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According to the World Wide Web Consortium’s Web Accessibility Initiative (W3C WAI), web accessibility means that “websites, tools, and technologies are designed and developed so that people with disabilities can…perceive, understand, navigate, interact with, and...
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
Becoming an Age-Friendly Community
By Dean Whittaker In this article, I would like to share with you a few thoughts about the why, how, and what of becoming an age-friendly community. First, what does it mean to be age-friendly? Age-friendly means to be sensitive to the needs of people of all ages,...
Subscription Box Services
By Jami Gibson Products and services that offer convenience and time-savings are quickly becoming the norm in today’s fast-paced world. Online and mail-order retail has steadily been taking market share away from brick-and-mortar stores over the past decade, but a...
Hindu Mourning Rituals
By Saurav Rajbhandari Being a Hindu in Nepal, we have a certain set of norms and rituals we are bound to follow by tradition. From birth to marriage and death, we have rituals for different stages of life. Also being a millennial in this day and age with technology...
Financial Institutions and Their Effect on the Economic Growth of Nepal
By Sindhu Bhattarai The Nepali financial system is composed of deposit-taking and contractual saving institutions. The deposit-taking financial institutions include commercial banks, development banks, micro-credit development banks, finance companies, financial...
On Being Mortal
By Dean Whittaker This month's book recommendations include Thomas Friedman's, "Thank You for Being Late,” and Atul Gawande’s, “Being Mortal.” In Friedman's book, we learn that the rate of change is accelerating, driven by technology that has been compounding on...
Staying Relevant in Retail
By Jami Gibson The retail landscape has been changing drastically over the years, and it seems that every week, I see a new article about a retail chain closing stores, declaring bankruptcy, or laying off employees. Just this past week, Michigan saw the bankruptcy and...
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Latest
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...
Lessons from the Garden
As we move into fall, the garden is producing, in abundance, zucchini, tomatoes, beans, and cucumbers, along with squash, watermelon, and pumpkin. I thought the challenge would be finding people willing to accept the surplus produce. Turns out not to be the case. In...
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