Research Uncensored

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 large-scale deals like the recent Volkswagen Giga factory in St-Thomas, Ontario or recruiting Toyota to Woodstock, Ontario in 2015. Join us for this insightful episode as Len and Sean provide valuable perspectives on winning major deals, and the best practices to ensure future success.

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 miss out on this opportunity to learn from Samantha Pinkal and Casey Gilchrist, as they share their wealth of knowledge and experience in helping the Greater Phoenix area thrive. Tune in now!

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 as we delve into the latest trends in economic development and what they mean for emerging leaders.

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 in 2023 and how they are working to advance their mission to grow strong economies that create jobs, opportunity, and prosperity in the American south.

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 manufacturer in Bend, OR, to economic development in Shreveport, Louisiana. 

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 Games, set to take place from July 28 to August 8 in Birmingham. 

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 promoting, coordinating, and facilitating Canada-US trade relations in the aerospace and finance sectors. She also held positions with the New York State's Economic Development Agency, the Canadian International Council and consulted for the public and private sector in international affairs and business development.

 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 professionals play in their communities.

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 and explains his decision to join IEDC as President&CEO. He shares his thoughts on attracting young people to the economic development field and discusses IEDC's new initiatives to enhance equity and diversity within the profession. 

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 public/private partnership economic development organization led by chief executive officers in California.Join us this week, as we discuss what it took for Barry to rise to the top of the ED game and how to build successful economic development organizations from the ground up. 

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's insight on the UAE's growing markets and his strategic advice to North American economic developer's on how best to engage in FDI discussions while in the Middle East.  

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 thoughts on best practices in investment attraction, business development and marketing strategies.

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 the future of projects.

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 value propositions for such a large territory.

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 economies. 

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 navigate building a professional relationship with site selectors, that and much, much more! 

This week we are joined by Courtney Margetson, Founder and Executive Publisher of FDI Alliance International, a print and media publication that showcases the most attractive business destinations in North America and Canada to Site Selectors and CEOs from Europe and the UK. Courtney discusses the magazine's origin story and we delve into his thoughts on the future of investment promotion and working from home, where he shares actionable, best practices with our listeners and much more. 

This week we are pleased to be joined by Lee Crume, President & CEO and Kimberly Rossetti, Vice President of Economic Development at Northern Kentucky Tri-ED.Lee and Kim discuss what drew them to work in economic development and detail Northern Kentucky's biggest assets and recent investment wins. In addition, they draw on their experiences over the past year and their thoughts on the site selection process in a post-COVID world. 

This week we are joined by Karla Moran,  Senior Project Manager with the Salt River Project of Phoenix, Arizona.  We delve into Karla's recent recognition as a top 50 North American Economic Developer, her advice to students and young professionals trying to break into the industry as well as the key role utilities play in regional business attraction. 

This week we have the honor of being joined by Jeff Finkle, President of the International Economic Development Council (IEDC). Jeff is a veteran in the economic development field and we capitalize on his vast experience by discussing a myriad of topical themes such as diversity and inclusion in economics, the reshoring trend, the decline of foreign direct investments, the future of working from home and much more! 

This week we are lucky enough to be joined by Shawn Flynn, Host of The Silicon Valley Podcast.Shawn has led an impressive career in Silicon Valley working for start-ups, incubators and knows what it takes to make it in the region. Shawn's deep network has seen him interview some of the top tech executives. We delve deep into his knowledge and experience to get his take on how economic developers can work alongside incubators, his thoughts on the California  business "exodus" and how working from home will impact attracting talent.

This week we are joined by One East Kentucky's superstar team, Chuck Sexton, CEO and Ivy Stanley, Project Manager. We discuss their creative backgrounds that have helped propel their success in economic development, the work it takes to promote a rural region and highlight a major project win and what it meant for their region. 

This week we are joined by Wade Williams, Vice President of Global Business Development at REDI Cincinnati, the first point of contact for companies considering the 16-county, three-state Cincinnati region..We dive into Wade's past work experience managing business operations and complex real-estate acquisition projects with Duke Energy's Ohio and the Kentucky Office of the President. In addition, we discuss the latest major investments the REDI Cincinnati territory region has seen along with highlighting some key project wins, and much more!

