My guest today is Ilana Preuss, founder of Recast City, LLC which she’s led for 10 years.

To date, Ilana has worked with 60 communities throughout the United States.

Her commitment is to apply her expertise in smart growth, community reinvestment, real estate analysis, and stakeholder engagement to create more opportunity for more people in more places and to create strong, inclusive, and resilient economies.

Her core beliefs navigate this approach.

Ilana is the author of 2021’s, Recast-Your-City: How to Save your downtown with Small Scale Manufacturing

Today’s subject: how we build stronger communities through small scale manufacturing.  

Those of us involved in redevelopment of downtown property and/or economic development generally should pay keen attention to today’s conversation.

Also mentioned in our conversation was the work of author Rachel Slade

And in The Jazz Room…

In Part 2 Arturo O'Farrell expands his thoughts to discuss the ”Still, Small Voice” that we, as a people, share and the non-profit organization he formed to benefit out-of-work performers of all genres during the Covid 19 quarantine. 

Learn more about Arturo.

This latest Innova802 episode had the crew of Scott Graves, Ryan Munn and Will Jeffries exploring different sides of the question, 'Who owns this?'

We explored the issue surrounding last spring's decision by Spotify to set limits on how they pay royalties to artists, something Scott takes issue with since his days in the industry.  This affects all creatives utilizing Spotify as a platform, including many local Vermonters and other rural artists.

Will and Ryan offer a look at two Vermont-centric areas to take more advantage of.  One is to apply the principles of employee ownership to more entrepreneurial pursuits such as they are in Vermont.

Ryan takes us into the world of captive insurance.  This risk specialty marketplace is a true emphasis of Vermont's economy and a unique opportunity according to Ryan to expand upon as a strength of ours.

Three ways to ask, 'Who Owns This?' are up next in our Innova802 series on rural tech with a Vermont perspective.

Thanks to show sponsor Black River Innovation Campus for hosting our episode session.

Up End This is a custom modular housing solution, a startup located in Johnson, VT.  It’s founder Michael Zebrowski is the kind of entrepreneur that everyone can both connect with and look up to.  He and his family have weathered the recent floods and the more daily mundane challenges inherent in owning your own business.  

Learn More from Up End This

They are looking to grow with a smart strategy and an eye towards the future of de-centralized housing solutions. 

We spoke about how decisions made on materials and design can offer solutions to the challenges of building in our current environment.  We discussed the challenge of contemporary vs. traditional vernacular in the marketplace and a whole lot more that folks in the trades and consumers alike can find connection to.

We begin our episode with an interview co-host Scott M. Graves held with Vermont State Rep. Monique Priestley (D-Bradford) regarding the latest on the bill she is co-sponsoring.  VT. House Bill 121 was vetoed by Gov. Phil Scott at the end of the 2024 legislative session and upheld by the Vermont Senate.

We offer our listeners the latest on the future of the bill from Monique, who used the opportunity to engage our audience with information via her new web presence Let'sDoPolicy.com.  

Many citizens and small business leaders are not informed on the importance of data privacy rights to their lives and businesses.  Further, many people do not have a comprehensive understanding for what's at stake and exactly how their information is used and potentially abused every day.

We offer our listeners some definition around the issue and perspective from both the voters, small business professionals and  technology companies.

Since 1975, Tom Fox has been at the forefront of urban park and waterfront development primarily in New York City.

His creative thinking, commitment to community engagement and coalition building, use of unique funding mechanisms, and knowledge of government and the media have resulted in revitalized waterfronts and waterways, new parks, greenways and community gardens that have made the city a more desirable and sustainable place to live, work, and visit.

A working class kid from Brooklyn, Tom’s work has required a lot of creativity when it comes to financial planning.  It’s required knowledge of government, media and it’s also required an ever-refined sense for relationships and how to keep things moving.

Tom’s also been resilient.  He’s seen the development of the Hudson River Park from the outset and he knows how to win, lose and just keep going. On top of also being a successful entrepreneur.

Tom is the author of ‘Creating the Hudson River Park: Environmental and Community Activism, Politics, and Greed and it’s the story he tells us here that’s why Tom is joining us today.

... In The Jazz Room  We met Pianist, Composer Arturo O‘Farrill after his set at the Newport Jazz Festival. We talked about his Grammy winning album “Four Questions”. In part 1 we talk about the influence of Dr. Cornell West and the ”Four Questions” as the inspiration for his album. Learn more about Arturo at https://www.auturoofarrill.com.

Erica Von Kleist is performing artist, educator, businesswoman, colorful commentator on any number of the more ridiculous intersections between art and modern life and wouldn’t you know, she plays the saxophone to top it all off and we have to acknowledge,  just had the premiere of three new arrangements at no less than Carnegie Hall. 

Find Erica on the Web

I’ve admired her work for many years now and thought about asking for an interview for the AWHY podcast, it was the commentary of many of our peers in and out of music to a social media post by a third party some months ago that finally brought us here. 

It seems that within music education circles, art is certainly imitating life.  With one comment by a young-ish undergrad regarding the behavior of collegiate faculty in music departments that we got a whole lot of ‘Boomer’ and ‘kids these days’ type of repartee.  

So what gives when we’re all just trying to get along? Wouldn’t we be more useful to each other by crossing the threshold of generational divides?  I thought that was what Jazz was all about anyways, we’re hoping Erica can set us straight.

