Ever wondered what it takes for a Wind Project to come to life?

Here is your chance to learn about it.

In this episode, we have the pleasure to talk with Hilary Clark, With 20 years of experience in land use and environmental planning, siting and permitting, and stakeholder engagement, she has supported organizations in navigating complex environments.

In this episode she deep dives into:

• Social Licensing - What does it mean?
• How to best communicate with local communities about renewable energy projects?
• How big renewable energy projects brings economic benefits to community
• Wind Project - Lets walk thru what it takes from conception to birth?
• Challenges - bringing solar projects to life?
• Lightning round
  • One renewable energy myth you would like to debunk?
  • Policy: What developers should understand to make sure things go the right way.
  • One piece of advice for future leaders in energy?

    And many nuggets along the way.
    
    

Renay Mehta, VP at the Chino Valley Chamber of Commerce, shares some incredible insights in this episode.

Renay is a community and economic development leader who has a passion for turning big ideas into measurable results for businesses, job seekers, and communities.

In this conversation, we dive into:

• The Chamber's four core workforce development programs and how they came to life
• How the Second Chance program is transforming lives and creating new career opportunities
• How the Chamber is helping local businesses understand and adopt AI through education and training
• Is today's workforce shortage really a talent shortage—or a skills mismatch?
• Has workforce development become more important than tax incentives when it comes to attracting and retaining businesses?
• How students gain real-world work experience before choosing a career path

...and plenty of other valuable insights along the way.

If you're involved in workforce development, economic development, education, or simply curious about the future of work, this is an episode you won't want to miss.

If you are the Local hashtag#Government leader who wants to build their brand on social via video but are unsure how to do it ....
this episode is for YOU 🫵

I had the pleasure to speak with Loreta Tarozaite, who shares her two decades of experience about story telling and brand building via video.

____
👉 In this podcast session, you will learn about:
- Building your personal brand through LinkedIn videos and using video to connect with residents and voters
- The 3M Storytelling Framework for creating compelling videos (own your space, communicate with clarity, energy, and authority, etc.)
- Non-verbal elements of effective visual storytelling (eye contact, body language, hand gestures, etc.)
- How to overcome the fear of being on camera
- Where to find content ideas for your videos
- Common mistakes to avoid when creating videos
- How to feature guests in your videos to increase engagement

and many more ear nuggets along the way.

I had the pleasure to speak with Connie Stopher, CEcD, FDIP, CEO at Southern California Wine Country EDC and absolutely loved the conversation.

In this episode, ya'll will earn from Connie Stopher, CEcD, FDIP about:

- The Economic Development Secret Most Cities Can't Do Alone

- Are U.S. Policies Pushing Global Companies Away?

- What It Really Takes to Land an International Company

- The Data Center Gold Rush: Boom or Bust?

- Why CEOs Care More About Quality of Life Than Tax Incentives

- California: Still the Best Place for Global Business?

- How Regions Compete for Billion-Dollar Investments

If any international companies want to open their branch or relocate in So Cal, this is the episode for you and Connie is the person to connect with.

Lisa Hausz, MBA, PMP® is the Economic Development Program Manager at City of Tempe Economic Development dept. and Parrish Spisz is the Assistant of Vice Mayor and 2nd VP of NLC at City of Tempe

One of the key focus of the City of Tempe's ED departments is to create a supporting and nurturing environment for #Entrepreneurship in the valley via partnerships.

In this #podcast, they talk about:

👉 The four key areas of economic development they focus on:

→ → Investment, development, and redevelopment of city projects

→ → Business retention and expansion, as well as workforce development

Innovation and entrepreneurship support

→ → Policy, procedures, land use, and rezoning initiatives

→ → Marketing, strategic planning, and administrative functions

👉 How partnerships are being used to foster entrepreneurship and support local businesses

👉 The launch of Think Tempe and its role in attracting investment, businesses, and talent

👉 An insightful discussion on a key question:

What part of economic development work is most misunderstood, yet has the greatest impact on a community's success?

and bunch of ear nuggets along the way :-)

Wayne Emerson, EDFP Director of Economic Development is the creative genius behind idea to start Amenity Grant for Addison, Texas.

