Develop This: Economic and Community Development

Mike Row grew up with a strong work ethic and that has served him well as the President & CEO of Eastern Indiana Works.

Before joining Eastern Indiana Works, however, Mike served as COO of EDGE Manufacturing.  EDGE was creative in solving some workforce challenges by hiring and training ex-offenders.  The company's mission was one based upon both Christian faith and a desire to help these ex-felons transition to mainstream society.  The company's retention rate held steady at 73%.

Today, Mike takes what he learned in private enterprise and supports the workforce development board in Eastern Indiana.

Eastern Indiana Works

In this episode, Jason continues with the series on regional economic development strategies.

Doug Erwin, Senior Vice President with the Economic Development Authority of Western Nevada (EDAWN) is back to share the ways in which multiple entrepreneurial support groups work together to avoid turf wars yet also eliminate service duplication in the Reno, NV area.

You will hear some unique strategies, and get this- EDAWN even carves out a portion of its own budget to support other non-profit organizations.

There is no shortage of worthy causes in your community.  What happens if the results from your fundraising feasibility study indicate donor fatigue?

Economic development pledge campaigns are very important to communities, but there is always strong competition for for the investor dollar.

In this episode, Dennis and Jason discuss five tips for overcoming donor fatigue and maximizing the dollars available for your plan of work.

Ann Fishman is on the forefront of understanding the six different generations alive today.  Her work in the US Senate and as founder of Generational Targeted Marketing has provided generational guidance to some of the nation's largest and most successful companies.

Is it rude for a millennial for pull out a phone during a meeting?  What if a baby boomer keeps repeating themselves in the same meeting?

In this episode, Dennis interviews Ann gets to learn how we can understand these generational differences and both respect and value the strengths each generation offers.

Ann Fishman's Official Site

Books:
Marketing to the Millennial Woman, Ann Fishman

Measuring the results from your workforce programming strategies can be tough.  Most of wants want real, tangible results, and yet few communities are winning the war for talent.

Consider this: do your workforce strategies have the right optics?  Are you celebrating small wins in ways to motivate and inspire others?  Think about how your program would look on Instagram because optics matter.

In this episode, Jason shares his frustration with lackluster workforce programming and the transformation that has been taking place to improve results.

As economic development professionals, our work never ends.  When the job is never complete, it can be difficult to know if you are maximizing your time.

In this episode, Dennis explores the topic of being effective instead of just busy.

How much can an economic development group really impact the entrepreneurial culture of a community?  Quite a bit if you are Doug Erwin, Senior Vice Present of Entrepreneurial Development at EDAWN, the economic development authority based in Reno, NV.

Doug, a serial entrepreneur himself, has built a department with core values focused on putting the success of the start-up as the number one priority- even if that means losing the company from the community altogether.

In this episode, Jason does a deep dive with Doug on program design, assembling a robust mentoring team, and building a thriving ecosystem for start-ups.

Quotable moment: "Be paranoid over whether or not you are relevant"

http://www.renostartupdeck.com

Mentioned Books:

Startup Communities: Building an Entrepreneurial Ecosystem in Your City by Brad Fields

The Rainforest: The Secret to Building the Next Silicon Valley by Greg Horowitt and Victor Hwang

Let's face it, if we work with people, there are bound to be conflicts.  While each conflict is a bit different, there are some guiding principles that can help navigate these tough situations.

In this episode, Dennis and Jason offer some words of wisdom and best practices for dealing with conflict in the office.

Many projects in the economic development business must be done with a high level of confidentiality until they become public.  Regardless of your organization's structure, there are likely volunteers that serve either on a board or advisory committee that have access to information about ongoing projects.

Confidentiality agreements are a best practice to ensure volunteers and staff understand the organization's policies around using or sharing sensitive information.

In this episode, Dennis and Jason discuss the challenges of confidentiality agreements including the penalty for breaching the agreement.

Trade shows can be a great venue to learn more about a particular industry and identify those companies best poised for growth.  However, working a trade show floor can be like looking for a needle in a haystack unless you come with a solid game plan.

In this episode, Dennis and Jason discuss their experiences working trade shows and offer tips for making the best use of your time.  Don't just show up with business cards and expect to land a new company.  Do your homework ahead of time.