Whittaker Report
Blog & Podcast
Waves of the Pandemic
As we walk in the second year of the global pandemic, the gravity of its ripple effect on the economy and humanity has induced a damage that might take us longer to recover than was expected. While most of the developed nations have somewhat recovered from 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
Time Travel
by Joel Burgess Have you ever considered time travel as an influential tool to promote the economic well-being and livelihood of your community? Before you boo me off the stage, let's take a moment to entertain the thought. While some may argue time travel to the past...
Wi-Fi: The Potential and The Reality
By Jeff Kelley Wireless. They've been talking about it for years: the possibilities, the access, the sheer brilliance of being able to review a proposal in the middle of a river in Montana and then send it out. We've been promised a lot, but haven't seen a viable...
Understanding Value-Added Manufacturing
By Jeff Vedders We've had many clients request that we target value-added manufacturing companies recently. What is value-added? "Value-added is an economic term to express the difference between the value of goods and the cost of materials or supplies that are used...
Third World to Fuel Tech Surge
by AJ Musial As the tech market is commoditized in the U.S. , the anti-inflationary trend of these products will continue in the future. For this reason, industry juggernauts such as AMD , Cisco, Google, IBM , Intel, Microsoft, Motorola, Nokia, and Sun have focused...
What's the Idea Behind Corporate Social Responsibility?
by Stephanie Poll I am in the midst of finishing my senior year of college and one of the final classes my business major requires is a seminar class. One of our big topics of study and discussion has been the idea of corporate social responsibility. This isn't a new...
Featured Website: Google.com
By Jeff Kelley We love Google. We all use it here at Whittaker Associates and have found that it is the most useful search engine for finding whatever it is we are looking for. It looks like a straightforward search engine, but there is a lot more to Google than the...
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Latest
Talent Acquisition Pilot Project – Ten Things We Learned
By Dean Whittaker We just wrapped up our talent acquisition pilot project for the Economic Development Coalition of Southwest Indiana (Evansville area). The purpose of the pilot project was to test the use of layoff data, social media marketing, and a recruiter to...
Amazon’s HQ2: The Finalists
By Jami Gibson Earlier this month, Amazon announced the 20 finalists for its HQ2 location. They are: Atlanta, Austin, Boston/Somerville, Chicago, Columbus, Dallas, Denver, Indianapolis, Los Angeles, Miami, Montgomery County, MD, Nashville, Newark, New York City,...
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