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From The Ground Up: Feat. Chris Camacho of the Greater Phoenix Economic Council

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Chris CamachoChris Camacho is the President & CEO of the Greater Phoenix Economic Council where he manages the organization’s domestic and international strategies to build a more diverse economy in Metropolitan Phoenix.

Prior to becoming President, Chris was the executive Vice President of business development where he oversaw business development efforts with particular expertise in renewable energy, emerging technology, tax policy and international economic development. Chris managed the domestic and international strategies in attracting new industry to the market.

Chris has held leadership roles in several strategic councils within the Greater Phoenix Economic Council. Chris also served as president of the Arizona Association of Economic Development (AAED) and has been named Economic Developer of the Year. He is involved in community non-profits including Chicanos Por La Casa, and sits on the boards for the Arizona Business Education Coalition, the Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, the Valley of the Sun United Way and the International Economic Development Council.

Chris received his Bachelor of Science degree in psychology from Southern Illinois University and his Masters in Public Administration Public Policy, and Tax Analysis. Chris also obtained his Economic Development Certification from the University of Oklahoma.

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An Inside Look: Feat. Timo Rehbock of Barnes & Thornburg

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Timo Rehbock is a partner in the Chicago office of Barnes & Thornburg and a member of the firm’s Corporate Department. He is chair of the firm’s European Practice Group and a member of the New York Law Practice Group. He focuses his practice on domestic and international corporate and commercial matters, which range from general commercial contracts to private equity and venture capital investments, mergers, acquisitions, restructurings, financings and strategic alliances.

Timo has a strong domestic and an established international corporate and commercial practice. He has more than 10 years of experience in representing clients on complex inbound and outbound matters. He is fluent in four languages and advises clients on acquisition structures for cross-border transactions and investments between the U.S., Europe, Latin America and Asia and has led both buy-side and sell-side teams on these diverse transactions.

Timo represents a variety of clients in the automotive, food processing, renewable energy, logistics, manufacturing and technology industries. His clients encompass start-up businesses as well as private middle market and public companies. He also serves as the primary outside general counsel for several domestic and multi-national clients and strives to provide cost-effective, tailored legal solutions.

An active member of the community, Timo commits his time to several legal and nonprofit organizations. He serves on the board of directors for the International Institute of Legal Writing and Reasoning in New York and is an adjunct professor at the DePaul College of Law in Chicago. In addition, Timo is on the board of trustees for the Union League Club of Chicago Boys & Girls Clubs and a member of the Auxiliary Board and the Chairman’s Advisory Council for the Big Shoulders Fund in Chicago. He currently sits on the Leadership Advisory Council for Cristo Rey Jesuit High School and is a past board member for the Chicago Human Rhythm Project.

Timo received his LL.M. from the University of Cologne, Germany; a Maîtrise en Droit from the University of Paris I, Panthéon-Sorbonne, France; and earned his J.D. and LL.M. from Cornell Law School.

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From The Ground Up: Feat. Courtney Ross of the Nashville Chamber of Commerce

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Courtney RossCourtney Ross is the Chief Economic Development Officer for the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce. Courtney is ascending to that role at a time when Nashville’s economy is creating jobs at an almost unrivaled pace, helping elevate Nashville’s national profile to record heights.

Prior to being promoted to Chief Economic Development Officer, Courtney worked as the Vice President of Existing Business, which means she was in charge of helping grow businesses already located in the Nashville market. Courtney also was an associate at an economic development marketing firm and a director of corporate recruitment for the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce – a city many Nashville leaders use as a yardstick to gauge their growth.

Courtney enjoys many different things outside of her work including spending time with her husband and two children and traveling.

Courtney graduated from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism.

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An Inside Look: Feat. Tim Schram of Grant Thornton LLP

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Tim SchramTim Schram is a managing director and one of the leaders of Grant Thornton’s Credit and Incentive practice. Tim has over twenty years of experience negotiating for state and local incentive packages on behalf of clients. Tim has successfully assisted clients by securing millions of dollars in incentives through programs such as: sales tax sharing agreements, cash grants, property tax abatements, utility rate reductions and refundable income tax credits.  Tim has worked with clients representing a number of industry sectors and is one of Grant Thornton’s national leaders for the Food & Beverage industry group.

Prior to joining Grant Thornton, Tim was a supervisor in KPMG’s state and local tax practice focusing on credits and incentives.  Tim also has industry experience as a state tax manager for a high tech company in the Chicago-land area.

