Online advertising has become gamified consumerism. Increasingly, we buy online advertising because the advertising platforms give us satisfying evidence that something is happening on the screen. We buy reach, views, and clicks because it feels good when we get them, a rush, a fix. Social media taught us to crave the quantified social reaction. Advertising platforms then turned that same psychological device into a business model to sell clicks.
Is Your Community Prosperous or Not?
A Tale of Two Cities
- Increased wages, yet high poverty.
- Low unemployment, yet low workforce participation rates, and hundreds of available jobs.
- Soaring growth and gains, yet fewer and fewer people able to attain a life with the big ticket items that have defined the middle-class experience (owning a home, reliable transportation, childcare, education, amenities, vacation, retirement, financial security).
The Emergent Economy
As we focus on the work and wins of economic development, an economy emerges that is extractive in nature. How do we instead emerge an economy that is circulatory and compounding in nature? This is the critical question for the long-term prosperity of communities across the nation.
Praise for Keynotes & Workshops on
Community Economic Development
Visionary Person
“Jason is a visionary person with a remarkable ability to put ideas into action. In supporting economic development, highest recommendations!” — Stephen Turner, Director of Urban and Economic Development, Rock Hill, SC (retired)
Crystal Clear
“Jason’s keynote presentation made Economic Development crystal clear.” — Patty Schmucker, EDC Team Jefferson, WA
High Value
“The one word I would use to describe the actual meat and bones of his talk would be: high-value.” — Leslie Friedman, Executive Director, Elbert County Chamber of Commerce
From the Heart
“Jason speaks from the heart. I would highly recommend him again.” — Anthony Gallo, President, Lorain County Chamber of Commerce
Unreal Good
“This was the best seminar I was privileged to attend in the past two months. The speaker was unreal good and the info he gave us has already had a positive impact on our town. Good job. No, great job. Thank you.” — Bill Beall, Mayor, Federalsburg, MD
Truly Inspirational
“Jason is a seasoned speaker with a charismatic style that blends messaging around economic development, community building and marketing. Truly inspirational!” — Lynn Carpenter, VP Marketing, VisitCalifornia
A Hit for Sure
“Jason provided our group with a great mix of data, humor, and insights that were informative and entertaining at the same time. We’ve received very positive feedback from attendees. He was a hit for sure!” — B Gorman, President & CEO, Tahoe Chamber
Exceptional
“Jason… Your share in Salisbury was exceptional on many levels.” — Bob Rich, Owner, Delmarva Farm Management Services / Land Advisor, Sperry Van Ness
Icing on the Cake
“Your presentation was the icing on the cake. You brought a very inspiring and well thought out message. I would love to see your ideas begin to root here in Nevada.” — Sheryl Gonzales, Project Manager, Western Nevada Development District
Uncanny
“Jason’s ability to convey the message of how crowdsourcing can be used as a tool to spur redevelopment efforts is uncanny. He has made the connection between public engagement and community redevelopment.” — Wade Luther II, Economic Development Director, Camden, SC
Visionary
“Jason is a self-organizing and visionary entrepreneur and a leader in our community.” — Debra Heintz, Executive Director, Arts Council of York County (retired)
Excites the Mind
“Jason excites the mind when he is speaking. He is creative and brings the ever-changing culture to the discussion of long-time problems. He looks through new eyes. Our 60-plus CEO attendees enjoyed his talk greatly…and are still referring to his ideas!” — T. Jan Wiseman, Executive Director, Greater Salisbury Committee
Incredible Ability
“Jason has the incredible ability to take complex, creative ideas and articulate those ideas in a very powerful way. Our community WILL move forward thanks to Jason Broadwater.” — David Bradley, President & CEO, Athens Area Chamber of Commerce
A Powerful Experience in Clarity
Currently only available in-person. Audiences generally include council members, government staff, economic & workforce development groups, chambers of commerce, small business groups, and general community awareness groups.
Three Content Options
Option One (The Original)
Seven Forces: The Dawn of Local Prosperity Economics
Seven Forces is an introduction to, and an overview of, The Emergent Economy through the exploration of seven national economic forces that are negatively impacting our communities and the seven creative community responses for improved outcomes in local prosperity.
