Whittaker Report
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AI in Economic Development – Issue 21.0
Event Planning Have you ever planned an event? There’s so much to consider—date, time, venue, guests, theme, budget, committees, set up, clean up, and follow up. That was exactly my challenge when I came up with the idea for a neighborhood dog show. After moving into...
Recent Podcasts
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.
The Whittaker Report Podcast Episode 21 - An Interview with Alia Abbas, Founder and President of Alia Consulting
May 20, 2023 • 01:13:15
In Episode 21, Alia Abbas shares with us her experience as a first-time attendee at the Select USA Conference, an investment summit in Washington DC annually. It provides an opportunity for economic development organization to meet with potential international investors considering establishing business operations in the United States. Alia Abbas…
Recent Posts
AI in Economic Development – Issue 17.0
AI in Site Selection: Lessons from the Field Earlier this year, I was asked to conduct a site search for a Chicago-based food processing company considering expansion into Indiana. As an experiment, I began the search using ChatGPT to identify available...
Carbon Monoxide: The Silent Killer
Over the years, I’ve read many accounts in the news about people affected by carbon monoxide poisoning. Just last month, a former New York Yankees player’s teenage son died from carbon monoxide poisoning while on vacation in Costa Rica, as well as three American women...
Lessons Learned from Valparaiso University’s Economic Development Pilot Project
At Whittaker Associates, Inc., we are wrapping up an engaging nine-month pilot project in collaboration with Valparaiso University, supported by a National Science Foundation grant. The goal was straightforward yet ambitious: demonstrate how academic resources and...
InnovateAI
Artificial Intelligence is rapidly reshaping the economic landscape, creating new opportunities for communities ready to embrace innovation. For our community to thrive economically, integrating AI into local businesses, government operations, educational...
When AI Becomes Smarter Than We Are
What do you do when you realize the chatbot you’ve been using might be smarter than you? That moment hit me today while using Grok3. I asked it to write an article for The Whittaker Report—covering its own development, the Memphis data center where it lives, its...
AI in Economic Development – Issue 15.0
Below is an article written for The Whittaker Report about Grok and Grok 3, including details about the Memphis data center where Grok3 lives, its development history, and its water and power consumption. As an experiment, this story was written by Grok3 and Prompted...
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The Last Time
My intention in writing this article is for it not to be a lament but to be a reminder to me, and perhaps to you. I recently came across two simple yet profound truths: everything that has a beginning must also have an ending, and the only constant in life is change....
AI in Economic Development – Issue 20.0
Site Location Trends in the World of AI: 2025 The following is a Perplexity generated report on the AI site selection trends in 2025. It is worth looking at to see where things are headed and how these trends will impact how you go about presenting your location to...
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