Life Style Business

Today we're excited to welcome to the show, Newark member, Ed Carey, Founder and CEO of https://lp.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=b857b915a27654fe95e2ecb7d&id=00d148a799&e=5514a202f4 (Audience Town).  In the time leading up to the founding of Audience Town, Ed spent 20 years working for leading media, advertising technology, data, and mobile companies. Taking the deep knowledge he gained from his time at Quest Magazine, The New York Times, Undertone, The Rubicon Project, Dun & Bradstreet, and Kargo, Ed founded Audience Town. A real estate advertising and marketing platform built on the realization that buying a home combines money and emotion like no other advertised product out there. If you want to get the inside scoop on where his data shows the trending real estate markets are taking remoter workers these days then you won't want to miss this episode of Life Style Business. 

Today we're excited to welcome back to the show the President and Founder of Public Democracy, Eric Sapp; an entrepreneur, faith leader, and a political advisor who has spent his career supporting communities around the world to use big data to find unique solutions on behalf of groups that are vulnerable or left out. Whether he's successfully enrolling a fully representative sample of Black Americans and other marginalized communities into COVID-19 vaccine rollout plans or creating data systems and processes to create more transparency and trust in the political information that is put out on the web, Eric and his team are using big data to deliver more equity and unique solutions on behalf of communities that are vulnerable or left out.

As the founder of Boulder Start-up Week, Andrew Hyde is a serial entrepreneur living his best digital nomad life. When he's not conquering the world of cryptocurrency he's working to bridge the gap between community, technology, and startups across the globe. We can't wait to catch up with him on all of his latest adventures.

Today on Life Style Business we welcome back to the show the people who make Launch Pad so vibrant, impactful, and magical...our members. We'll be catching up with members from all of our Launch Pad cities to learn about the interesting problems that they're working on and the challenges they and their cities are facing in our current climate of a COVID world. Sabrina Short; Founder and Director of Nolavate Black (NOLA) Yendor Productions; A collective of artists and educators fostering hope and healing through access to the arts and cross-cultural programming (Newark) Nathan Dohse; Co-founder & COO of AGD Entertainment an artist coaching, management, and booking company (Nashville) Aaron Gilbreath; Founder of CPR Cert Pros. A CPR and life support education company certifying individuals and companies in Basic Life support as well as First Aid (Stockton, CA) These are people who are betting on us and building their businesses here at Launch Pad and we're surely betting big on them.

When RX Fogarty founded Dear World in 2010 his intention was clear; create a way for people to share their love of New Orleans through personal stories. It didn't take long before the likes of Deepak Chopra, Coach K from Duke, Stuart Scott of ESPN, and countless other CEOs and company leaders became inspired by these personal testimonies about place and time. Today, much to RX's delight, what started as a love letter to New Orleans has grown into an international series dedicated to connecting organizations, communities, and teams through meaningful stories of their people. Join us as RX shows us how to embrace our authentic stories as a way to find purpose and thrive in our lives and careers. We hope you'll tune in!

We're so excited this week to welcome our guest and dear friend, Dan Pierson the CMO of Unsettled, a company leading the way in the future of work. Dan tells us how he's supporting remote workers and digital nomads live their best, untethered lives. By helping them navigate the integration of work and life in a world that offers an ever-increasing possibility around flexible, distributed employment. Join us to get the tips you need to start your digital nomadic journey today. You won't want to miss it!

Named to the Forbes “Top 10 Most Powerful People in Africa,” honored as Black Enterprise Magazine's Small Business Innovator of the Year and listed in the magazine's “Top 40 Under 40,” Chinedu Echeruo is a serial entrepreneur with a Midas touch. With multiple acquisitions under his belt, he joined us to share his epic entrepreneurial journey, talk about the inclusive strategy behind his firm the Love and Magic Company, and teach our viewers how they too can dare to invent the future and garner the title of a Love and Magic "Magician."

