Develop This: Economic and Community Development

Barry Matherly joins Dennis, and they discuss the skills needed to be a great leader and how to become involved and give back to the economic development profession. Barry has worn a lot of hats in his economic development career. His current role is as the President and CEO of Hickey Global. Prior to joining Hickey Global, Barry was the President and CEO of the Detroit Regional P

Debi Durham, the Director of the Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA) and the Iowa Finance Authority (IFA) joins Dennis to discuss the role of a state economic development director. Fifteen years ago, what was the state of economic development? Fast forward 15 years, and how has economic development changed? Through two main divisions – business development and community

Mark Perna joined Dennis, and they discussed the state of workforce in 2025. What prompted you to write Answering Why? How would you compare the state of our workforce in 2018 versus today? We are at the start of 2025. Where do we stand today with job openings and the skills gap? How can economic development professionals and organizations be more proactive in dealing with workfo

Danielle Casey, President & CEO of the Albuquerque Regional Economic Alliance, joins Dennis and discusses finding your path in economic development. How do you find the right fit? How do you know when to move to the next position? Is working your way up in one organization preferable, or is there value in working for multiple organizations? Is there a tipping point when

Bryan Daniels, the President and CEO of the Blount Partnership – Incoming IEDC Board chair, joins Dennis, and they discuss what is ahead for the economic development profession and IEDC in 2025. Bryan Daniels was born and raised in Greeneville, Tennessee, which is adjacent to Cherokee National Forest. He has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Communications & Computer Science and a

IEDC President and CEO Nathan Ohle joins Dennis, and they reflect on Nathan's first three years leading IEDC and what the future holds for the economic development profession and IEDC.

IEDC President and CEO Nathan Ohle joins Dennis, and they discuss the 2025 IEDC conferences and the changes happening to the IEDCC conferences in 2025. o 2025 Leadership Summit Washington, D.C. February 23 – 25 o 2025 Rural Summit Great Falls Montana June 23 – 25 o 2025 Annual Conference Detroit, MI September 14 – 17

Mark C. Perna joins Dennis, and they discuss Being Comfortable With Being Uncomfortable. Discover why being uncomfortable can actually be positive, and why focusing on a personal competitive advantage now prepares us for when our personal “want-to” arrives. The Competitive Advantage Track Is Available Free on Mark's Website Learners will discover: • Why being uncomfortable ca

Dennis is joined by Maria Berg-Stark, the Senior Director of Membership at IEDC, and they discuss the changes to IEDC's membership structure. IEDC recently rolled out a new membership plan, reducing our membership offerings from 27 categories to 10. Individual Member Types Member Type Price* (USD) Definition Student $35 Must be enrolled in at least 12 course

Dennis gets personal about his decision to retire from his economic development position and discusses what is next for Develop This!