Tim is a member of IAMC, the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the Illinois Society of Certified Public Accountants and the Institute of Professionals in Taxation. Tim is a recognized leader in the area of state and local incentives. As such, he is a regular speaker and contributor to articles for organizations such as TEI, ITP, Chicago Tax Club and CCH.  Tim is also an Editorial Advisory Board Member representing credits and incentives for the Journal of State Taxation.

Tim earned his Bachelor of Science in finance from Indiana University.

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From The Ground Up: Feat. Michael Langley of Greater MSP

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Michael LangleyMichael Langley is the founding CEO of GREATER MSP, the Minneapolis Saint Paul Regional Economic Development Partnership.  GREATER MSP leads global promotion, regional strategy, and project management for economic growth and job creation in the Minneapolis Saint Paul region, with 3.5 million residents and a Gross Metropolitan Product of over $230 billion. He brings years of experience to the role as a widely recognized  economic  development  strategist  who  has  also  led  successful  regional economic  development organizations in Florida and Pennsylvania.

Michael’s award winning work as a practitioner includes his leadership as CEO of the Allegheny Conference on Community Development in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, often regarded as a globally-leading organizational model for regional economic development, regional advocacy, and public policy research.

Since the formation of GREATER MSP in 2011, the Minneapolis Saint Paul region has achieved strong job growth and record unemployment, and has been recognized widely for its diverse and resilient economy. The Atlantic recently published an article citing “The Minneapolis Miracle” and CNBC’s 2015 “Best States for Business” ranks Minnesota #1. The Greater MSP led “Minnesota Medical Manufacturing Partnership” was also awarded the “Investing in Manufacturing Communities Partnership” (IMCP) designation from US Department of Commerce in July 2015.

Prior to becoming an economic development practitioner, Michael led a successful corporate career, spent primarily in the technology sector working in leadership positions for a number of Westinghouse/CBS  divisions, including  serving  as  President  and  CEO  of  Westinghouse  Audio  Intelligence Devices, Inc., a world leader in wireless surveillance technology.

A graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, Mike also earned a MS in information systems from the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California.  He served as a Navy pilot with more than 5,000 hours of flight and crew time on surveillance and intelligence missions worldwide and as a technology analyst on the staff of the Chief of Naval Operations. He has also been awarded an honorary doctorate in Humanities by American Intercontinental University for his work in community improvement.

Michael’s community service includes leadership on the Board of the Minnesota Orchestra, the Metropolitan State University Foundation Board of Trustees, the Super Bowl LII Host Committee Executive Board, the NAIOP Board of Directors, and the Board of the International Economic Development Council (IEDC).

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From The Ground Up: Feat. Laura Brandt of the Metro Denver Economic Development Corporation

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Laura BrandtLaura Brandt is the Director of Economic Development for the Metro Denver Economic Development Corporation and has more than 30 years of experience in economic development, community organization and marketing. Laura assists with prospects, research and business recruitment and retention.

Since joining the Metro Denver EDC, Laura has worked on a variety of office and industrial projects including Vestas, DaVita, Lockheed Martin, Fidelity, Ardent Mills and Panasonic Enterprise Solutions Company.

Prior to joining the Metro Denver EDC, Laura was an Economic Development Specialist for the City of Lakewood for six years. While at Lakewood, she coordinated the creation of two urban renewal districts and the relocation of more than 50 businesses that were displaced by the $750 million Belmar redevelopment.

Laura served three terms as a member of the City Council in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. She is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin – Platteville.

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An Inside Look: Feat. Dan Levine of Oxford Economics

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Dan LevineDan Levine joined Oxford Economics US Consulting as Practice Leader of Location Strategies and Economic Development in 2014. He has had a lengthy career in location strategies consulting, economic development and public sector finance.

Dan previously led the Location and Incentives Consulting Practice at ADP, Inc. and also owned and operated a boutique corporate relocation consulting company, MetroCompare LLC.  In these capacities, he advised companies on where to locate new facilities (e.g., call centers, industrial plants and shared-service centers) and negotiated incentive packages on behalf of these companies in excess of $150 million. Clients included Citigroup, Novartis, Burlington Coat Factory, Dyson and the Biotechnology Council of New Jersey.

Dan previously served as Assistant State Treasurer of New Jersey, where he led many of that state’s economic development efforts including the creation of a first in the nation incentive program targeting retention, privatization of the state aquarium and a waterfront master development agreement in Camden, NJ.

