Martin Karl Vanags
Join business owners and leaders, entrepreneurs, community and economic development professionals in learning about the latest trends impacting your future today. Today, more than ever, technology, the green economy, leadership and human performance intersect. Gaining knowledge and wisdom in these ares make for a well-informed leader. Every Thursday I curate these topics as well as articles about the quirky and fun things in life (think music, food and drink).
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Welcome to Curated Morning. A compendium of news, information, and stories that economic development professionals, community development leaders and elected officials read every week to stay in touch with what is happening in our economy. The Main Thing:The late, great coach of the San Francisco Forty-Niners, Bill Walsh, was known for being process-oriented. In his successful effort to build a championship team, Walsh required everyone to identify all the steps necessary to master their job. If you were the receptionist in the main office, you were asked to break down every step it took to become a successful receptionist. From the way you picked up the phone, the words you said, and the way you transcribed and sent messages, everything was determined and scrutinized. Then you practiced these steps until they were second nature (a sign of “flow”). The same went for the Offensive Lineman, the uniform manager, and the defensive back coach. Everyone was expected to practice their “process.” Ultimately, the team achieved great success, winning the Super Bowl in 1981, 1984, and 1988. Do you have a process in place to achieve successful outcomes? In my fourth post in my Flow-Resiliency series, I define how process trumps outcomes. Read it here. Focus On Economic Development:Mapping Chicago's Tech: New Research Brings Ecosystem into Focus The Illinois Workforce and Education Research Collaborative (IWERC) has launched an ambitious project to map Chicago's tech ecosystem, bringing together over 40 organizations involved in tech training and workforce development. As reported in Mapping Chicago’s tech ecosystem (Jasmine D. Collins |Discovery Partners Institute) the project, which began in February, aims to systematically analyze the city's tech landscape through the perspectives of employers, employees, education providers, and equity considerations. Through job posting data analysis, training provider surveys, and participant insights, researchers plan to catalog non-degree adult training programs to identify strengths and gaps in the ecosystem. Why this Matters: This comprehensive ecosystem mapping approach represents a valuable model for economic developers seeking to strengthen their regional tech sectors through data-driven collaboration. The initial findings already highlight critical insights applicable to any community: tech ecosystems are inherently complex with organizations playing multiple, sometimes overlapping roles; career pathways are non-linear with multiple entry points; funding sources significantly influence ecosystem priorities; and human-centered approaches remain essential despite technological focus. Take Action: Create a comprehensive directory of tech training programs in your region to improve coordination and reduce duplication of efforts. Establish regular cross-sector convenings focused specifically on education, employers, employees, and equity to drive ongoing alignment and improvement. Develop metrics that track both economic outcomes and equity impacts to ensure your tech ecosystem serves diverse populations. Partner with research institutions to analyze job posting data and skills requirements specific to your region's tech employers. From CRM to ERM: How EcoMap is Redefining Economic Development Software In the article (and podcast), Economic development already has CRMs. What's the ecosystem approach? (Chris Wink | Technical.ly) we learn about Baltimore-based startup EcoMap is launching a new software category called Ecosystem Relationship Management (ERM) in June, positioning it as the next evolution beyond traditional Customer Relationship Management (CRM) tools for economic development. The tool responds to a growing "ecosystem building" movement in economic growth, which prioritizes nurturing local entrepreneurs over tax-incentive-driven business attraction. With early adopters like the Indiana Economic Development Corporation already using EcoMap to coordinate services across organizations serving 20,000 stakeholders annually, CEO Sherrod Davis sees this as part of the "professionalization" of ecosystem building as a recognized economic development discipline. Why this Matters: This evolution in economic development software reflects a fundamental shift in how regions approach economic growth, moving from siloed competition toward collaborative ecosystem building. Economic developers should recognize that the tools we use shape our strategies and outcomes – traditional CRMs reinforce transaction-based approaches, while ERM systems may enable the relationship-driven, multi-organizational collaboration that modern innovation economies require. Take Action: Conduct an audit of your region's entrepreneurial support organizations to identify where collaboration currently breaks down due to information silos or competitive dynamics. Convene these organizations to establish shared metrics for ecosystem success that transcend individual organizational goals. Investigate collaborative data-sharing platforms like EcoMap's ERM that could facilitate cross-organizational case management for entrepreneurs. Create a regional entrepreneurship dashboard that aggregates data across organizations to demonstrate collective impact to funders and policymakers. Why this Matters: The scale of this project demonstrates how energy availability is reshaping site selection decisions, with companies increasingly willing to consider non-traditional locations when abundant, reliable power can be guaranteed. Economic developers should note that this project combines several emerging trends: behind-the-meter power generation, hydrogen as an energy source, and the clustering of energy production with intensive energy users. Take Action: Assess your region's potential for large-scale energy development and identify significant land parcels that could accommodate similar integrated energy-data center projects. Explore partnerships with energy developers already active in renewable or alternative energy projects in your area to discuss potential data center integration. Other Articles of Interest this week:Green Economy-- Why Rivian is throwing