Form meets function as our expert partners from Gensler architecture firm share their design forecasts for the next generation of places and spaces. Join us as they take us deeper into the trends of tomorrow as the world prepares to reemerge post-pandemic. 

Working and volunteering in the field of children's grief support since 1997, Mary Robinson's passion for helping children through trauma stems from her own personal experiences as a child. With the inception of Imagine, Mary made a commitment to create communities where children coping with loss get the support they need to thrive, be resilient, and grow up emotionally healthy and able to lead meaningful and productive lives. With a mission like this, it's no wonder that CNN hailed Mary as an everyday hero changing the world. She joins us to talk about grief management during a time of exponential turmoil, navigating the societal pressures to always "be happy" when you're dealing with personal trauma, and offer expert guidance on coping with loss and heartache in these turbulent times.

A Fellow at the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, an Advisor to the Walton Family Foundation, a Visiting Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, and the Founder of Vestigo Partners, LLC, John Bailey is motivated by big thinkers proposing bold ideas that make a meaningful impact on every day Americans. With his trusty Chief of Staff, Bentley (voted Washington's Cutest Dog of 2017) at his side, it's curiosity that propels John Bailey forward in his work supporting entrepreneurs, investors, and policymakers. If you're working on finding solutions to today's modern challenges around COVID, education, Opportunity Zones, and new disruptive technologies join us to get the inside-the-beltway scoop on how to turbocharge your business in these areas and in turn help your fellow humans sleep better at night. Get ready to be inspired!

A conscious tech leader may sound like an oxymoron these days, but Neel Sus is bucking the system. Serving as CEO & CPO (Chief People Development Officer) of https://lp.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=b857b915a27654fe95e2ecb7d&id=3a437e03ef&e=265bfcd592 (Susco), a business software development firm birthed in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Neel's core purpose is to enable people to contribute in more meaningful and fulfilling ways. Neel joined us to teach a masterclass on embracing the present, becoming an anti-fragile leader, and how this new-found skillset can help entrepreneurs build a successful high growth business along the way. It's a new dawn, it's a new day, and a chance at a new mindset for you.

We're excited to welcome to Life Style Business, Laís de Oliveira. Laís joins us to share highlights from her personal entrepreneurial journey as well as give insights from her new book https://lp.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=b857b915a27654fe95e2ecb7d&id=35b354bd3b&e=265bfcd592 (Hacking Communities) -  A practical guide on community building based on Laís' 12 years of experience from both the private and public sectors that has spanned across multiple continents. As a long time entrepreneur, expert community builder, and author, Lais believes that the world needs a new approach to building communities - one based on authentic relationships, genuine trust, and a true sense of belonging. In other words, community building must be "hacked" and she's here today to share the code. 

We're excited to bring to Life Style Business veteran journalist and author of Billion Dollar Loser: The Epic Rise and Spectacular Fall of Adam Neumann and WeWork, Reeves Wiedeman. Billed as the best business book of 2020 on countless lists, Billion Dollar Loser spills the tea on WeWork's infamous founder and CEO Adam Neumann and tells the remarkable saga of one of the most audacious, and improbable rises and falls in American business. Whether you are an aspiring journalist, future founder, Patagonia vest-wearing VC or a megalomaniac in the making you won't want to miss the retelling of this vivid drama that cuts across all facets of the startup world.

In November, New Jersey residents approved Public Question 1 essentially deeming recreational cannabis legal for adults 21 and older beginning January 1, 2021. We spoke with three veteran experts of the cannabis industry to explore how New Jersey can ensure that people of color, and those with marijuana offenses prior to legalization, be afforded an opportunity to participate, meaningfully, in this burgeoning industry. Our featured guests, Ted Chung founder of Merry Jane with partner Snoop Dogg, Almaz Adeigbola a cannabis pop-up chef and founder of Brwnbox CBD located in Orange, NJ, and Lewis Koski COO of Metrc the government's most trusted cannabis legalization partner will join us to share their expertise on: The Green Rush - Social equity in the cannabis industry. State of the local landscape - How New Jersey can get it right? What can we learn from roll-out and regulation in other states that have legalized in the past few years?  Cannabis investment opportunities and obstacles - How can regulation drive opportunities for minority entrepreneurs and eliminate barriers to entry into the cannabis industry?