Option Two
Jobs Plenty Poor: A Workforce Paradigm Shift
Jobs Plenty Poor is an overview of The Emergent Economy through the lens of, and with a focus on, Workforce. This version of the presentation is good for chambers of commerce and economic development groups that are specifically interested in workforce solutions.
Option Three
Compounding Circles: Small Businesses & Local Prosperity
Ecosystem Evolution is an overview of The Emergent Economy through the lens of, and with a focus on, Small Businesses. This version of the chamber is great for any groups specifically addressing small business and entrepreneurship in your community.
Thought-Leadership Articles
Why “Shop Local” Campaigns Don’t Work (and what to do about it)
While Shop Local campaigns may generate a slight bump in local sales for a few weeks, the results are usually mediocre and temporary. This is not a criticism of the people running these campaigns. The problem is, instead, with the nature of the Shop Local campaign itself. Ditch your Shop Local Campaign for a Discover Local initiative, and see a permanent change in local consumer behavior.
Save Your Community’s Small Businesses from Extractive Debt
A Small Business Debt Fund can save your community’s local small businesses from extractive debt cycles that kill small businesses and send money out of the local economy.
Category Marketing: How Small Businesses Win
Category Marketing: How Small Businesses Win The Art If David would have walked out to meet Goliath with sword and…
Extractive Economics: Why communities are getting poorer & what to do about it
Are the people of your community getting richer or poorer? Well, by isolated metrics, like wages and 401ks, one could argue richer. But by lived experience, in relation to the important expenses of our lives and our ability to build wealth over time, the clear answer is poorer. But why? The answer is woven into our economic system.
Kids, Character, and Workforce Economics
There is no better workforce investment than my wife. My wife is a counselor at a small, rural, Title I elementary school in South Carolina. How much money is being spent to address the soft-skills crisis in the US right now? How many billions of dollars? How many employers report that workers struggle with communication, teamwork, adaptability, conflict management, and self-regulation? Working with adults is triage. We must invest in the future of our workforce.
Individual Economic Health
Economic Developers have traditionally focused on business recruitment and real estate development. Now we find ourselves in workforce development, skills training, soft-skills, even transportation and childcare. We need a new perspective on what it means to serve a community in Economic Development.
Shift: Pending U.S. Economic Crisis
More people are getting poorer over time. We must evolve our understanding of the economy so that we can see the pending crisis that lurks underneath. Only then can we design the changes that will avoid calamity and create a better future for all.
The Agriconomy as an Economic Development Strategy for York County, South Carolina
York County should invest significantly in developing the “Agriconomy” (as I call it) – agri-business, agri-tourism, agri-lifestyle, etc. – in the western part of the county.
20 Solutions that You May Not Like for the Economic Crisis in the US
Some of you will not like these solutions… I get it. Some of these are pretty radical. But, the fact remains, doing all of (or even some of) these things that I spell out below would help combat the economic crisis in the US, The Great Slide I call it, of the working class into poverty.
Case Studies in Innovative
Community Economic Development
Athens Achieves
Athens Achieves is a county-wide workforce initiative in Athens / Clarke County, Georgia, managed by the Athens Area Chamber of Commerce. Jason designed and developed (along with RevenFlo) the job portal for the project, which is designed to connect job-seekers, employers, and support organizations (for childcare, transportation, second chance programs, and more) through a single, locally focused digital platform. The initiative combines thoughtful brand strategy, human-centered technology design, and coordinated community participation to improve access to employment and strengthen the local workforce ecosystem.
Career Connect
Jason worked with York Technical College in South Carolina to create a workforce development initiative that served as a recruiting tool for York Technical College through career education (with a focus on the skilled trades). The site used video, career data, and integrations with local job websites to help people in the community understand what careers were available, what companies in the area employed those careers, what jobs in those careers were currently open, pay and growth data for those careers, and what training they needed to get started. Then, they could sign up for the training they needed from York Technical College.
