Whittaker Report
Blog & Podcast
My Travel Photography
Every year, I spend the month of September out West. The ability to work remotely has been a huge blessing (when the wi-fi is good!) that allows me to keep up with my tasks while adventuring to both new and well-loved places. I spend my time kayaking, hiking, and...
Recent Podcasts
Whittaker Associates Podcast Episode 17 - An Interview with Julie Curtin, President Economic Development Practice, Development Counsellors International
Jul 8, 2022 • 00:21:32
Julie Curtin, President of the Economic Development Practice of Development Counsellors International (DCI) shares with us her insight into the future of economic development. In her role as a board member of the International Economic Development Council (IEDC), she worked directly with IEDC to support the launch of the Diversity…
Whittaker Associates Podcast Episode 16 An Interview with Ed Sitar, Senior Manager of Economic Development at ComEd
May 11, 2022 • 00:32:47
Ed Sitar, Senior Manager of Economic Development at ComEd. Ed oversees the company’s large business customer retention and expansion strategy to grow key industries in northern Illinois. Ed is a 28-year company veteran who has worked closely with Illinois municipalities, and regional and state economic development organizations. Ed holds…
The Whittaker Report Podcast Episode 15 - An Interview with Jim Alexander, Senior Vice President of Attraction AllianceSTL of Greater St. Louis, Inc.
Feb 22, 2022 • 00:22:30
Jim Alexander, Senior Vice President of Business Attraction for AllianceSTL of Greater St. Louis. Inc. shares with us the exciting story of the new National Geospatial Intelligence Agency (NGA) $2 billion campus in St. Louis that is under construction. The 99-acre site will house over 3,600 workers interpreting geospatial information…
The Whittaker Report Podcast Episode 14 An Interview with Kate McEnroe Founder of Kate McEnroe Consulting
Jan 24, 2022 • 00:31:19
Kate is the founder of Kate McEnroe Consulting, a sole proprietorship founded in 1993 as a location selection and economic development consulting firm. Her MBA is from The Wharton School. Her background in corporate management positions gives her a solid foundation and the skills to sustain an evolving consulting practice…
The Whittaker Report Podcast Episode 12 An Interview with Maureen Donohue Krause, President and CEO of the Detroit Regional Partnership
Nov 23, 2021 • 00:24:20
In the episode, Maureen shares with us her perspective on the economic development profession having served in leadership roles at local, regional, and state positions. She assumed her current position as President and CEO of the Detriot Regional Partnership in July of 2020. She describes leading her team that is…
The Whittaker Report Podcast Episode 11 An Interview with Jon Roberts, Managing Director TIP Strategies, Inc.
Sep 9, 2021 • 00:56:26
Jon Roberts, Principal and Managing Partner at TIP Strategies, Inc. share with us his thoughts regarding remote work and its long-term impact on the residential, commercial, and industrial real estate market. In the interview, Jon also discusses the importance to economic development of resilience in view of climate change.
The Whittaker Report Podcast Episode 10 - An Interview with Greg Wathen, CO-CEO Evansville Regional Economic Partnership
Aug 27, 2021 • 00:29:50
Greg Wathen, CO-CEO, Evansville Economic Regional Partnership shares with us his experience as their region transitions from multiple organizations engaged in different aspects of economic development to one organization focused on a common mission, vision, and purpose. In the interview, Greg explains the value of their regional approach to economic…
The Whittaker Report Podcast Episode 9 - An Interview with Judie Scalise: Strategic Economic and Real Estate Development
Jul 5, 2021 • 00:31:08
Judie Scalise, Founder, and Principal of ESI Corporation share with us trends taking place in economic and real estate development in the pre-planning phase and the economic impact and feasibility analysis. Judie shares with us the lessons learned in her 30 years of working with a broad base of clients…
The Whittaker Report Podcast Episode 8 - An Interview with Aaron Brossoit: Storytelling with Virtual Realty
May 28, 2021 • 00:26:19
Aaron Brossoit is CEO and a founder at Golden Shovel Agency, a firm specializing in communications for economic development. He has led the creation of communication tools and services currently supporting over 200 economic development organizations across North America. In this episode, Aaron describes the current state of the application…
The Whittaker Report Podcast Episode 7 - An Interview with Tim Cowden: Regional Economic Development
May 26, 2021 • 00:26:14
Tim Cowden, President, and CEO of the Kansas City Area Development Council share with us how he has successfully created a collaborative regional organization that encompasses 18 counties in two states. In addition to a strong team, and engage investors, the KCADC is intentional in its collaboration efforts. This intentionality…
Recent Posts
Yoga for the Body and Mind
The benefits of yoga have made it increasingly popular worldwide. While the practice is ancient, it is still used as a source of exercise and relaxation in our modern world. Yoga is considered a healing process for the body and mind. Yoga for the Body Physical health...
The Last Tourist
This month, I watched the documentary, The Last Tourist, on Hulu. The film offers a look into the global tourism industry, especially in developing countries, and the positive and negative effects it can have on a host community. One of the statistics presented in the...
Lessons from the Dirt
Well, more accurately, lessons from the dirt in my garden. The soil is the foundation of the garden, containing both the nutrition the plants need and the moisture to move the nutrition from the soil up through the roots and out the leaves where carbon dioxide is...
Trends in the Pet Industry
Pets probably thought they hit the jackpot when the pandemic hit. The hours pets spent alone while owners were away at work or school were now filled with activity having their humans home during the day. It also seemed that many people I know adopted a furry friend...
Lessons from the World of Politics
What is politics and why should I care? For me, it all started a few weeks ago when I became interested in supporting a tax referendum. On August 2, Holland residents will vote on a millage for Holland City Fiber to install city-wide fiber optic infrastructure for the...
The New World of Recruiting Talent
We hear repeatedly that attracting and retaining talent is a major issue for economic development organizations today. Often, the HR department is looked to as being the responsible entity for carrying out this task. However, it is more of a marketing assignment to...
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Latest
My Travel Photography
Every year, I spend the month of September out West. The ability to work remotely has been a huge blessing (when the wi-fi is good!) that allows me to keep up with my tasks while adventuring to both new and well-loved places. I spend my time kayaking, hiking, and...
The Rent-Driven Economy
We now rent almost everything. Our entertainment is streamed to us (for a fee). We no longer own our music on CD but, for a fee, Spotify or Apple will stream it to us. The software on our computers is rented from Microsoft or Google, and we pay for the use of it...
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