Today we're excited to welcome a long-time friend of Launch Pad Nation, Andrew Berkowitz. He's a newly named Media Fellow at the https://lp.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=b857b915a27654fe95e2ecb7d&id=4b0fdeea52&e=265bfcd592 (Milken Institute), the Executive Producer and Host of the #1 podcast on emerging market startups - https://lp.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=b857b915a27654fe95e2ecb7d&id=45fb286d2a&e=265bfcd592 (The Global Startup Movement), and a Managing Partner at https://lp.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=b857b915a27654fe95e2ecb7d&id=cffba440c1&e=265bfcd592 (Zwile Media) the leading experts in building and monetizing online communities. With over five years of experience under his belt, he's an expert at harnessing the power of technology to elevate brands and he'll be joining us today to share his secret sauce on how to build podcast brands from scratch and convert them into meaningful commercial businesses.

Today we're excited to welcome to the show Sevetri Wilson the Founder and CEO of Resilia, the company nonprofit leaders say they can't live without. Resilia is revolutionizing how nonprofits are created and maintained, and how cities, private foundations, and corporations scale impact. Named a Rising Star on the Forbes Cloud 100 List, featured in Inc. Magazine's 100 Female Founders building world-changing companies, recipient of the Nobel Prize for Public Service and a #1 Seller on Amazon for her book “Solid Ground: How I Built a 7 Figure Company at 22 with Zero Capital” Sevetri Wilson is a disrupter with a conscience.  Sevetri joins us to give a master class in building a multi-million dollar tech platform with a human touch. By harnessing the power of generosity, technology, and human connection Resilia is making nonprofit leadership available to everyone and making a place at the table for Black female founders in the mostly male-dominated world of tech.  https://www.sevetriwilson.com/ https://www.resilia.com/

Creative Director, Technologist, Filmmaker, Master Gardener, Saints Fan, and Podcast Host are just a few of the titles that Chris Boudy holds, but none mean as much to him as the title of Dad. Chris, a long time friend to #LPNation is here today to talk to us about his professional journey in the world of NOLA tech and how he's merged that experience with the lessons he's learned from fatherhood to turn them into a winning podcast. By tackling real issues that dads deal with he has created a platform that offers tips and strategies to help dads all across the country to go from being a good dad to a great dad. http://becomingagreatdad.com/

Today we're pleased to welcome to Life Style Business, https://lp.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=b857b915a27654fe95e2ecb7d&id=7e1c1258ed&e=265bfcd592 (Ari Rabban). In addition to being the Co-founder and CEO of VOIP Business Phone Service - https://lp.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=b857b915a27654fe95e2ecb7d&id=d6daf8a570&e=265bfcd592 (phone.com) the modern, work-from-anywhere solution for today's agile, mobile, and always-on entrepreneurs and growing businesses - Ari is also a founding member of Launch Pad Newark and an active mentor for entrepreneurs in accelerator programs across the globe.  Today we'll catch up with Ari to see how he and the business have been faring over the past few months, get his take on what must-needed traits make for a successful founder, and hear his advice for startups and entrepreneurs in today's climate.  

From NOLA to DC to NYC Mike Morey has made his mark during his 20-year stint as a sought-after politico. Lucky for us he didn't quit his day job when he started his side hustle (Morey Brewing Company). Mike shares what the biggest issues of the day - COVID, Race, Climate - mean for small business and entrepreneurs as we move into 2021 depending on and regardless of how the election turns out.