And in the Jazz Room… We had a fun interview with Grammy nominated, singer/composer Claudia Acuna at the Newport Jazz Festival. She talks about the inspirations for her songs. You’ll hear cuts from her albums “Duo” and ”Turning Pages”  . Learn more at www.claudiaacuna.com

“Rural communities do not exist solely to be extracted from.  They are also generative, they can host tech, sic (the example from) our radically Rural biotech (program) is to not just bring (biotech) to but grow from the people and places we already have.”

Julianna Dodson, Director of Radically Rural and Deputy Director for the Hannah Grimes Center for Entrepreneurship spoke with us regarding the well documented need and regenerative benefit of our relationships in order for community development, the kind that is lasting and has a net positive effect, to develop.  It was clear from our conversation Julianna has a deep commitment to her work and that of countless others bringing people together for business and social benefit in her community of Keene, NH.  For those of us building local economies through tech or creative class industries, building a socially cohesive environment is essential for realizing a desirable city to live in.   

Engage with the Radically Rural Summit in September 2024 

Listeners, what’s your experience in bringing tech to your communities and how has it affected the social fabric of your community? We want to hear from you. 

...And in the The Jazz Room: We met with singer/composer/arranger Jazzmeia Horn at the Newport Jazz Festival. We talked about her CD “Dear Love” and her big band, ”Noble Force”.  Learn more about her work by clicking here.

"I DON’T THINK THE ‘MONTANA MIRACLE’ IS A ONE-TIME FLUKE. I THINK IT CAN REPRESENT A NEW PARADIGM OF POLITICS IN MONTANA, WHERE THE LEFT AND RIGHT JOIN TOGETHER IN COMMON BELIEF THAT MONTANANS MUST BE FREE TO BUILD, INNOVATE, AND PROGRESS IN ORDER TO OVERCOME THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES FACING OUR STATE."

So we opened our Season Nine here at the ‘Are We Here Yet?’ podcast with this quote from Kendall Cotton.   He is Executive Director of the Frontier Institute. We met earlier this year after Kendall was interviewed by the New York Times.  What caught my attention and compelled me to reach out to him was his thoughts on the housing crisis. 

In our discussion we focused much time on how the current housing  market is affecting Big Sky Country and especially on the solutions this rural state has brought to the table including re-thinking zoning and passing Montana House bill 819 which offers developers funding in order they may pass savings on to the future homeowner. 

Additionally, Kendall and I spoke regarding other initiatives important to the institute and to Montana’s 21st century economy including #artificial intelligence, #dataprivacy and the government and how these sectors affect each other in the rural places we call home. 

The similarities with our other rural states abound.  The bipartisanship baked into the efforts of the Frontier Institute are an example to others working on substantive solutions to our rural development challenges.  

You’ll find Kendall on twitter @Cotton_MT

And in The Jazz Room…

We enjoyed our conversation with singer, Christie Dasheil. She talks about her CD “Journey in Black” and what it was like growing up in a musical family. 

Learn more about Christie by clicking here

Many rural regions of the US appear to be at the vanguard of a de-centralization of venture capital.  Specifically, we are seeing a gradual increase in interest on the part of those controlling venture capital streams to ensure we go beyond Boston, New York, San Francisco and Austin. 

So can Venture Capital ignite rural economies?  What other critical mass changes are necessary to realize resilient rural economies capable of creating well-paying and meaningful jobs in innovation?  This is the focus of our conversation. 

Our guest and is Lauren Bass, Executive Director of LaunchVT in Burlington, VT.  LaunchVT is a project of the Lake Champlain Chamber and Lauren is a seasoned and cosmopolitan entrepreneur with experience in multiple innovation sectors. 

And in The Jazz Room…We met with many artists at the Pittsburgh International Jazz Festival. We talked with saxophonist, Chelsea Baratz and her dog King. She talks about growing up in Pittsburgh and the musicians and teachers who encouraged her, and, her CD “In Faith” Find Chelsea on the Web here. 

We had the distinct Pleasure to speak with Daniel Parkins with a rather broad question to answer: What does the way we assign value to commerce, global policy, culture and just about everything else in our community tell us about our society.  Does it reflect our weaknesses or our strengths? What does it say about the health of our communities, about the health of our inner self? In an era where most of us question globalization, where students are questioning our values while taking to the streets in protest, just what are we getting right and what are we getting wrong?  That’s next here on the Are We Here Yet? Podcast. 

Daniel Parkins is founder of Community Wealth Development LLC (CWD), a grassroots consulting firm, dedicated to generating local community ownership over economic initiatives and social programs intended to generate wealth in their community. Through expanding access to justice and creating new economic opportunity for local residents, CWD is committed to building strategic partnerships that foster strength through diversity and that are formed for the sake of equity building within communities and for the benefit of communities.  He helps businesses and local civic leaders work with communities to transform conflicts, launch impact initiatives, and achieve sustainable growth.  Daniel and I spoke with on the subject of Peace in episode 135 of this podcast. 

And In the Jazz Room…

We met pianist/composer, Orrin Evans at the Pittsburgh International Jazz Festival.

In part two we talk about the origins of a couple of songs featured on his CD and learn about the musicians who are on this CD with him. Find more on Orrin Evans right here.