Research Uncensored

Get ready for another episode of Research Uncensored, where hosts Bruce Takefman and Amber Hunter sit down with Greg Wassmansdorf, Senior Managing Director of Global Strategy Consulting at Newmark and one of the world's leading site selection consultants. Together they explore how tariffs, geopolitical uncertainty, and shifting global supply chains are reshaping corporate location decisions a...

Get ready for a new episode of Research Uncensored, where hosts Bruce Takefman and Amber Hunter sit down with Nathan Ohle, President & CEO of the International Economic Development Council. They discuss IEDC’s 100 year milestone and how the organization continues to shape the future of economic development, moving beyond deal making to build stronger, more connected communities. The episode al...

Get ready for episode two of the new season of Research Uncensored , where hosts Bruce Takefman and Amber Hunter sit down with Jason J. Giulietti, President & CEO of Central SC Alliance.  Together they explore the growing importance of regional collaboration, the realities of building high-performing teams, and how data-driven strategies are shaping more effective lead generation and investmen...

Get ready for the first episode of the new season of Research Uncensored , where hosts Bruce Takefman and Amber Hunter sit down with Didi Caldwell, CEO of Global Location Strategies aka "The Factory Whisperer". Together, they explore how shifting trade dynamics, deglobalization, and energy constraints are reshaping corporate investment and site selection decisions around the world. Didi...

Get ready for an inspiring episode of "Research Uncensored" featuring Len Magyar and Sean Dyke from Southwestern Ontario Marketing Alliance (SOMA).  They'll take you behind the scenes of winning big deals and revolutionizing the automotive industry in Southwestern Ontario. Len and Sean will share their winning strategies, personal experiences, and valuable insights into handling lar...

In this episode, we are thrilled to welcome Samantha Pinkal and Casey Gilchrist from the Greater Phoenix Economic Council to share their expertise in the realm of location marketing and business recruitment. As seasoned professionals, they will be revealing valuable tips and tricks for marketing a location, attracting businesses, and becoming the best business recruitment specialist.  Don't m...

On this episode of "Research Uncensored," CEO of Southwest Michigan First, Jonas Peterson, joins us to discuss his accelerated career as well as the future of leadership in economic development. We'll be focusing on career development, exploring the importance of mentorship in developing effective leaders, and discussing the rise of economic development as a career-choice.  Join us...

We are excited to kick off our fourth season of Research Uncensored with our good friend Matt Tackett. Matt is the President of the Southern Economic Development Council (SEDC), one of the largest professional associations for economic developers in North America, which covers 17 states and includes over 1,000 members. In this episode, Matt will be sharing his insights on what SEDC is prioritizing...

For this episode of Research Uncensored, we welcome BRF Shreveport's own Ryan Culp. Ryan provides insight into his organization's best practices and how BRF positions itself to successfully support investment in the region. He also talks about his own career trajectory, sharing details about his transition from the private sector, where he previously worked for an outdoor sporting goods...

For this episode of Research Uncensored, we welcome Invest West Midlands' own Tracey Davenport and Anil Vaidya to talk about their work in promoting investment in the British West Midlands and their efforts to establish the region as a Life Sciences and innovation hub. We will also hear about their investment promotion work in North America and how that has tied into the upcoming Commonwealth...

In this episode, we are joined by Chris Chen, Head of Investment Promotion – Canada for Invest Hong Kong. Chris shares his experience of transitioning from the fintech industry to the public sector. We also discuss how Invest HK transformed its investment promotion programs during the pandemic and leveraged digital technologies to reach investors.  Tune in for a great conversation!

In this episode, we are joined by Gina Bento, Managing Director, Bento Consulting. Gina shares with us some of her extensive experience in investment and trade promotion, including her role in establishing SelectUSA, the highest-profile FDI event in the United States. Before setting up her own consulting practice, Gina worked for the US Commercial Service in Montreal, where she was responsible for...