Today we're excited to welcome to the show Eric Sapp, President, and Founder of Public Democracy. Pioneering the “Data for Good” movement, Eric and his team work with partners to bring responsible and ethical use of data to public policy and the private marketplace. Whether he's successfully enrolling a fully representative sample of Black Americans and other marginalized communities into COVID-19 trials, creating data systems and processes to create more transparency and trust in the political information that is put out on the web, or leading recruitment for the case against Monsanto over RoundUp's role in causing cancer Eric and his team are using big data to deliver more equity and unique solutions on behalf of communities that are vulnerable or left out.

Students across the globe are struggling with the uncertainty, anxiety, and stress that stem from COVID-19 putting a much-needed spotlight on the importance of mental health support among young people. Joining this episode is Preeti Chemiti, Eric Lin, and Emma Watts, the brain trust behind the mental health guidebook, Mind Matters. This passionate team of students helping their peers navigate the struggles around - creating a sense of community, highlighting student perspectives for school administrators and teachers, and educating people about how significantly mental health can be impacted while isolated and in quarantine. https://www.youtube.com/redirect?q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.mindmattersbook.org%2F&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbWpTdThKTC1CenN1UnNxVkd3T3hBbEtrYUFYUXxBQ3Jtc0trdTJNTzBzVjd1TXZkcUNDRU5DT3dtNFRkbzI1RjFZSXYxUmF1Rk15NTliaGdqdTVKNWJuRHNxT21XVjlEMkQ5UFlLOWhwbkhGcHRud3Bpei04WUlwczZZLTFDN1VTSmlfT2h2alRUZVRwTGIxWVZsRQ%3D%3D&event=video_description&v=mg8gjhGQORM (https://www.mindmattersbook.org/)

He went from a college dropout without a place to call home to one of Nashville's most exciting entrepreneurs. Along the way, he became a self-taught software engineer, an Amazon bestselling author, TEDx public speaker, owner of a professional soccer team, and co-founder and co-owner of the most active healthcare VC in the country. In addition to all of this, he's a big reason that Launch Pad opened in Nashville! He's the author of a new book on entrepreneurship, Amazon #1 bestseller, https://lp.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=b857b915a27654fe95e2ecb7d&id=b02a75cd8c&e=265bfcd592 (Create and Orchestrate). He joined us on Life Style Business to share his https://lp.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=b857b915a27654fe95e2ecb7d&id=eadc2a8727&e=265bfcd592 (amazing story) and offer valuable insights on how to https://lp.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=b857b915a27654fe95e2ecb7d&id=e58bf9e1e9&e=265bfcd592 (move past your) https://lp.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=b857b915a27654fe95e2ecb7d&id=c2fe5fd788&e=265bfcd592 (entrepreneurial fears) and find your path to claiming your creative power.

Small business formation has been dropping since the 70's and as we've all experienced small biz's are taking a huge hit during COVID. What can we expect as we come through this crisis? We're excited to talk to Dane about what he's seeing in this episode of Life Style Business.

Dee C. Marshall, CEO of Diverse & Engaged, LLC, shares her personal career trajectory and how that journey has led her to help others to transcend the status quo. Khaatim Sherrer El, President of ResultsDriven Consulting, LLC. talks about community building and forging strategic partnerships to address social issues in his home town of Newark, NJ.

As a NOLA native, Evie Poitevent Sanders is passionate about positioning NOLA as a must live, can do business, destination and helping NOLA fulfill its potential as one of the best places in the country to grow a company and raise a family. She's joining us today to talk about how GNO, Inc.'s latest endeavor is meeting its mission statement to serve as the catalyst for job and wealth creation in the region and help support and build a robust and growing middle class in Southeastern Louisiana.

Frank Gruber wears many hats; entrepreneur, author, journalist, podcaster, investor, Co-founder & Co-CEO of Established. WIth many founder feathers in his cap, Frank talks to us about his endeavor Start-up of the Year, and how he's leveraging decades of experience in the tech and start-up world to help clients further build their brands and realize their most important goals in a time of COVID19.

