Your Curated Morning for July 18, 2024 (#148) is here!
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The Main Thing: Overcoming obstacles requires resiliency. How do we become resilient? It takes effort and some practice. One way to do this is to expose ourselves to difficult situations or adversity as a way of training for the times when things get really rough. In this week's blog post, I provide several examples of how people overcame adversity to succeed in life and set examples for all of us. In this poisonous political atmosphere, this may come in handy. Overcoming the obstacles that face us is important to succeed in our profession and work. Focus on Economic Development One Last Play: A Former All Star Helped Kill Stadium Financing for His Old Team by Jared Brey | Governing If there is one thing we all agree on, no matter where we come from, our political persuasion, or our religion, we sure do love our sports teams. Football, baseball, basketball, and hockey are the big four. Other professional teams are also loved, including Lacrosse, rugby, and soccer. And it's crucial to remember that they all need a place to ‘play,’ A place that often comes from public funding. Many play in brand-new stadiums (LA, Las Vegas), and others want new places to play (Chicago). Recently, voters in Kansas City were asked to approve a referendum giving their football and baseball teams additional funding for new stadiums and improvements to current facilities. The referendum was voted down by a large margin, and it's believed that a former player's influence played a significant role in the defeat. This highlights the power of individual influence in shaping the future of our sports teams. Nobody’s Moving to US ‘Climate Havens.’ The Federal Government Could Help by Yuliya Panfil and Tim Robustelli | Bloomberg CityLab Perspective A couple of weeks ago, I passed through Duluth, Minnesota, on my way to Canada. Duluth is a city identified as a potential “climate refuge’ community. In other words, a place where the earth is warming might have less impact on the climate and weather. The authors of this article suggest that planning and preparation, including government subsidies and incentives, need to be considered as an anticipated number of people will move from highly impacted areas of the south and southwest to places like Duluth and Rochester, N.Y. Illinois is making significant strides in preparing for a changing climate and energy profile. Governor Pritzker's announcement of $30 million to train disadvantaged populations in clean energy jobs is a key part of this. The State is gearing up for the workforce required to meet its ambitious 100% renewable energy goal by 2050, a target that underscores Illinois's commitment to clean energy. Other Articles of Interest this week: City/County -- DOT awards $1.8B in transportation infrastructure grants by Dan Zukowski | SmartCities Dive-- Nearly 150 road, rail, transit and port projects will receive discretionary grant funds from the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity, or RAISE, program. Leadership -- How Effective Leaders Use Reframing to Tackle Challenges by Art Petty | Pragmatic Insitute -- “This isn’t a problem; it’s an opportunity” is a cliché with an oomph. It’s a simple, oft-referenced statement masking a powerful tool called reframing. The essence of reframing is to encourage us to look at situations from different perspectives in search of unique and improved solutions. Technology-- Here’s how federal law enforcement officials are actually using AI by Tom McKay | IT Brew -- Federal law enforcement officials are already using AI tools, and they’re eager to pilot more, despite pesky challenges like admissibility, privacy, and sustainability. Mentoring-- Elder or Elderly? By Pat Whitty | Breaking Age --‘Today is my birthday. I’m 82. The government classifies me as “elderly,” a word that often carries the connotation of feeble and dependent. I’m not feeble and dependent, not that there’s anything wrong with that. Most of us will become feeble and dependent at some point in the future if we live long enough.’ Green Economy -- New NOAA Initiative Will Provide $60 Million in Funding to Train Workers for Green Jobs by Ruchi Shahagadkar | Inside Climate News-- NOAA’s Climate-Ready Workforce initiative will help fill vacancies with the American Samoa Power Authority, the only agency managing water on the island. A Blog Post You Should Read: As an economic developer, I have experienced several versions of “manufacturing is back” or “manufacturing is lost.” I have also watched as communities claimed advanced manufacturing as their target for the attraction. I still haven’t met anyone with a good definition of that. In this blog post, Noah Smith (the Noahpinion Newsletter) highlights a disturbing trend: stagnation of US manufacturing. Smith provides evidence for this by pointing to a lack of investment, competition, insufficient exporting, and other factors.