We're ringing 2021 with a special simulcast episode alongside our good friends and fellow podcasters, The Next Move Group, We Are Jobs. Joining us is NMG's Co-Founders, Chad Chancellor and Alex Metzger where we reflect on the lessons of 2020 and discuss our trend predictions for 2021 in economic development and investment attraction.

This week we are joined by Jeanine Jerkovic, Economic Development Director at the City of Surprise in Phoenix, Arizona. We delve into Jeanine's early career in politics that saw her work for the late Senator John McCain and as a Trade Commissioner for the Canadian Consulate in Phoenix. Jeanine also discusses how she has utilized creative marketing tactics, such as the #SnacksWithSurprise  campaign to raise the City of Surprise's brand and online presence.

This week we are joined by Site Selector Superstar - Michelle Comerford! We explore Michelle's experience with the Austin Consulting group as Managing Director,  and her current role as Project Director and Industrial & Supply Chain Practice Leader for Biggins Lacy Shapiro & Co. (BLS & Co), which specializes in site selection, location economics, and incentives negotiation for corporate clients. In addition, Michelle shares her valuable insight on how economic developers should utilize data, her thoughts on the future of reshoring and nearshoring projects, and how Site Selector's have adapted their work during the current pandemic. 

This week we're joined by Sean Dyke, CEO of  St. Thomas EDC of Ontario, Canada! We dive into Sean's experience living in Japan, his work with the Southwestern Ontario Marketing Association and his creative push to promote his region with the marketing campaign #stthomasproud that saw one notable celebrity chiming in. We also discuss the many charity organizations and campaigns that Sean champions all in an effort to enrich his region from within! 

Join us this week as we chat with Ean Johnson, Vice President, Economic Development for OmniTRAX, one of the largest private railroad & transportation management companies in the United States. Ean discusses the symbiotic relationship between the rail industry and economic development, while touching on his career milestones, professional designations and philanthropic organizations that are near and dear to his heart.

This week we are joined by the American economic development legend, Kenny McDonald, CEO of One Columbus and currently serves as the chair of International Economic Development Council (IEDC).We discuss how Kenny has helped lead the Columbus Region's regional overall strategy for growth and dive into his over 25 years of economic development and site selection consulting experience, plus much more! 

Bonus Episode! We're taking a little vacation from our in-depth interviews with the foremost economic developers this week in order to speak with the WWE legend, Jacques Rougeau Jr. aka The Mountie. Jacques is a Canadian retired professional wrestler best known for his appearances in the 1980s and 1990s with the World Wrestling Federation. He began his career by wrestling under his real name, as part of a tag team called The Fabulous Rougeaus with his brother Raymond Rougeau.We delve into Jacques' career, the time he battled the legendary Hollywood Star, Hulk Hogan in Montreal and his two decade career in public speaking, advocating for anti-bullying to the Quebec youth. 

This week we are joined by Joe Melvin, Director of Business Development for North Carolina's Southeast who was recently recognized as one of North America's Top 50 economic developers for 2020 by Consultant Connect for his outstanding leadership and innovation to the profession.We discuss what led Joe to economic development, how he manages his duties across the 18-county regional partnership, some of his favorite stories from on the road and how he still finds time to follow his passion as a Preacher doing missionary work in Africa. 

Join us this week as we chat with a very special guest, Brian McGowan, CEO of the Greater Seattle Partners. Brian boasts a prominent career working in politics and economic development with appointments under then Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and President Barack Obama. A Brookings Institute fellow, Brian also led the White House's Economic Solution Task Force in response to the 2010 BP oil spill. Brian then made his historic transition to lead Invest Atlanta and now the newly formed entity, Greater Seattle Partners. Tune to hear his intriguing stories firsthand and his current mission to champion exclusive economics in Seattle. 

Not many in the field of Economic Development can claim to have experience as vast and as varied as this week's guest on the Research Uncensored podcast. Shirar O'Connor-Mugler has worked at Economic Development agencies and consulting firms since the early 90's, having started her career at Conway Inc. before going on to work for the likes of the Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency, UK Trade & Invest and most recently, AdvanceCT. Join us as we hear from Shirar about her experience traveling to over 40 countries around the world, starting her own consulting firms and being there throughout it all to witness the Economic Development community develop & mature over the past 30 years.

