Whittaker Report
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AI in Economic Development – Issue 5.0
The Future of AI: Next-Gen Computing Unleashed Welcome to the Frontier At a buzzing GTC AI developers’ gathering, NVIDIA's chief visionary, Jensen Huang, took the stage to unveil what's next for artificial intelligence (AI). His talk wasn't just a peek into the...
Recent Podcasts
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…
Whittaker Report Podcast Episode 20 - An Interview with Nathan Ohle, President/CEO of the International Economic Development Council
Mar 24, 2023 • 00:30:13
Nathan Ohle has been recently appointed as the President/CEO of the International Economic Development Council (IEDC). Under his leadership, several initiatives are underway, including a comprehensive strategic plan that involves a thorough review of all IEDC membership services. Nathan emphasizes the importance of collaboration in economic development as opposed to…
Recent Posts
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...
The Future of Work
By Dean Whittaker Recently, I had the opportunity to participate in a panel discussion on the Future of Work with John Karras, Senior Consultant at TIP Strategies, which took place at the International Economic Development Council Future Forum held in Buffalo, New...
Core Values as a Competitive Advantage
By Jami Gibson Why do we do what we do? How do our core values influence the way we do business? Successful companies almost always know the answers to these questions. When we base our products and services on our company’s values, we gain a competitive advantage...
The Retail Debacle: Will There be a Resurgence?
By Ayush Pant Two-thousand-eighteen is the year where Brooks Brothers, the first retail store of America will celebrate its 200th anniversary. Early nineteenth century developed and commercialized the concept of retail stores, and since then market dominance had been...
Help Wanted: People – Talent Attraction and Retention
By Dean Whittaker Traditionally, economic development has been about jobs and investment through the expansion of existing firms and the attraction of new ones. The task is now expanding to include recruiting people to fill those jobs. Most workforce development...
Getting the Most From Your Meetings
By Jami Gibson How can one make meetings effective and enjoyable? Too often, meetings produce a feeling of dread whether it’s due to feeling unprepared or worrying that it will drag on, putting a time crunch on the work day. To someone who would rather be “doing” than...
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October Learning
October was a fascinating month with several new initiatives underway. We began working with our first agile business development client using a process called Kanban. The intention is to accelerate the business development process significantly by using a Kanban...
Digital Nomad
Last month, I was on my way back from my trip out West when I made a detour to Jackson, Wyoming. The weather and scenery were too beautiful to leave, especially when faced with the thought of returning to cooling temperatures in Michigan, so what was supposed to be a...
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