Develop This: Economic and Community Development

Denisse Carter - Economic Development Administrator Doña Ana County

Dennis is joined by Denisse Carter - Economic Development Administrator Doña Ana County, a newly minted Certified Economic Developer. Dennis and Denisse discuss the certification process and the benefits of becoming a Certified Economic Developer. 

T The coursework for the CEcD certification program is divided into 2 categories: Core Competency and Elective Competency

You must attend all 4 Core Competency training courses listed below

• Basic Economic Development Course (BEDC)

• Business Retention & Expansion

• Economic Development Credit Analysis

• Real Estate Development & Reuse

You must attend any 2 Elective Competency training courses listed below

• Economic Development Finance Programs

• Economic Development Marketing & Attraction

• Economic Development Strategic Planning

• Entrepreneurial & Small Business Development Strategies

• Foreign Direct Investment & Exporting

• Managing Economic Development Organizations

• Neighborhood Development Strategies

• Technology-Led Economic Development

• Workforce Development Strategies

• Introduction to Entrepreneurship-Led Economic Development or Accelerating Growth Through Entrepreneurship-Led Economic Development

   Attend CEcD Exam Essentials Workshop

4 Submit the CEcD Exam Application & Fee $610

T The CEcD Exam is made up of 3 sections:

Multiple Choice/Short Answer - The questions come directly from the training manuals for the 4 Core Competency courses and 2 Elective Competency courses, which are chosen by the candidate.

Essay - This section requires the candidate to write responses to prompts related to Business Retention & Expansion, Economic Development Credit Analysis, and Real Estate Development & Reuse. The candidate will also need to select 2 additional prompts and respond to those as they see fit.

Oral Interview - The candidate must pass both the Multiple Choice/Short Answer and Essay sections in order to move on to the Oral Interview. In this section, the candidate will be interviewed by a panel of current CEcDs. If the candidate passes this section, then they will be a newly minted CEcD with IEDC!

In this episode, Dennis is joined by Trish Heidenreich, Founder/CEO of EDI Group -Economic Development Initiatives Group. Trish recently underwent a career change. Previously, she was the Director of Economic Development for the Town of Bel Air, MD. and now is a self-employed consultant and founder of the EDI Group.

Trish and Dennis discuss career paths in economic development and finding your road to success. They also dive into Trish's time working in the world of Rock and Roll. 

Dennis is joined by Mignonne Hollis, the executive director of the Arizona Regional Economic Development Foundation and founder of Aerospace Arizona

Dennis and Mignonne discuss the opportunities and challenges of economic development work in rural America and rural Arizona. Just because you live in a rural area does not mean you can't do cool things. Mignonne discusses her work helping create Aerospace Arizona. 

• Mignonne Hollis
• Sierra Vista, Arizona 
• Arizona Regional Economic Development Foundation (AREDF)
• Aerospace Arizona

Dennis is joined by generational expert Mark C. Perna. Dennis and Mark discuss the inherent bias older generations have against younger generations. Mark Perna is the author of Answering Why: Unleashing Passion, Purpose, and Performance in Younger Generations

In this episode, Dennis is joined by Henry Silentman, the program manager at the Shiprock Regional Business Development office in Northwest New Mexico. Dennis and Henry discuss the opportunities and challenges of working in economic development in the Navajo Nation

Finding Your Path in Economic Development

 Dennis is joined by Develop This! contributing correspondents Joi Cuartero Austin CEcd, Senior Program Officer, Economic Vitality with Main Street America, and Sean M. Maguire, AICP CEcD Economic Development and Planning Executive. Together, they discuss finding Your Path in Economic Development.

Economic development is a broad career track. How do you find your niche?

A career in economic development can take you in so many different directions, and many people do not start out to be an economic development professional.

How can you best prepare for the ever-changing landscape of the economic development world?

Is it better to be a generalist or a specialist?

Should you follow your passion?

What are some considerations you would look for in a position?

Dennis is joined by Eloisa Klementich, CEcd, PhD, President and CEO of Invest Atlanta and IEDC board chair. They discuss Eloisa's career path in economic development and her plans and goals for IEDC. 

What does it take to become an Accredited Economic Development Organization? The St. Tammany Corp in Mandeville, LA, recently completed the process. There are over 5,000 economic development organizations, and fewer than 80 have achieved this prestigious designation. 

In this episode, Dennis is joined by Chris Masingill, CEO, and Ashley Llewellyn, Senior Director of Strategic Initiatives with the St. Tammany Corp. They discuss the AEDO process from the organizations perspective. 

Dennis is joined by Jonas Peterson, the CEO of Southwest Michigan First and IEDC's Immediate Past Chair. Jonas also talks about his economic development career journey and his current role as the CEO of Southwest Michigan First, his time as the chair of IEDC, and the growth and future of IEDC. 

Dennis is joined by Mark Perna, who discusses ten habits that can keep us from reaching our full potential. 

Seven Habits of Highly Effective People – Stephen Covey

Be Proactive

Begin With the End in Mind

Put First Things First

Think Win-Win

Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood

Synergize

Sharpen the Saw

What are the habits that keep us from success and achieving our full potential?

1.      Procrastination

a.      Set goals

b.      Prioritize tasks

c.      Start with the most challenging task

d.      Build in some rewards

2.      Perfectionism

a.      Do not let perfect be the enemy of good

b.      Whose standards?

c.      Cannot let go of something

                                                               i.      Missed deadlines

3.      Impulsiveness

a.      Instant reward

                                                               i.      Hooked on the adrenaline and feelings

b.      Shopping

c.      Not considering long-term consequences

4.      Not listening

a.      Two ears, one mouth

b.      Are you really interested in what others have to say or just promoting your opinion?

c.      Listening is an underrated skill

5.      Not Being Able to See the Other Side

a.      There is usually more than one path

b.      The need to be in control

c.      Everyone makes decisions differently

d.      Not thinking Win-Win

6.      Not Being Able to Succinctly Articulate Your Position

a.      Droning on and on

b.      Respectful of people’s time

c.      Learning to effectively communicate

                                                               i.      Volume talkers

7.      Working on the Wrong Things

a.      What is the most important thing you should be working on right now?

b.      Doing only the things you want to do

c.      Confusing busy with effective

8.      Being Easily Distracted

a.      Distractions are everywhere

                                                               i.      Phones

                                                             ii.      Social media

                                                           iii.      Texting

                                                           iv.      Drop-in visits

9.      Failing to Take Risk and Think Big – Or Too Many Risks

a.      Accepting the status quo

b.      Whopper or stretch goals

c.      Having a shiny object to chase

d.      Sometimes, you just have to go to the moon

10.  Lack of Self-care

a.      Unplugging from work

b.      Personal care

                                                               i.      Health

                                                             ii.      Exercise

                                                           iii.      Wellness

c.      Managing stress