Inside America's Best Cities, An Economic Development Podcast

In this episode, we hear from Stephane Frijia, President & CEO of the Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership , about creating more housing to meet the needs of locals at all income levels and life stages.  Resources Mentioned: Addressing Workforce Housing Needs in Northeast Indiana At Livability, we highlight the unsung awesomeness of small and mid-sized cities across the country. We also partner...

Plural founder & CEO Damola Ogundipe joins us to chat about the unique power of chambers to influence and shape legislative priorities.  At Livability, we highlight the unsung awesomeness of small and mid-sized cities across the country. We also partner with communities to reach their target companies and potential residents through digital content and print magazine programs. Be sure to subscribe...

The Ames Chamber wants to showcase what makes Ames an A+ community. Learn how they're meeting their goals by partnering with Livability to tell talent everywhere about one of America's best mid-sized cities. We also cover other successful talent and workforce efforts happening in Ames.  Resources Mentioned: Ames Magazine  What Best Places to Live Will Look Like in the Future, with Chris Fair  Upsk...

Each season, we hear from a community who recently won a significant project, and how they did it. On this Pick Me! Episode, Kenny McDonald, President & CEO, Columbus Partnership , joins us to talk about landing the biggest investment in Ohio state history: Intel's $20 billion project in Licking County . At Livability, we highlight the unsung awesomeness of small and mid-sized cities across the co...

DCI 's Patience Fairbrother joins us with insights for your talent strategies and the high points of DCI's annual Talent Wars job and location research, including implications for small and mid-sized cities and local upskilling programs.  Be sure to subscribe so you're alerted when we release new episodes. Resources Mentioned: Relocation Research from Livability Talent Recruitment vs Upskilling: W...

Brooke Randels of Campus Tulsa joins us on this episode with insight on retaining college students in your community. She also shares about the knowledge you can glean from the upcoming Young, Smart & Local talent conference in New Orleans and chats about the future of higher education, plus what Gen Z is getting right. Be sure to subscribe so you're alerted when we release new episodes. You can a...

In this episode, Chris Fair, futurist as well as founder and CEO of Resonance , discusses what will make the cities of the future good places to live and what to be thinking about now to be a talent magnet in the coming decades.  Be sure to subscribe so you're alerted when we release new episodes. Resources Mentioned: Why a Prosperous City is Both Livable and Lovable Resonance's 2023 America's Bes...

Kaleigh Cox, of DxTEL and Fiber Homes , joins us for our first episode of Season 3 on how fiber internet can help you meet your talent and business attraction goals. She also talks about resources for bringing fiber to your area and tapping your local real estate agents to support your strategy.   Be sure to subscribe so you're alerted when we release new episodes. Resources Mentioned: Livability...

In this special bonus episode, Mike Christenson of Applied Geographic Solutions shares how the right data can have a big impact on your efforts to draw talent and businesses, and how the barriers to getting good data are not as high as you might think.  This is the last episode of our second season, but we'll be back soon with Season 3. Be sure to subscribe so you're alerted when we release our ne...

Each season, we'll hear from a community who recently won a significant project, and how they did it. On this Pick Me! Episode, Chassen Haynes, Senior Director of Business Development for the State of Tennessee , joins us to talk about landing the biggest investment in Tennessee history: Ford's $5.6 billion BlueOval project creating BlueOval City .

In this episode, we sit down with Adam Knapp, President & CEO of the Baton Rouge Area Chamber to   talk about Baton Rouge's comprehensive talent strategies, and how this community is upskilling high schoolers, college students and adults. Not only are they matching the right people to the right jobs, they're also closing opportunity gaps and promoting their area along the way.

In this episode, Nathan Ohle, President & CEO, International Economic Development Council , looks back on his first year leading our industry's premier professional association. He also talks about the future of IEDC and the profession, especially recruiting students to our industry, IEDC's Economic Recovery Corps and much more.

Places with a large nearby military presence know that can really shape the fabric of your community. But are you maximizing that impact when it comes to your talent strategies? And how do you keep transitioning military folks in your region? In this episode, April Bragg of the Robins Regional Chamber in Warner Robins, Georgia, talks about engaging with nearby Robins Air Force Base and how these r...

Have you been charged with marketing your community? Get place marketing insights from Development Counsellors International . In this episode, you'll learn about where to start and who to partner with in your community, plus more to help you go from launching a place marketing strategy to an established place brand that appeals to talent, business and visitors alike.

Looking to boost your community's pool of workers in fields like health care, tech or manufacturing? You're in the right place – our two-part series on upskilling. In our second installment, the Ames Chamber joins us with expert insight on how to design workforce programs, with case studies on their See Yourself in Ames intern retention initiative and the Story County Retraining Program upskilling...

Looking to boost your community's pool of workers in fields like health care, tech or manufacturing? You're in the right place – our two-part series on upskilling. In our first installment, Merit America joins us with expert insight on boosting your pool of tech workers, closing opportunity gaps in your area and tips for building an effective workforce infrastructure.

Economic developers are always taking on a host of new challenges, but what, if anything, has changed when it comes to winning projects that bring new businesses to your community? How do you put your best foot forward? In this episode, Lauren Berry , of location analysis and incentives advisory firm Maxis Advisors , joins us to answer these questions and more.

With change happening rapidly and staff burnout at a record high, how do you ensure your chamber or EDO is ready for the future? Sheree Anne Kelly , President & CEO, Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives , joins us with guidance on how you can hit all the right notes when it comes to having the right team in place and equipping your people to meet your mission of making an impact.

Are you struggling to meet housing demands for your community? Too much office or retail space? In this episode, Camoin Associates shares ideas for solving today's common real estate challenges. We also cover how you can get buy-in from the right folks to create change, and how real estate issues might evolve in the coming years.

Each season, we'll hear from a community who recently won a significant project, and how they did it. On this Pick Me! Episode, West Virginia 's Secretary of Economic Development Mitch Carmichael joins us to talk about landing the biggest investment in state history: Nucor Corporation's $2.7 billion project.

How do you embrace newcomers to your community? Helping new folks feel settled, engaged and included can be key to talent retention. In this episode, corporate relocation expert Cindy Nixon of eXp Realty shares her tips for integrating your newbies and getting them cozied up in their new location.

1 in 3 Americans has a criminal record that is probably limiting their participation in your workforce and community. Any arrest, even if it didn't lead to conviction, constitutes a record and lifelong barrier to opportunity, even for those who long ago served their time. Clean Slate Initiative is working to change that with bipartisan policy that automatically clears records for people who stay c...

Every year we at Livability produce an objective, research-based Top 100 Best Places to Live list , sponsored this year by eXp Realty . Madison, Wisconsin takes the honor of the No. 1 spot for the second year in a row. In this episode, two Madison leaders: Jason Fields , President of the Madison Region Economic Partnership , and Zach Brandon , President of the Greater Madison Chamber , share about...

Jamie Wright , Executive Director of the Alliance for Rural Impact , helps navigate the workforce challenges faced by small rural communities. You want companies to be successful in your area, but that requires a labor pool you may not quite have. In this episode, learn how automation can expand the capabilities of your current workforce and support the success of your existing industry.

The pandemic brought to the forefront the struggles working parents face to balance work and family responsibilities. Without high-quality childcare, it's hard to have a high-quality workforce. What can you do to ensure parents in your community have the support they need to succeed alongside your businesses? We'll hear from Naturally Lewis , Lewis County, NY's economic development entity, on thei...