I had the opportunity to participate in the five-day Select USA 2021 Virtual Investment Summit on June 7-11, 2021. The event is designed to facilitate direct foreign investment into the United States. There were 3,000 attendees, including 1,200 business...
Here are a few of my takeaways from the May 12th and 13th, 2021 Mid-American Economic Development Council Best Practice virtual conference. Thanks to Tim Robinson, chair of the event, the host committee, and the 26 speakers for their efforts in putting on a great...
By Dean Whittaker As you know, because of the disruptive nature of the pandemic, your economic development organization is focused primarily on business retention. However, you also understand the importance of maintaining an aggressive business outreach strategy. For...
By Dean Whittaker With over four decades of experience in economic development, I am hard pressed to see a clear path forward for the clients we serve. Economic development organizations are struggling to re-start their local economies after having been shut down for...