Overheard : “You never want a serious crisis to go to waste. And what I mean by that is an opportunity to do things that you think you could not do before.” ― Rahm Emanuel Listen, Eat, Drink, WATCH, Read, View The age of the big department store is over. It seems as though Macy’s and Target are all that is left. JC Penny is holding on, and Sears only has 11 locations left in the US. Looking at lists of the largest retailers in America, Walmart is at the top, followed by Amazon (yes, they are a retailer, although they have very few retail locations if you don’t count Whole Foods Markets, which they own) and Costco. One that is no longer on the list is Montgomery Ward. This once ubiquitous chain, established in Chicago in the late 1890s, was a beacon of nostalgia. Like its cousin Sears, it popularized the mail-order catalog. Households eagerly awaited the new catalog just before Christmas, and rural dwellers could purchase items that were otherwise only available to city folks. The simple act of sending in a check for the desired item and then picking it up from the local railroad depot a couple of weeks later was a cherished part of the past. Sound familiar? It’s the model for Amazon and other internet-based retailers today, with different technology. Watch this video about the history of Montgomery Ward here. Listen, Eat, Drink, Watch, READ, View A hot dog is a hot dog, right? Here in the Midwest, Oscar Meyer rules the roost regarding the hot dog. They even have a Weiner Mobile that promotes their product. But out east, it's a different story. It's all about the original Coney Island dog, Nathan's. But before you buy that red hot story, a hot dog purveyor preceded Nathan's: Feltmans. The original hot dog on the Coney Island boardwalk was Feltmans. Nathan's was an offshoot of Feltman's. In Chicago, it's Vienna Beef. What is your favorite hot dog brand? The exciting history about Feltmans and Nathan's can be found here. Listen, Eat, Drink, WATCH, READ, View In economic development, the art of conversation is a crucial skill. Whether you are engaging a site selector or inquiring about a local business during a business retention call, the ability to engage in meaningful small talk is paramount. Then, there is the networking event that we all must attend. So, what is there to talk about? While many business conversations talk about investment, collaborations, and partnerships, they all tend to start with 'small talk.' You know, those conversations about weather, vacations, hobbies, and just about everything other than business. The attached article offers a practical guide to mastering small talk. The method, known as FORD (Family, Occupation, Recreation, and Dreams), is a straightforward yet powerful tool to guide your conversations. Read this article to become a master at small talk and rock your next business mixer. Apply the FORD method and become the conversationalist you always wanted to be. Watch this short video for a quick tip to avoid awkward conversations. Listen, Eat, Drink, WATCH, Read View Have you signed up with Elon Musk to go to Mars? Could you live there? Do you realize it takes nine months to get to Mars using our current rocket technology? Going to Mars for that long holiday weekend won't happen anytime soon. Airbnb has yet to open any cute cottages or snappy urban apartments on Mars. I know, you would think by now we would have the 'transporter' you saw on the original Star Trek series, but apparently, that isn't possible either. However, if you go to Mars, this is what it is like to live there. Check out this very short video. LISTEN, Eat, Drink, WATCH, Read View I found this snappy tune on YouTube. It’s one of those songs you dance to when there is nothing left to do but dance. I know nothing about the artist, but watching the video makes me happy. They certainly seem so glad to create the music. Watch Fred again.. & Anderson.Paak - “places to be” featuring Chika here. If you have Spotify, you can listen to it here. Thanks for Reading If you liked this email, pay it forward. Share it with someone you think might benefit. Did someone share with you? Sign up here. For previous editions, click here. Whenever you’re ready, there are several ways I can help you: 1. Economic Development: If you are looking to supercharge your economic development organization, I can help by strategizing and developing a roadmap to success. Set up a time to talk to me here. 2. Culture Change; Is your organization changing? Would you like to create an asset out of your culture? Do you know how to assess team strengths? Let me help you. I'm a certified culture change practitioner. Set up a time to talk to me here. 3. The Green Economy; The world is changing. Some of it is positive, and some of the change is not. Let me help you develop green economy opportunities for your community. Set up some time to talk about here. 4. Mentoring Programs: Circles of Seven (C7) is a proven and award-winning model for mentoring. Whether it is for business or your community leadership program, I can develop a mentoring program for you. Let's talk about your situation. Set up a time here. If you have any thoughts or comments regarding any articles in this newsletter please feel free to contact me through email at martin@martinkarlconsulting.com. You can review my services and offerings at www.martinkarlconsulting.com |