Earlier in his career, Dan was Director of Incentive Services at PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Dan is a graduate of Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government (Masters) and earned his BA in Economics from the University of Chicago.

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From The Ground Up: Feat. Jerry Mallot of JAXUSA Partnership

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Jerry MallotJerry Mallot is executive vice president of the Jacksonville Regional Chamber of Commerce and president of JAXUSA Partnership, formerly Cornerstone. Jerry directs a staff of 12 in the areas of business development, international, workforce and research.  Jerry led the formation of a seven-county economic development program to expand high wage jobs in northeast Florida.  During his tenure, Jacksonville has seen its greatest number of new and expanded companies, as well as new jobs created, in the city’s history.

Prior to coming to Jacksonville in January of 1994, Jerry was senior vice president of the Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce and executive director of the Tampa Bay Partnership, a six-county regional economic development program.  Jerry served as Mayor Alvin Brown’s economic development advisor in 2011 and 2012.

Jerry is a member of the Executive Advisory Board of Jacksonville University School of Business, THE PLAYERS Council, Community Connections and the Gator Bowl Association.  He is a past president of Leadership Jacksonville and the Florida Economic Development Council as well as the World Trade Center Association of Florida.  Jerry has served on the Board of Enterprise Florida, the Florida Association of Colleges and Universities, Visit Jacksonville and the World Affairs Council.  He has been named the Economic Development Professional of the Year in both Florida and Kansas.  He has won awards such as the Northeast Florida Business Hall of Fame, Ultimate CEO by Jacksonville Business Journal and Florence Davis Community Achievement Award from Community Connections.

Jerry received a Bachelor’s degree in business and a Master’s degree in economics from Wichita State University. Jerry has also earned the Certified Economic Developer and Certified Chamber Executive designations.

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An Inside Look: Feat. Peter Wirth formerly of Newmark Grubb Knight Frank

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*please note: at the time this recording took place, Peter was with Newmark Grubb Knight Frank. He has since moved on to new opportunities, but still offers incredible insight into the field of site selection in this interview.

Peter WirthPeter Wirth joined Newmark Knight Grubb Frank’s Dallas office in 2010 to fulfill a commitment to strengthen and expand the integrated services operation of the real estate platform of Newmark Grubb Knight Frank’s Global Corporate Services division, being one of a distinguished and select few certified GCS Brokers. Peter assists in the development and implementation of strategic initiatives to companies around the globe and has a keen understanding for fully leveraging Newmark Grubb Knight Frank’s operational consulting arm with the global real estate strategy offerings. Peter’s specialty is location strategy, helping clients identify the fundamental for where they should be and why.

Peter has assisted such clients as Kohl’s Department Stores, Nokia Siemens Networks, AT&T, SuperMedia (Verizon Wireless Yellow Pages), Just Energy, Momentis Energy, Hancock Bank and Huntington Bank, among others. Peter is recognized by both his peers and his clients as a source of trust and integrity.

Prior to joining Newmark Grubb Knight Frank, Peter served at GVA Cawley as a global corporate services associate. He has been awarded Power Broker, CoStar, 2013; and Top Office Deal of the Year from DCEO Magazine, 2013.

Peter holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Texas Christian University’s M.J. Neeley School of Business, where he majored in both finance and real estate.

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From The Ground Up: Feat. Annie Baxter of the Georgia Department of Economic Development

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Annie BaxterAnn Marie Baxter is the Director of the Logistics, Energy, Agribusiness, and Food Processing (LEAF) industry team within the Global Commerce Division of the Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD).

Annie has served twice with GDEcD, most recently as Senior Project Manager for the Aerospace, Defense, and Advanced Manufacturing (ADAM) team and previously as a Statewide Project Manager. She has assisted companies such as Caterpillar; Keurig Green Mountain; Systemax; Bed, Bath and Beyond; and King’s Hawaiian with locations. Prior to her times with the GDEcD, Annie worked for the Electric Cities of Georgia and the Albany Dougherty Economic Development Commission.

Annie is a former Board Member with the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties (NAIOP) and former Advisory Director of its 2014 Future Leaders Class. She also chairs the Young Professionals Committee of the Georgia Economic Developers Association and serves on the 2015 4-H Foundation Gala Committee.

Annie is a graduate of the University of Georgia with degrees in Spanish and Public Relations. In her spare time she enjoys playing tennis with her ALTA team and enjoying live music as often as possible.

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