Whittaker Report
Blog & Podcast
AI in Economic Development – Issue 4.0
Creating and Implementing an Impactful AI Strategy: Steps for Economic Development Leaders Artificial intelligence has become a crucial driver of innovation, competitiveness, and transformation across sectors. As a result, economic development organizations have a...
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
A Glimpse into the New & Expansion Projects of 2015
By Sharad KC The complete New & Expansion Projects data from Conway Analytics Report is finally here. So, how has 2015 been in terms of new projects & expansion projects? There have been a total of 5521 projects; 2201 new and 3320 expansion projects. In 2015,...
Industry Overview: Food Processing
By Saurav Rajbhandari Food processing in the U.S. has come a long way since the 1900s when trans-fat was first put into the supply chain. Companies started developing products that lasted for longer periods of time and were easy to carry. In the 1940s, products such...
3 things I learned from Sir Alex about Leadership and Management
By Sirish Shrestha Alex Ferguson was born on December 31, 1941, in Glasgow, Scotland. Sir Alex managed Manchester United for 26 glorious years from 1986 to 2013, between which he won 38 trophies, including 13 Premier League titles, five FA Cups and two UEFA Champions...
The Sharing Economy
By Dean Whittaker During a recent trip to Denver, I had the opportunity to explore two services of the sharing economy: Airbnb and Uber. I used Airbnb, a website for people to list, find, and rent lodging, to rent an apartment for two days in downtown Denver two...
Why Economic Development Matters
By Jami Gibson I recently watched the documentary Rich Hill, a 2014 Sundance Film Festival award-winning film that depicts the lives of three teenage boys and their families living in rural Missouri. The town, Rich Hill, was once a thriving coal-mining town in the...
How to build your EQ: 5 TED talks to get you through the work week!
By Sharad KC Emotional intelligence (EQ) describes a person's ability to recognize his or her own and other people's emotions, to understand the powerful effect of these emotions, and to use that information to guide thinking and behavior. This very quality, how we...
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Latest
What is Truth?
Podcasts, for me, are a great way to learn. One of my favorites is called Philosophize This, hosted by Steven West. In his podcast, West tells us the story of thinkers who have tried to make sense out of this crazy world. In a recent episode, he tells us of Karl...
The Truth Machine
One of the books I read recently is titled, The Truth Machine: The Blockchain and the Future of Everything, by Michael J. Casey and Paul Vigna. It is about how blockchain, our shared digital, verifiable ledger page, traces and verifies transactions and, in the...
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