Join us as we chat with Amy Thomson, Director of the International Strategy and Trade division, and responsible for the growth of foreign direct investment and export activity at the South Carolina Department of CommerceWe explore Amy's experience as a senior international trade specialist with the US Department of Commerce's Commercial Service and her time as an editor-in-chief of a Spanish-language trade publication for the apparel industry, traveling throughout Latin America during the region's boom of apparel manufacturing.

As ResearchFDI celebrates a decade in the business,  Bruce and Amber welcome longtime friend, former colleague, mentor and all round top notch person, Dan Silverman, current VP of Foreign Direct Investment at Invest Quebec. We discuss his career in both the private and public sector and his top tips for emerging talent in the economic development field. 

This week we are honored to be joined by Niloo Boroun, Executive Director at Consider Canada City Alliance (CCCA). Niloo notably has held roles in the Office of the Premier (Ontario) as a Senior Policy Advisor to the Premier, a Senior Policy Advisor and Public Appointments to the Minister of Research and Innovation (Ontario) and as Manager, and Acting Director, of Investment Services and Global Markets for Toronto Global (formally Invest Toronto). We discuss her career in politics, her passion for promoting Canada to international investors and her thoughts on the newly ratified USMCA (or CUSMA if you're living in the great white north).

This week we're joined by ESPN's resident MMA superstar journalist, Ariel Helwani! We discuss all things WWE, UFC, and Ariel's dream to see the Montreal Expos make a return to his hometown. Listen to the end for a surprise cameo by Daniel Silverman, VP of Foreign Direct Investment at Investissement Québec. Dan discusses how he assisted Ariel's father to pivot production to manufacturing PPE during the outset of the pandemic in order to rehire his staff and avoid further lay-offs at his Montreal-based textile company, Tricots Liesse.  

This week we discuss the importance of inclusive economic programs. To lead the discussion, we are joined by Rodrick Miller, who is the current CEO of Invest Puerto Rico, a Harvard Graduate and one of the foremost economic development leaders in the U.S., respected globally for his ability to maneuver in extraordinarily complex political and business environments.Rodrick's expertise and experience is vast, having served as CEO of the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation, the public-private partnership charged with leading the economic revitalization of the city of Detroit. Rodrick also served as the founding president and CEO of the New Orleans Business Alliance focusing on the organization's efforts on lowering barriers to entry in the marketplace, increasing transparency, and developing approaches to drive inclusive economic growth. 

 This week we're going to Vegas! Well, virtually that is. We speak with Jared Smith, the Chief Operating Officer of the Las Vegas Global Economic Alliance (LVGEA). We discuss how the Las Vegas economy boasts more than just tourism and learn how Jared and his team promote the region. In addition, we find out what led Jared into Economic Development and his previous experience working as Director of Business Development for the Baton Rouge Area Chamber (BRAC). 

This week we have the pleasure of introducing you to Samantha Brown, Director of Team Texas. A member-based state business attraction program through Texas Economic Development Council (TEDC), the professional association for Texas economic developers.Join us as we chat with Sam to learn more about her time working on the Hill and what led her to economic development. Oh, and that time she was managing a delegation mission in Chicago which ended up with her having emergency oral surgery and then of course running into J.J. Watt the Houston Texan's defensive end, and much more!

For the past 25 years, Barry Matherly has been gaining leadership experience and driving initiatives. He has served as the past Chair of the International Economic Development Council (IEDC) and in 2019, Barry was named CEO and President of Detroit's brand new regional economic development organization, the Detroit Regional Partnership. Join us this week, as we discuss what it took for Barry to rise to the top of the ED game and how to build a successful regional group from the ground up. 

You may know Will Novak, Economic Development Project Manager for the City of Mesa, Arizona for his viral #AngelosBachelorParty fame. This wild story led him to be interviewed by the Washington Post and even appear on Good Morning America! How did Will parlay this online recognition to promote his city, and what advice does he have for economic developer's looking to use social media as a tool to promote their region's brand? Tune in to find out!

The first episode of Research Uncensored features Chad Chancellor of the Next Move Group. Chad shares his story of humble beginnings, his road to working in local economic development and his path to dominating in site selection and executive searches. 

We're excited to announce the launch of our new podcast Research Uncensored.Stay tuned for upcoming interviews with the top players in the economic development world!