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.
New perspective brings new solutions
Keynotes for
Community Stakeholders
Jason provides compelling, thought-provoking keynote presentations on community-first economic development.
Workshops for
Community Leaders
Jason provides engaging and fruitful leadership workshops on community-first economic development.
Community-First Economic Development
Community-First Economic Development is a new perspective on the work of community and economic development. For too, long we have been solely focused on business recruitment and real estate development. While those are critical components of success, they are subservient to our greater goal: the economic health of the individual people in our community.
When we measure economic development by jobs brought and tax-base created, we are working in silos that make it difficult to see our greater impact and to remember why we are doing any of this to begin with. So many communities are seeing their population getting poorer over time (in relation to life’s big expenses like home ownership, education, health insurance, and more), even while they are landing corporate relos and recruiting manufacturing companies. The problem is not the work of the economic developers. It is, instead, the silos in which they operate. To be successful in the new economy is to crack open those silos and reorient your perspective around community and economic development.
We must start with our why — why economic development exists, why our local government exists at all — for the well-being of the people in our community (the people who are already there). We must build our systems, efforts, and metrics around their individual economic health. Only then will we achieve the types of systems that will generate success for our communities over the next 10, 20, even 50 years.
Topics
TESTIMONIALS
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
Ideas for Change
Thought-Leadership Articles
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.
Change Needed in the City’s Approach to Residential Development
Recently, I attended a joint meeting of City Council and the Planning Commission in Rock Hill, SC. I was among the listening public.
Point-to-Point: The Radical Impact of the Internet on the Global Supply Chain
Innovation and technology are changing everything we do. No industry, no institution, and no social structure is unaffected. Read the full article here.
Getting to the Bottom Line: The small business owner’s guide to financial success
A guide to small business accounting for the small business owner.
How to Be Happy: An open letter to my children
Dear Drake and Rosey, my hope for you both in life is that each of you is happy. I don’t mean preoccupied or entertained or superficially happy. I mean truly, deeply happy — day-to-day and ultimately.
We’ll Miss You, John Prine
John Prine died last night from COVID-19. He was a beautiful soul in this world. This is for you, John.
Workforce Change
Workforce tends to be the central issue for most communities nowadays. Though I would say that “workforce” is really just one ugly manifestation of the same issue that is plaguing all smaller cities and towns.
In Anticipation of My Custom Guitar Experience of a Lifetime
As part of making the Local Pickup show, we are headed to Santa Cruz, CA to spend two days with legendary luthier Richard Hoover and Santa Cruz Guitar Company to shoot an episode of the show with them.
The Fundamental Workforce Problem and What to Do About It
The change that is taking place in workforce in our nation right now is no less than a paradigm shift.
The Crisis Underneath the US Economy
I work most every day trying to add value in a way that makes me proud of what I do. I enjoy my work – its creative and fun.
Economic Success for York, SC (and any small town in the US)
Economic Development is quality of life. It is the bettering of the quality of life of the people in a particular place. We tend to think of it as the pursuit of jobs or tax base or real estate development. But it’s quality of life, plain and simple.
How Downtowns and Websites are the Same (and how you get ROI from each)
In the Internet Marketing work that I do with RevenFlo, we build and then market a lot of websites. In doing so, it’s tempting to look at traffic to a website. For example, we had 100 people to the site. Or 1,000 people to the site. That’s ten times as many, so it must be way better, right?
The State of Manufacturing in the US
The Industrial Era is over. But that doesn’t mean Manufacturing is dead. Quite the opposite. Manufacturing is the largest sector in the US. Learn more.
Be a Florence in the New Renaissance
As your organization or community looks to recruit and retain talent, evolve with and for the millennial generation, and reorganize around a new vision of success for the radical changes in our world and economy, it will behoove you to think of yourself as a Florence in the New Renaissance.
Please Stop Social Selling!
If you were invited to a lunch of business leaders in your community (some of them you know some of…
How Manufacturers Can Leverage the Internet
In order to successfully use the Internet, manufactures need to be present, be professional, and be differentiated in the online…
State of Infrastructure in SC
Jason addresses the annual $1.4 billion shortfall in the roads and transportation systems of South Carolina. He discusses the concept…
Non-Profits & Mobile Technologies
How can your non-profit use mobile technologies to increase awareness and engagements? Jason discusses the importance of using social media…
Internet Marketing for Non-Profits
In this video, Jason discusses the importance of having a powerful web presence as a non-profit organization. In order to…
Incentives for Growth
What drives business to your community? Sometimes tax incentives aren’t a feasible option for many communities who want to bring…
Streetcars in Communities
What’s the difference between a transportation tool and an economic development tool? Not much, according to Jason Broadwater. Often underestimated…
Transportation Strategy
How long does it take for you to get to work? Your favorite café? Whether you’re stuck in traffic daily…
An Economic Development Strategy for the City of Rock Hill, SC
I developed an economic development strategy for the City of Rock Hill, SC. I want to share it with whomever…
Innovation Horizontal
How can one person be valuable to many different industries? Easy. Jason identifies the little known horizontal slice of innovation…
Education in Economic Development
To revitalize your community, you have to start from within it. Think about what you learned in school. So much…
Winthrop Football, Still Undefeated
At a business luncheon, someone asked the new president of Winthrop University if we will get a football team. This…
Find Your Champions
How can you get the new generation of millennials to want to participate in your community or business? Can you…
Economic Development in Communities
Creating a community that’s culturally vibrant seems daunting. But it may not be as difficult as it seems. It’s not…
A Partial Vision of My Community (like remembering a dream)
I had a vision, partial vision, of my community, like remembering a dream, starting from where I stood in RevenFlo…
The Connected Village
A short video we shot on the Connected Village – urban revitalization for new-economy Economic & Community Development.
How Rock Hill, SC (and your town) are Like Florence of the Renaissance
I once wrote a children’s youth fiction fantasy kinda book called Wayland. The book was about a little boy who…
Nominated Rock Hill, SC for the GEC in Milan, Italy
I nominated Rock Hill, SC (particularly Knowledge Park) for the Global Entrepreneur Congress event in Milan, Italy. Here’s the video…
On Marketing the Knowledge Park in Rock Hill, SC
RevenFlo has been contracted to provide the marketing support for the Knowledge Park Innovation Initiative in Rock Hill, SC.This initiative…
Learning from Boston while at Harvard
I’m currently in a program at Harvard in the John F. Kennedy School of Government on Innovation in Economic Development.…
Knowledge Park Study Offers Helpful Recommendations
Rock Hill’s local newspaper The Herald published an article yesterday focusing on the new city-commissioned study of Knowledge Park. The…
South Carolina Tax Reform: Man on the Moon in 2016
John F. Kennedy gave NASA one goal. It was an ambitious goal, unthinkable even. It was very specific and had…