its support behind a micromobility spinoff by Jordyn Grzelewski | TechBrew -- “We set out to apply what I think has made Rivian really successful to date, which is a vertically integrated, technology platform-centric approach,” Chris Yu, Also’s co-founder and president, tells Tech Brew. Leadership-- How to avoid really bad decisions. (Hint: One tip is just hit pause.) by Christina Pazzanese | The Harvard Gazette -- The business world is certainly no stranger to executives who either intentionally or accidentally cross ethical or even legal lines…These cases, of course, are outliers. The vast majority of business leaders consistently make sound, moral, and legally informed decisions for their firms. However, they do face challenges, and it requires a solid process to navigate the complexities of many decisions, says Joseph Badaracco, the John Shad Professor of Business Ethics at Harvard Business School. Something You Should Read:How many of you remember the video of people haphazardly passing around a basketball, wherein you were tasked to count how many times the ball was passed by people wearing something white? As you focused in on the white-wearing passers, you likely missed the person in the gorilla suit passing throught their midst. The gorilla even stops to pound their chest. You can watch the video here, but now that you know the secret, it's no longer as compelling. This experiment aimed to determine what our brains focus on in such situations. If we are asked to focus on a subject, our senses work to focus and concentrate on that subject. The same applies to what we consume online. With AI in the picture (pun intended), we can now be influenced, not only by words, but also by pictures and photographs. Will we be able to determine what’s real? Or will we be fooled by the power of AI. The article linked below prompts us to reflect on what we are viewing and encourages us to question what we see. The author, Arryn Robbins, a researcher and Professor of Psychology at the University of Richmond, offers some tips on how to recognize when our brain and AI are playing tricks on us. Read AI-generated images can exploit how your mind works − here’s why they fool you and how to spot them in The Conversation. Overheard:“We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be.” — Kurt Vonnegut The Rabbit Hole:Boredom is the Eye of the Beholder One of the things you hear many people say about the Midwest, especially that portion where I live (Illinois), which was once a vast prairie, hence our nickname, the "Prairie State," is that the landscape is boring. I take offense at that. It's all about perspective. We may not have towering mountains or crashing ocean waves, but we have something equally captivating-miles of prairie, or as some might say, endless fields of corn and soybeans. The sight of these crops shimmering in the summer heat is a unique and beautiful experience. I know my farm friends in New York State would be happy to have long stretches of farmland to plow versus the small rock-interrupted fields they have to contend with. This leads us to the article linked below, which describes a coast-to-coast car trip across the USA. The article provides information on sights to see and national Parks to visit. It would be fun to take a car trip like this, like to take this trip. However, the author claims there is only one place to stop and see between Chicago and Denver (Lincoln, Nebraska). Hence, my argument. There are countless places to see between these two cities, each offering its own unique charm. From the serene beauty of Anderson Gardens, to the rugged allure of Starved Rock State Park, to the industrial marvel of the John Deere Pavilion, there's something for everyone. And let's not forget the natural wonders of the Illinois River and Lock and Dam system, the mighty Mississippi River, the iconic Field of Dreams in Iowa, and the thrill of watching the Chicago Cubs' triple-A team in Des Moines. So, why not use the Midwest as a template for your next coast-to-coast trip? There's so much to see and experience here. Start by reading the article linked below for some inspiration. Who’s Fooling Who? Who doesn't like a movie starring two iconic actors, Leo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks? The two starred in the highly entertaining 2002 film Catch Me If You Can. Looking back, these two actors never age. If you are unfamiliar with the story, "Catch Me If You Can" tells the tale of Frank Abagnale Jr., the ultimate con artist. By his early twenties, he had swindled over $2 million, posing as an airline pilot, doctor, and lawyer. In this article, questions about the truth of some of these claims are disputed. Abagnale has appeared on television and been interviewed for publication, repeatedly claiming various things; however, upon closer examination, many of these claims proved to be untrue. After being a victim of a major con when I worked in commercial real estate, I have been fascinated by con men and grifters and their mindsets. Today, the types of cons perpetrated by people like Abagnale are more complex due to technology, but they still occur. Lying hasn't gone out of style, and as technology can catch conmen, it can also help them perpetrate and promote fiction. Be careful out there! Read the story and questions about the real Frank Abagnale, Jr. here. Downsize Your Busy Life Here is a past reprinted from the daily Wisdom Well newsletter by Chip Conley. If you are a “doer” and find yourself pushing and being busy, you may benefit from reading this: No one ever uttered the sentence that is the title of today’s blog post. And, yet, our modern tendency is NOT to simplify, but to complicate. When we’re younger, we might have thought that a simple life is a boring life. But, by the time we’ve hit 50, we know our life could use a little downsizing. In that spirit, I penned this poem below. Thanks for Subscribing and Reading If you know someone who might enjoy this newsletter, please feel free to share it with them. If someone forwarded this to you and you would like to subscribe, you can do so by clicking below. 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Martin Karl Vanags
Join business owners and leaders, entrepreneurs, community and economic development professionals in learning about the latest trends impacting your future today. Today, more than ever, technology, the green economy, leadership and human performance intersect. Gaining knowledge and wisdom in these ares make for a well-informed leader. Every Thursday I curate these topics as well as articles about the quirky and fun things in life (think music, food and drink).