Today on Life Style Business https://www.linkedin.com/in/bubsthomas/ (Aaron Thomas), Director at Accelerator for America, joined us to talk about local partnerships that help underserved communities build wealth from the ground up. At Accelerator for America, Aaron helps cities scale innovative ideas and works to solve capital access issues.

Today on Life Style Business we welcomed the people who make Launch Pad so vibrant, impactful and magical...our members. Speaking with members from all five Launch Pad locations we learned about the interesting problems that they're working on and the challenges they face in our current climate. These are people who are ****betting on us and building their businesses here at Launch Pad. Here are some of their thoughts and key takeaways.

This week on Life Style Business we welcomed https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisloeffler1/ (Chris Loeffler,) CEO of https://www.caliberco.com/ (Caliber,) a full-service real estate investment firm and Launch Pad Mesa partner.  Caliber is rethinking the conventional approach to real-estate development by partnering with local government to create attractive environments for investment through the revitalization of Main Street.   Along with Arizona State University's newest campus; a world class hub for digital innovation, Launch Pad will anchor this reimagined Main Street corridor welcoming people working entrepreneurially back to downtown Mesa.  For Chris Loeffler and Caliber a strong return on energy is just as important as a strong return on traditional investment. Mesa is a hub for artists and creators and now with the help of Caliber and Launch Pad a future entrepreneurial ecosystem as well. All working to attract capital and create wealth for locals, not just investors. Make sure to watch the episode below to find out more about our vision for the Launch Pad Mesa space, and https://www.seedinvest.com/calibercos/series.b?utm_source=caliberlandingpage&utm_medium=nonbranded (Caliber's pre-IPO equity crowdfunding opportunity. )

Mayor Michael Tubbs of Stockton, CA and Scott Santens join us to talk about the case for Universal Basic Income (UBI).

Joining us today on Life Style Business was Stephanie Copeland; a Partner at Four Points Funding LLC, which is actively raising and deploying diversified Opportunity Zone funds across Colorado's emerging communities. She is also the CEO of The Governance Project, which seeks to accelerate public policy solutions at the state and local level.  Stephanie believes in using Opportunity Zones to spur growth in underserved communities, but financial investment isn't enough. During this episode, she laid out the “three pillars” necessary to create an entrepreneurial ecosystem. Vibrant and attractive communities need basic infrastructure, such as access to water and the internet, essential amenities, such as education and healthcare, and social capital, such as art museums and restaurants. These pillars provide the foundation for a successful, self-perpetuating entrepreneurial ecosystem.  However, convincing ultra-rich PE and VC investors to commit capital toward this model is a challenge as they are used to safer, more conventional investments that still yield significant returns. Why would they change strategies when the current system works so effectively for them? Well, in Stephanie Copeland's own words, “It has to be an us system, not a me system.”  In her vision, the ultra-wealthy will trust intermediaries to perform due diligence in underserved communities and invest on their behalf because the intermediaries will be familiar with the region where they operate. This process would fundamentally change how creators fund their projects and provide opportunities for entrepreneurs to create transformative products and services that create value.  As a result, these communities will see rises in income that translate into generational wealth, which will help our country address socioeconomic inequalities The initial VC and PE investors will share in this growth, which should outpace the market because this new system will tap into even more potential and ingenuity. Therefore, Stephanie stresses how this approach is not only ideal for budding creators, but also desirable for investors craving competitive returns.

