Moving the Needle

Historically there are so many communities that have done a poor job or economic development and inclusive competitiveness, but we're talking about the communities that are getting it right.  Plus, what specifically is in the International Economic Development Council's Equitable Economic Playbook ? Nathan Ohle is the President and CEO of the International Economic Development Council - a nonprofi...

President Biden has appointed today's guest Alejandra Castillo to head the Economic Development Administration , leading the federal economic development agenda by promoting innovation and competitiveness, preparing American regions for growth and success in the worldwide economy. For Assistant Secretary Castillo, having grown up in New York City and then the Dominican Republic, and as the daughte...

Today's guest is Darrin Redus, CEO of the Cincinnati Minority Business Accelerator within the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber of Commerce. The Accelerator has recently launched a $100 million transformational equity capital fund to fuel the creation of larger scale minority owned businesses, and Darrin is here to give us all of the details of what that means and the impact it will have in addressi...

Rodney Williams saw it firsthand. His mom would get paid on Monday, and the bill would be due on Thursday. With getting to the bank, having the check clear, and having access in her account, sometimes that meant the check would bounce. And the lights would turn off. And the food in the refrigerator would go bad. And there would be a shut off fee PLUS a turn on fee PLUS a bounced check fee.  So bei...

Christopher Gergen and Johnathan Holifield come from completely different backgrounds. One was born into power and privilege in a political family in DC. One grew up in blue collar Detroit where you had to work hard to survive.  Through their careers and personal growth, they've ended up with the same goals - to raise awareness that we're not all on an equal playing field - and ultimately move the...

Today we're sharing an episode of a podcast that shares our mission to move the needle - Inside Impact with Alisa Herr. Christopher Gergen 's first entrepreneurial venture—a coffee shop bar in Santiago, Chile—was impactful, but more impactful was the man who walked in and introduced himself as a "cultural entrepreneur." In this episode, hear how that first project inspired him to support founders...

When you’re running a small business, you’ll take all the resources you can get, especially access to capital. But many founders have no idea where to begin to look for funding and wouldn’t even think to look at the federal government. But America’s Seed Fund , the small business innovation research program, now distributes over $4 BILLION a year to over 4000 small businesses across the United Sta...

As we talk about the racial wealth gap it’s critical to highlight the importance of owning assets.  At the end of 2020, 44% of Black Americans owned their homes, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, compared with almost 75% of White Americans. That’s an unconscionable difference.  One of the ways to build generational wealth is through owning assets like land, a home, or even retail property.  Tod...

Tracy Palandjian is moving the needle. She's the CEO of Social Finance , a national impact finance and advisory nonprofit that has mobilized $350 million in new investments designed to help 45,000 people realize improved outcomes in education, economic mobility, health, and housing. Earlier this year, Social Finance partnered with Google on $100M innovative investment program that will upskill and...

Median Black wealth is 12 times less than median White wealth, and it is estimated that median Black wealth by 2053 will be zero . Our guest today is Aaron Walker, CEO of Camelback Ventures based in New Orleans.  Camelback’s mission is to increase access to opportunity for entrepreneurs of color and women by investing in their ventures and leadership while advocating for fairness in their funding....

On the first episode of Moving the Needle, we are thrilled to bring you Harold Martin, the esteemed Chancellor of North Carolina A&T State University . One of the greatest opportunities to improve economic mobility and generate wealth is quality education.  Today, we talk about why Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in general - and NC A&T specifically - are national asse...

Welcome to Moving the Needle, a fresh new podcast that explores how innovators and problem solvers are doing transformative work in cities and rural communities to create new pathways for generational wealth creation. Our goal is to lift up solutions that are giving us hope and light the way for policy makers, community leaders, philanthropists, private investors, and engaged citizens who care abo...