Have You Heard This?

Well, it’s official. The podcast craze is here. Rarely do I spend any time in my car without something blaring from Spotify, iHeartRadio, or Apple Podcasts. I recently discovered a podcast for Economic Developers called Develop This! Episodes are usually about half an hour or so and the topics are timely and the conversation enlightening.

The hosts are Dennis Fraise and Jason Hutcheson. From developthispodcast.com:

Dennis Fraise
Dennis is a progressive, yet seasoned economic development professional with an eclectic background as a small business owner, public speaker, and a perpetually optimistic big idea guy. He’s led not one, but two economic development organizations in setting Guinness World Records. A self-proclaimed meeting snob, Dennis is always willing to challenge the business as usual, status quo approach to getting things done. On four different occasions Dennis has ridden his bicycle across the state of Iowa in search of the perfect piece of homemade pie. He’s passionate about bringing success to organizations and ensuring that communities look to the future with a clear focus on what is required to achieve success. Dennis’s non-traditional approach to economic and workforce development has led to speaking opportunities at the IEDC International Conferences in Toronto and Atlanta. As a lifelong learner, he recently completed the CEcD certification process and is excited to join with Jason to launch the podcast.

Jason Hutcheson
Although his youthful good looks are deceiving, Jason is indeed a veteran of the economic development industry and holds the official CEcD designation to prove it. He has the great fortune to serve as the President/CEO of the Greater Burlington Partnership where he has been part of the transformation of this Midwestern, industrial river town into one of Site Selection Magazine’s Top Micropolitans for economic development deal flow. While his formal education was in finance, real estate, and economics, he learned early in his career that leading people with concepts and ideas was far more powerful than numbers on a spreadsheet. His colleagues appreciate his no-nonsense leadership style as they previously elected him to serve as the President of both the Professional Developers of Iowa and the Iowa Chamber Alliance. When not in the trenches of economic development, Jason can be found on the tennis court or renovating dilapidated houses with his brother. He married a preschool teacher, and his young family spends most weekends at competitive tournaments for baseball, basketball, and dance.

Here’s a recent podcast with guest Jay Garner of Garner Economics. Check out their other episodes and subscribe here.