Marc Morial, the President and CEO of the National Urban League joined us on Life Style Business on #LPTV the day after he testified before congress on the Justice in Policing Act of 2020. Marc was in a reflective mood after walking through Black Lives Matter Plaza in Washington DC the previous evening. The NUL's mission is "to help African-Americans and others in underserved communities achieve their highest true social parity, economic self-reliance, power and civil rights." We were grateful to have him join us with as the media spotlight is shining on the importance of the mission of the organization he leads. This needs to be the "beginning of a movement, not just a moment," he remarked, and this stuck with me throughout the interview. The civil rights movement is as old as America herself, but perhaps we are opening a new chapter that will lead to real change, not just a media moment. We focused the conversation on the need for economic transformation for the African-American community, in Marc's words, helping people access "the system." "During a crisis we can go big." We talked about the turning the crisis into opportunity, not simply settle back into an economy running "on the fumes of 20th century ideas." There is a willingness to create new programs to drive economic equity for African-Americans, and Marc emphasized the need to go big and imagine new programs. We have the capacity to move quickly we are in crisis, we've proved that with the SBA PPP loan program. Could we create a 1% loan program to provide access to capital to business owners of color? We also discussed privilege. It doesn't have to mean being born with a silver spoon in your mouth to have opportunity that many African Americans have not. Two critical moments in life where privilege helps a person create generational wealth happen more frequently for white families. Parents who are able to help you pay for college Parents who are able to help you with a downpayment on a first house. These two moments are ways that generational wealth is passed down to give children a head start on building economic security for their families. Wouldn't it be great if all Americans could afford this. As Marc reflected, there is an "appetite for new ideas" right now. We've always believed that entrepreneurship is the way to create agency and wealth in your life. We're eager to work with the Urban League to bring this model to new cities. We very much enjoyed the conversation and look forward to working together to make sure this is a movement, not just a moment. Marc Morial is a former Mayor of New Orleans, President of the United States Conference of Mayors and Louisiana State Senator. He is known as a giant in American political and civic leadership circles. As president and CEO of the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Urban_League (National Urban League), Marc has led the nation's largest historic civil rights and urban advocacy organization since 2003. He's here today to talk with us about the work he's doing to empower black and brown communities in the face of today's pressing issues around justice, reform, equity and protection of rights.

We hosted a conversation on this episode of Life Style Business with Mitch Landrieu, the former Mayor of New Orleans and the president of the https://www.unumfund.org/ (E Pluribus Unum), an initiative he founded to fulfill America's promise of justice and opportunity for all by breaking down the barriers that divide us by race and class. He published a NYTimes editorial the day before our interview called https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/03/opinion/george-floyd-protest-racism.html (“The Price We Have Paid for Not Confronting Racism.”) The interview was an excellent primer, in particular for white Americans, to the national conversation that we are currently having around race in the wake of the protests against police brutality catalyzed by the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer. We know well with our work at Launch Pad that, in Mayor Landrieu's words “talent is equally distributed, but opportunity is not.” What is worth digging deeper to understand are the institutional constructs that have held back the progress of black Americans and people of color since the time of slavery. From redlining to gerrymandering to the militarization of police, structural racism is a reality in our country's political, economic, health, and criminal justice systems. Mayor Landrieu helped Anne and I prepare for the conversation that several of our black Launch Pad members encouraged us to have earlier in the day as we explored how we could use our voice productively and where we can start. First a conversation with self Then a conversation with family Then a conversation with other white people Every conversation we have had over the past weeks has helped us be a bit better and become more aware of these structural prejudices in our society. I'm encouraged by how open the members of the Launch Pad community have been about their desire for these convenings and hope that we can help white Americans have an honest and open conversation about whether we are willing to continue to tacitly accept these injustices.  This isn't simply about diversity on a panel at a tech conference, we need to have a heart-to-heart on where our values truly lie. These conversations are difficult, and its easy when you are in a position of privilege to start from a defensive stance, but as Mayor Landrieu reminded us “Nobody is blaming you for slavery.”  We may feel like we are seeking a return to normalcy, but “normal” is not the same for everyone. He reminds us that many black Americans experience isn't what they seek a return to… “my normal was not good.” Reflecting on his conversation with Kareem Abdul Jabbar the day before, Mayor Landrieu shared the sentiment that “racism is like dust in the air” when you turn on the lights you see it's everywhere.  Consider this, as a Launch Pad member challenged us to reflect upon: What if there had been no video of the killing of George Floyd?  The Black Lives Matter protests have turned on the lights in this country, and we are seeing the structural inequities that have existed for hundreds of years.   “This is our reality.”  It's time for that to change. ==== Mitch Landrieu was the 61st Mayor of New Orleans taking office as the city was still recovering from Hurricane Katrina and in the midst of the BP Oil Spill. Under his leadership, New Orleans is widely recognized as one of the nations greatest comeback stories.  He's spent his life dedicated to public service winning recognition for his governing abilities and gaining national prominence for his powerful decision to take down four Confederate monuments in New Orleans, which also earned him the prestigious John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award.  He is the founder and president of the https://www.unumfund.org/ (E Pluribus Unum) fund with focus on the issues of race, equity, economic opportunity and violence and the author...

