Developing and building trust as a statement sounds pretty straightforward- but the reality is that in the workplace, and even at home, this can be a challenge. First you need to define what trust is, then armed with the tools to build it in your life, you are well on your way to building stronger personal and professional relationships ..read more

Experience is often said to be the best teacher. For people who work in a field for several decades they rack up a lot of experience. Luckily, some of them are willing to share ..read more

Like death and taxes, another inevitable facet of life is we all gotta eat and drink. As a matter of fact, food processing and production is a rapidly expanding and evolving sector across the country. There are some important steps communities can take ahead of pursing a food and beverage project to help them become more competitive.  ..read more

If you look across the country and the globe, successful communities have a lot in common, which includes being desirable places to live. But what qualities help make these places a big draw for both emerging and established workers? Kim Moore is going to better help us define some of these qualities of successful communities.   ..read more

To incentivize or not to incentivize… the great question of economic developers across the country for many years. Obviously, it wasn’t Shakespeare who posed the question but today, incentives are in the mix of almost every job creation project. Luckily, there are experts like Bob Westover who can help companies and development officials make the most of both statutory and discretionary incentive opportunities ..read more

Navigating business practices of foreign companies can be a challenge for even the most experienced economic developer. Whether it is foreign regulations or cultural differences, Florian Stamm is here to better help us navigate the important world of foreign direct investment ..read more

When local economic developers work with their corporate partners on new sites or expansions- the most successful projects worked months, even years to develop a pre-capital plan making the business case before the first bucket of dirt was moved ..read more

Special Guest: Glenn McCullough, Executive Director, MS Development Authority Description: Mississippi’s Governor Phil Bryant likes to say that, “Economic development is a team sport.” What this means is that by working together Mississippi is able to punch above its weight. In economic development, the state recently won the Continental Tire deal. $1.45 billion-dollar investment that will create 2,500 jobs. States across the country competed for this project. Collaboration, and that is where Mississippi excels, was one of the deciding factors and why Mississippi is a top competitor in economi ..read more

Special Guest: Trey Hess & Annie Mcilwain of PPM Consultants Description: Environmental 101: Brownfield redevelopment, regulatory compliance, and what economic developers need to know before proceeding with the acquisition and development of a property. Host: Jeff Rent Studio: Podastery Studios (twitter.com/Podastery) - http://podastery.com Learn More: MEDC - http://medc.ms ..read more

Special Guest: Darin Buelow, Principal and National Practice Leader, Real Estate and Location Strategy, Deloitte Consulting LLP Is the opioid crisis depleting your workforce? Tainting your community's quality of life? How is it eating into your municipal budget? Explore how the opioid crisis can impact corporate location decisions. Host: Jeff Rent, Senior Vice President of Economic Development, Greater Jackson Alliance Studio: Podastery Studios (twitter.com/Podastery) - http://podastery.com Learn More: MEDC - http://medc.ms ..read more