We had the pleasure to speak and learn from Wayne and Marc Grossfeld, CFA Managing Partner at Sunwest Real Estate Group about their collaboration to improve commercial real estate buildings and sustain/bring more businesses to the town to increase/retain their property tax revenue.

And guess what ... its working wonders

In this #podcast, they talk about:

• What is unique about Addison
  • Population vs. businesses; Commercial Real Estate
• Taxable income being major revenue source for the city
• Amenity Grant program
  • What is it
  • Amount allocated 
  • How do you distribute it and select recipients 
  • Partnership with Sunwest Real Estate Group
• KPIs: Measuring program success?
• Do's and Don'ts for leasing a commercial space - Mistakes to avoid

and bunch of ear nuggets along the way.

Steven Jenkins is the Economic and Community Development Advisor at Idaho Power.

Previously, he served as Economic Development Director at City of Caldwell ID.

In this episode, we dive into:

• Power & data centers: what pre-engineering assessments are and how utilities evaluate projects
• Idaho’s power boom — Meta, Micron, and the wave of large-scale developments
• How Idaho Power evaluates and prioritizes upcoming projects
• Understanding how utility companies actually operate behind the scenes
• What cities can do to prepare sites and involve communities before major projects arrive
• Foreign Trade Zones: what they are and how they can become a competitive advantage for cities
  

A fascinating conversation for city leaders, utilities, economic development teams, and anyone thinking about the future of infrastructure and growth.

In this episode, Dr. Dustin Stambaugh, City Manager at City of Weed, CA shares his perspective on:

• Why we need to get serious about managing our water supply
• Data centers and their cooling demands
• What City Managers should consider before approving data centers in their communities
• What hydrology is — and why it matters more than ever
• Golf courses and water usage (including a surprising insight)
• The Colorado River Compact and its long-term implications
• Navigating difficult decisions in public leadership

…and plenty of insightful nuggets along the way.

Aayush Gupta is the Economic Development Reporter at Dallas Business Journal.

In this interview we talk about:

• Are incentives still driving relocation decisions, or are workforce, infrastructure, and quality of life taking the lead?
• What is Y'all Street? Finance Boom in DFW
• How big is the funding gap between SMBs and large corporations when it comes to incentives and access to capital?
• In business-friendly regions like Texas, how much does community input influence decisions to attract large corporations?
• Cities like Princeton, Celina, Anna, and Melissa are growing fast - what does economic development look like in these smaller, emerging markets?
• DFW's explosive growth - 400 people moving their daily.
• What role are data centers playing in local economic strategies today?
• As a reporter, what do you focus on most—and are there political or economic pressures that shape coverage?
• In today’s economy, who is clearly winning and who is quietly falling behind?
• How is AI affecting the Journalists workflow.

any many more ear nuggets along the way.

Marian Marquez: Sr. VP of Economic Development, Alexandria Economic Development Partnership

In this episode, Marian shares how Alexandria, VA is strategically driving growth and supporting its business ecosystem.

We dive into:

• Key industries shaping Alexandria’s future — Cybersecurity, AI, and more
• How to define and track KPIs — from selection to stakeholder buy-in
• The process behind choosing high-impact projects
• Spotlight on major initiatives like the Virginia Tech Institute for Advanced Computing
• Community-driven development — balancing resident input with strategic priorities
• The role of the “Thinkers & Residents Board” and how it strengthens decision-making
• Supporting early-stage entrepreneurs and fostering innovation
• How to decide which projects are worth rallying behind

This conversation is packed with actionable insights for Economic Development leaders, city officials, and entrepreneurs looking to drive meaningful impact.