Whittaker Report
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The Unethical Practices of 3 Market Giants
Over the years we have heard about market giants practicing unethical business operations. Many accusations have regarded labor exploitation, data selling, and other questionable activities. Some accusations have been proven guilty, and some are still in the...
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
The Economic Development Sea Change
By Dean Whittaker Let’s take a ride into the future, a future in which the economic geography has undergone a sea change. Manufacturing is no longer the Holy Grail of economic development. It is a world where demographically driven shortages of talent have put a...
2004 Outlook
By Pete Julius What does 2004 have in store for us? If we can continue to build on the momentum of the latter part of 2003, we should experience a prosperous 2004. However, major backlashes resulting from the war in the Middle East, significant changes in...
The automotive industry outlook for 2004
By Jeff Vedders With the North American Auto Show in full swing this month, and with the recent update of the Standard and Poor’s Auto and Auto Parts Survey, we thought this would be a good time to look at the projected outlook for the industry for 2004. Standard and...
TechnoCars
By Leigh Howe 2004 is looking good for automotive companies as the industry continues to push new product launches. The automotive industry will be a major force in this year’s economy. What is driving life into the automotive industry? Consumer confidence and the...
New & Expanded Announcements
By Jeff Vedders We recently analyzed US new facility and expanded facility activity for 2003. There were a total of 5,427 announcements in 2003. This compares with 6,645 announcements in 2002, 9,679 announcements in 2001 and 11,602 announcements in 2000. That means...
Creative Farming
By Leigh Howe If you haven’t looked closely at the farming industry lately you might be surprised. Creativity is not only for the big city. Creative farming is probably better known to many as value added agriculture. According to Michigan State University, value...
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Latest
Generation Z: Is The World Ready?
By Ayush Pant Millennials, the driving force of the current global environment have played their part and their successors, Generation Z, are ready to infiltrate the 21st century market.Generation Z, a generation that never experienced the world without smart digital...
How Do We Sustain? We Renew, Recycle and Rebuild
By Sambridhi Shrestha “The future is green energy, sustainability, renewable energy.”- Arnold Schwarzenegger There are two possibilities that can be predicted which is indicated by the availability of the resources. One is that the world will become a better place to...
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