It's clear that COVID-19 will forever alter the way we view cities. On Tuesday's episode of Life Style Business,https://www.linkedin.com/in/brucekatz1/ ( Bruce Katz) and an all-star team from Louisville joined us to discuss urban development and the opportunity we have now to rethink how we develop Main Streets in a more inclusive way. Bruce Katz, Director of the Nowak Metro Finance Lab at Drexel University and co-founder of https://www.thenewlocalism.com/ (New Localism Advisors), promotes inclusive and sustainable growth of cities in all his work. Bruce shared his thoughts on how now is the time to rebuild cities with a greater focus on inclusive solutions. He shared that the “smartest people in the room are local” - and we should listen to those who know their cities best, while also fostering “a new interplay” between bottom-up and government initiatives.  Bruce also reflected on the potential of https://www.thenewlocalism.com/newsletter/needed-main-street-regenerators/ (Main Street Regenerators) that can help rebuild the economy of any downtown, whether urban or rural. He conveyed that the combination of local and government collaboration will create both “product innovation  and institutional transformation” with the hopes of this crisis resulting in a more equitable, civic-minded society.  We were then joined by community builder https://www.linkedin.com/in/gillholland/ (Gill Holland), in addition to https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariah-gratz-067b223/ (Mariah Gratz) and https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashlyn-ackerman-134a8612/ (Ashlyn Ackerman) from http://weylandventures.com/ (Weyland Ventures), who are all leaders working on redeveloping the Portland neighborhood of Louisville. They shared the importance of historic preservation, green space, and “work-live-play” developments, especially in a COVID-19 world. Portland is the midst of a $35M project that will develop 22 acres in the neighborhood, and projects including a sculpture garden have continued through this shutdown period.  Key Takeaways from Tuesday's Episode:  We are at an important moment where we can create “replicable, actionable, scalable” strategies that will reinvigorate Main Streets across the country, which will be essential to the rebuilding efforts.  Making sure there is room for bottom-up solutions will help us rebuild cities that are stronger than before.   We will need to be intentional about community-building as evidenced by the success of places like Louisville, as community gatherings will remain an important part of neighborhood life, even in a new way. https://www.youtube.com/c/LaunchPadlptv (Life Style Business) is every Tuesday and Thursday at 12pm PT/ 2pm CT / 3pm ET via https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_ZidpquY3Ra-IBZ4_ie8WTg (Launch Pad TV). Join us twice weekly for virtual community building and knowledge sharing with the Launch Pad team and special guests! Subscribe to our YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/c/LaunchPadlptv (HERE). Stay in the loop by following us on Twitter https://twitter.com/launchpad (@launchpad) and Instagram https://www.instagram.com/launch.pad.nation/ (@launch.pad.nation).  If you have comments or suggestions for topics you'd like to see covered or if you'd like to be a guest on the show, send us at email at chrisandanne@lp.co.