York SC Forward
Jason Broadwater worked with Dr. Velma Love and the York Economic Development Corporation (YEDC), in collaboration with the City of York, South Carolina, and its economic development staff, to garner input from the community, craft a vision for the community, and develop a playbook of economic development projects that could be further developed over time. The vision and playbook covered all areas of community development including business recruitment, tax base, small business ecosystems, transportation, childcare, elder care, homelessness, inclusion, social justice, culture & arts, and more.
Givolio
Givolio (your giving portfolio) was a personalized giving platform that allowed a user to select from over 1.8 million nonprofit organizations and build their own portfolio of giving. The application kept up with all of your giving in one place and provided a one-click tax report for all of your needed tax information for your giving throughout the year. Givolio also offered workplace giving options, working with employers to provide giving opportunities to their employees. Not only was this good for giving, but it was good for recruiting a talented millennial workforce, who want to work for companies that demonstrate social responsibility.
Aday Remus
Aday Remus allowed participants to identify buildings in their community and design prototypes of the use of those spaces (a coffee shop, a cowork space, a bookstore, a pizza place, etc.). A hand-picked group of MBA students from Winthrop University worked with Economic Development staff at the City of Rock Hill to identify available buildings in the fledgling historic downtown and develop business ideas for the use of those spaces. The ideas were presented to the community in the form of a conference, engaging the community in imagining what their downtown could become.
University Center
Jason worked with Sidewalk Development to provide input on strategy, audience, and voice for a bold new vision for a long-vacant textile factory adjacent to the beautiful campus of Winthrop University in Rock Hill, South Carolina. The plans included commercial office space, an indoor Athletic Complex with competitive courts, a 120 room hotel and banquet center, a Market Pavilion with retail and food vendors, Restaurants and an indoor stage complex, 500 bed student housing, Market rate apartments as well as Active Adult living, and outdoor festival spaces.
Columbia Museum of Art
Jason facilitated a strategic process with staff and key stakeholders of the Columbia Museum of Art to design changes to the museum’s brand, approach to marketing art and events, and internal processes and tools. The museum was looking to be successful with the next generation of supporters while maintaining value for its current supporters. RevenFlo helped redesign the brand, website, and marketing materials.
Knowledge Park
Jason worked with the economic development staff of the City of Rock Hill, South Carolina, to develop the concept of Knowledge Park, which was a business-park-esque economic development strategy for the center of the city that included the burgeoning downtown, Winthrop University, and the previously blighted abandoned textile corridor that lies in between. The project was focused on placemaking in the urban environment. The project was multifaceted, leading to hundreds of millions of dollars in private investment in the Knowledge Park area.
The Hive
Jason designed, co-founded, and managed The Hive, which was a collaborative program that brought students from Winthrop University and York Technical College into an office space in the fledgling downtown Rock Hill, SC and trained them to design and develop websites by building free and low-cost websites for regional non-profit organizations. Part workforce development, part capstone experience, part social support through helping nonprofits market better, the program demonstrated to the community the power of collaboration and what the knowledge economy looks like in our downtown revitalization.
Jobs Rock Hill
Jobs Rock Hill was a jobs website for the City of Rock Hill and the surrounding area. The site was developed in reaction to a study that revealed that 50,000 people drive out of York County everyday to work in neighboring Charlotte, NC. The Jobs Rock Hill project was an attempt to retain talent in Rock Hill and York County, South Carolina. The website integrated with a career education website from York Technical College called Career Connect, and showed training courses that matched current job openings. Tens of thousands of people used the site to search for and find jobs in the Rock Hill area.
Podcast about
Community Economic Development
Episode 132 – Ryan Sanderson, CEO of Knowledge Perk
Ryan Sanderson shares the successes, struggles, and lessons behind building Knowledge Perk and life as an entrepreneur.
Episode 131 – Caroline Lewis, CEO of Farmer’s Feed
Caroline Lewis discusses how The Farmers Feed helps connect local farms with their communities.
Episode 130 – Chad Williams, Candidate for South Carolina Senate District 15
Chad Williams talks about running for South Carolina Senate District 15.
