Whittaker Report
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Recent Podcasts
The Whittaker Report Episode 31 An Interview with Vern Schultz
Dec 31, 2025 • 00:28:44
Vern Schultz, SIOR, has been active in Chicago-area commercial real estate for more than 35 years. He joined Colliers in 1977 and currently serves as an Executive Vice President in the Industrial Advisory Group, representing tenants and owners throughout the Chicago market. Since joining Colliers, Vern has completed more than…
The Whittaker Report Podcast Episode 30 - An Interview with Ashley & Eric Canada of Blane Canada AI
Sep 11, 2025 • 00:35:30
Eric has been a pioneer in applying technology to economic development for over 30 years, and together with Ashley—who brings deep expertise in sales and marketing—they’ve transformed Blane Canada into a leader in AI and automation for business development. We’re going to talk about where economic development is headed, how…
The Whittaker Report Podcast Episode 29 An Interview with Dennis Pruitt, Senior Vice President of Economic Development for the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce
Apr 29, 2025 • 00:33:16
Dennis Pruitt, SVP, is the Senior Vice President of Economic Development at the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber. He leads the Chamber’s business recruitment and expansion efforts, economic research, industry sector development, and destination retail initiatives. He also oversees the Greater Oklahoma City Partnership, a 10-county regional economic development alliance. With…
The Whittaker Report Podcast Episode 28 - An Interview with Jen Wakefield, APR, President and CEO at Greater Richmond Partnership
Mar 12, 2025 • 00:27:24
Jennifer Wakefield. Jen is the President and CEO of the Greater Richmond Partnership, where she’s been driving strategic growth and investment in the region since 2021. With over two decades of experience in economic development, marketing, and strategic planning, she’s led transformative projects in both Richmond and Orlando, boosting business…
The Whittaker Report Podcast Episode 27 - An Interview with Barry Matherly, CEcD
Jan 29, 2025 • 00:20:52
In this episode, we hear from Barry Matherly, CEcD, President and CEO of Hickey Global, a full service economic development consulting firm. With over 28 years in economic development, Barry has been helping communities to prosper by creating opportunities for new investment and job growth. As a certified economic development…
The Whittaker Report Podcast Episode 26 an Interview with Kate Engel, Executive Director of the Nebraska Innovation Campus
Apr 26, 2024 • 00:17:26
In this episode we hear from Kate Engel, Managing Director of the Nebraska Innovation Campus. Kate Engel. Kate is the interim executive director of the Nebraska Innovation Campus Development Corporation owned by the University of Nebraska Board of Regents. Kate’s primary responsibility is to supervise NICDC staff, direct business operations…
The Whittaker Report Podcast Episode 25 - An Interview with Dr. Donald T. Iannone.
Jan 14, 2024 • 00:35:49
In this episode we hear from Dr. Donald T. Iannone, a poet, author, philosopher, and professor of theology. Don shares with us his view of the future of Economic Development and trends impacting the profession. He discusses the longterm impace of COVID on our mind, body and spirit. Do has…
The Whittaker Report Podcast Episode 24 An Interview with Mark James, CEcD, Utility Practice Lead, Hickey Global
Dec 14, 2023 • 00:37:11
In this episode, Mark James discusses the electric utility industry role in site selection, current trends within the industry, electrical capacity, supply chain issues and the need to dramatically invest in the expansion of the grid. Mark also shares with us the future of economic development as seen from his…
The Whittaker Report Podcast Episode 23 - An Interview with Karl Dye, President/CEO of TRIDEC
Nov 24, 2023 • 00:28:59
In this episode, we have a conversation with Karl Dye, President/CEO of TRIDEC (Tri Cities Development Council) serving Benton and Franklin Counties in Washington State. Karl discusses the opportunities for economic development organizations in decarbonization, climate change, and the electric power shortage. He also describers where he sees the economic…
The Whittaker Report Podcast Episode 22 - An Interview with Lee Crume, President & CEO of BE NKY
Jul 20, 2023 • 00:19:11
Learn about BE NKY, a regional economic development organization and hear from Lee Crume, President & CEO of the organization as he describes the success they are having and his view of the changing nature of economic development.
Recent Posts
Concentrating on Solar Power
By Vidhan Rana The solar industry has been creating a lot of buzz around the country, especially in the Southwestern states. Our analysis revealed that more than $4 billion dollars has been invested by companies in this industry, creating over 10,000 jobs, since 2003....
Selling Your Way Out of a Slow Economy
By Todd Smithee As a refugee of three tech start-up companies, I had the “opportunity” to learn about running a company where expenses exceeded revenues. Several of these previous employers went bankrupt or had their assets sold for much less than the original...
Location Decision-Making Just Got Easier
By Dean Whittaker The purpose of information is to help us make better decisions. Making a good business-location decision is essential to success. To do so requires high quality, accurate, up-to-date information and an understanding of what it means. In the past,...
An Economic Heart Attack
By Dean Whittaker In the past few months, the living body that is our economy has suffered a massive heart attack. The circulation of blood (currency) has ceased, and permanent damage has begun to occur in the form of foreclosures and bankruptcies. The first...
Batteries Powering America's Future
By Vidhan Rana We have witnessed such a flurry of bad economic news in the last few months that many of us are becoming skeptical about our economic future. However, there are still sectors within our economy that remain active and are experiencing massive growth....
Proposed Stimulus Package Summary
By Jim Bruckbauer Given the current state of the economy, Whittaker Associates has found that many companies are postponing major business decisions until the Economic Stimulus is passed and major economic action is taken. For this reason alone, it can be assumed that...
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Latest
Marketing: An Art That Changes With Time
By: Ayush Dev Pant While writing a business plan, almost every entrepreneur or business person stumble when they need to prepare a marketing and advertising blueprint. Marketing culture today is remarkably different than what it used to be as behavior of people in the...
Celebration of a New Journey
By Sambridhi Shrestha Nepal is one of the world’s most culturally diverse nations with 126 castes and ethnic groups speaking as many as 123 languages. This diverse culture having different festive and celebration, weddings are also celebrated in different ways...
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