 In this episode, we speak with Chris Steele, Principal of Economic Development at EBP-US, a Boston-based economic research firm that conducts cutting-edge economic analysis for regional development. We delve into Chris's extensive background as a site selector and discuss the role incentives play in economic development beyond business recruitment.

In this episode, we are joined by Shannon Landauer, the President & CEO of the Iowa Lakes Corridor Development Corporation, a rural economic development organization serving 4 counties in Iowa.  We delve into Shannon’s extensive experience in economic development, her advice to young professionals trying to break into the industry as well as the key role rural economic development professional...

In this episode, we are joined by Nathan Ohle, the new President & CEO of the International Economic Development Council (IEDC), the largest non-profit membership organization serving economic developers.  Nathan is an internationally recognized economic development expert with more than 17 years of experience leading public, private, and nonprofit organizations. Nathan discusses his career an...

This episode we are joined with seasoned economic development professional Barry Broome, President & CEO of the Greater Sacramento Economic Council. Barry is responsible for leading community-driven efforts to attract, grow and scale new businesses; develop advanced industries and guide new job-creation strategies throughout the six-county region. In his role, he has established the first publ...

This episode we are joined by our UAE in-market representative, Abdullah Jasem, Founder & CEO of Dubai-based Emirates Trade & Investment (ETI). We cover our partnership and Abdullah's experience as a diplomat before committing to a career in consulting. In addition, we cover ResearchFDI's upcoming mission to Dubai at the 2022 Annual Investment Meeting (AIM) and hear Abdullah&apos...

This episode we are joined with seasoned economic development professional Danielle Casey, President of the Albuquerque Regional Economic Alliance in New Mexico. We discuss Danielle's career and prominent roles in Scottsdale and Sacramento and what led her to New Mexico. We also get Danielle's insight on how to manage site selector relationships, the role of professional branding and her...

This week we are joined by David Leezer, Vice President of Business Attraction at the Wichita Falls Chamber of Commerce in Texas. We delve into David's expertise on using social media as a tool to attract investment and promote a region's brand, as well as his thoughts on the future of remote work and how region's can strategically tackle this new hybrid market and what it means for...

Starting off 2022 with a simulcast with our good friends at the Next Move Group! This episode has quite a few fun surprises to announce for both firms! In addition, the group reflects on the previous year and chats about trends they expect to see in 2022. This is an episode you don't want to miss! 

This week we are joined by Emily J Smith,  Global Business Attraction Manager for American Electric Power.  We chat with Emily to understand the key differences working in economic development for a state vs. a utility. We explore the benefits and obstacles of pitching over 10 regions compared to just one and take a deep dive to understand how one even begins to tackle developing the content and v...

This week we are joined by Mark Adams, Senior Business Development Representative with Oakland County, Michigan. Mark assists firms with site location, incentives and financing.  We connected with Mark to learn more about the strategies that the state of Michigan and Oakland County utilize in order to attract FDI and his professional advice on how to build a strong pipeline of prospects.

This week we are joined by Scott Bryan, Founder and Managing Director of Attract Investment Consulting (AIC). Scott shares with us his behind the scenes stories as a consultant and entrepreneur in the economic development industry. We then dive into his expert opinion on how regions can develop strong competitive advantages and recommendations on where they should invest their time to grow their e...

This week we are joined by Jennifer Wakefield, CEO of the Greater Richmond Partnership of Richmond, Virginia.  We delve into Jennifer's extensive background in marketing and discuss the key role marketing plays in economic development beyond business recruitment and how to implement DEI principles into your content. 

This week we are pleased to be joined by Paige Webster, a prominent site selector and  Founder of Webster Global Site Selectors. We chat with Paige to get his insight and expertise on a multitude of timely topics, such as the future of workforce attraction, the ingenuity of offset paybacks, sectors that prevailed during the pandemic and his personal advice on how economic developers should navigat...