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From The Ground Up: feat. Rusty Brockman of The Greater New Braunfels Chamber of Commerce

Rusty Brockman

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Rusty Brockman Rusty Brockman is the Director of Economic Development at The Greater New Braunfels Chamber of Commerce, where he has served for 14 years. Rusty retired from public education in 2001 after 28 years; 15 of those were with the Comal ISD as campus assistant principal, principal and central office administrator.  He spent the first 13 years of his career teaching life sciences, health, and physical education and coaching.

Rusty’s civic organization work includes Board member and Past President of the Wurstfest Association, New Braunfels Breakfast Lion’s Club President, Drive Chairman and Past President of United Way of Comal County, Advisory Board member of the Comal ISD Public School Foundation and Past President of the Canyon High School Athletic Booster’s.  Rusty was also named Citizen of the Year in 1993 by the New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung, 1992 Chair of the Board and 2011 Honors Hall Award recipient of the Greater New Braunfels Chamber of Commerce and received the Seven Seals Award from the Army National Guard in 2010.

In professional organizations, Rusty serves as Immediate Past President of the Executive Board of the Texas Economic Development Council, was appointed in 2011 by Governor Perry to the Guadalupe Blanco River Authority for a 6 year term, Chairman of the Austin/San Antonio Corridor Council Economic Development Committee, member of the Guadalupe Basin Coalition, Board member of the Central Texas Technology Center, Board member for the Alamo Area Academies Institute at Alamo Colleges and Board Secretary of The Center for Entrepreneurship in New Braunfels, Texas. Rusty is actively involved in continuing the development of higher education, workforce training and business development opportunities in New Braunfels and Comal County, Texas.

Rusty graduated from the University of Houston in 1974 with a BS in education, and in 1979 received his Masters in Education and Administrators Certification from Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas.  Rusty married M’Liss Probst in 1975 and moved to New Braunfels in 1986. They are parents to five children and have 4 grandchildren.

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An Inside Look: feat. Mike Bennett of Jones Lang LaSalle

Mike Bennett

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Mike BennettAs a Senior Vice President in the Business & Economic Incentives group at Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL), Mike Bennett leads the execution of national and global site selection services with a focus and expertise in incentives negotiations and overall strategy.

Mike has over 15 years of experience in local and regional economic development, business attraction, location-based decision support, prospective site due diligence, as well as labor market evaluations.

Mike’s professional background represents a balance of public and private sector experience.  Prior to joining JLL, he was with Cushman & Wakefield Global Consulting where he was responsible for managing corporate site selection projects primarily in the warehouse, distribution and manufacturing sectors.

In addition to his work at Cushman & Wakefield, Mike was in community and regional economic development with the City of Glendale, Arizona and worked closely with the Greater Phoenix Economic Council.  He is recognized as a key resource for state & regional economic development organizations looking to understand how to position their communities to compete for national projects.

Born in São Paulo and holding both Brazilian and U.S. citizenship, Mike spent 18 years in Brazil, Argentina, Chile, the Philippines and Singapore before relocating to the United States for university studies.  His international project experience includes work in Austria, Brazil, Canada, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Panama and Singapore.

Mike earned a bachelor of science in Regional Development from The University of Arizona in 1999.  In 2004, he completed The University of Oklahoma’s Economic Development Institute program. He is also involved with the Chicago Council on Global Affairs.  Mike has been a JLL “Young Gun” since 2013 and earned Gold Achiever honors in 2014.

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From The Ground Up: feat. Andrea Schruijer of the Valdosta-Lowndes County Development Authority

Andrea Schruijer

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Andrea Schruijer

Andrea Schruijer is the executive director for the Valdosta-Lowndes County Development Authority (VLCDA). Before joining the VLCDA, Andrea was senior vice president for the Albany-Dougherty County Economic Development Commission. Her primary responsibilities were business retention and expansion, operations and development of industrial parks.

She spent ten years with The Ritz- Carlton Company LLC, serving in different roles. She completed several different levels of training to include: The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Course, Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Mastering Sales and Presentations and customer service training. Andrea was part of the Malcolm Baldridge Quality Award Team and Sales Team of the Year, and she was nominated for Leader of the Year.

Andrea has been a member of Georgia Economic Developers Association (GEDA) since 2007. She served as GEDA’s chair for the Special Awards Committee in 2010 and 2011. Andrea was appointed to the 2014 GEDA Board of Directors to serve a second three year term. She is an alumnus of Leadership Georgia and Leadership Lowndes.

Andrea is a native of Cordele, Georgia and a graduate of Georgia Southern University.  She is married to Raymond. They are the proud parents of three children: Justin, Emma, and Willem.

 

 

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An Inside Look: feat. Chris Schastok of CBRE

Chris Schastok

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Chris Schastok

Chris Schastok is a vice president of CBRE’s Location Strategy & Incentives practice. This advisory group assists clients globally with site selection and economic incentive negotiations, in conjunction with the overall strategy and execution of corporate real estate initiatives. Aligning location decisions with business strategy, Chris has negotiated more than $1B in incentives and has vast experience representing clients on corporate headquarters, shared services, food processing, heavy manufacturing and warehouse/distribution center projects.

Prior to joining CBRE, Chris was a part of Jones Lang LaSalle’s Business and Economic Incentives Group, where he focused on site selection, economic incentive negotiations and overall real estate strategy. Prior to joining Jones Lang LaSalle, Mr. Schastok served as an Associate at SmithBucklin, where he acted as the liaison between professionals from a large Mergers & Acquisitions association and lead decision makers from national Private Equity Groups to enhance M&A capabilities.

Chris has contributed to several business publications, including Area Development Magazine and the Chicago Council on Global Affairs 2012 Foreign Direct Investment study. As a guest speaker, he has addressed many professional organizations including the Dallas Regional Chamber, the Missouri Partnership, the North Alabama Industrial Development Conference and Area Development’s Consultants Forum in Florida and Texas.

Chris is a Licensed Illinois Real Estate Broker, a Six Sigma Green Belt, a Reserve Media, Inc. Advisor, a Member of the State of Michigan’s 2013 Location Advisory Board and a Board Member of Women’s Global Education Project.

Chris received his Bachelor of Arts in History from Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut.

 

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An Inside Look: feat. Jeff Pappas of Cresa

Jeff Pappas

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Jeff PappasAs a principal at Cresa in Dallas, Jeff Pappas represents corporate clients on a national and international basis, managing their global real estate strategy through location advisory and labor market analytics. Jeff assists companies in identifying, evaluating, and selecting the optimal location for their capital investments. Such projects cover a wide array of related factors, including sites, infrastructure, labor demographics, state and local taxes, and incentives. With over 22 years of experience, Jeff has conducted site analysis projects in every region of the United States and Canada, as well as multiple markets within Europe, Asia, Latin America and Africa. Jeff’s skills include location screening, in-field site evaluations and negotiating economic incentives for a wide range of clients, particularly in the contact services, BPO and technology industries.

Jeff’s areas of analysis include offshore and outsourcing partnerships, national market segmentation / sizing, and economic analysis and Jeff has written extensively on the call center market in Latin America. His specific experience includes location analysis, economic research, financial analysis, site evaluation, real estate negotiations, strategy assessments, and marketing analysis.

In 2011 and 2012, Jeff was named by Nearshore Americas to its prestigious Top 50 Latin America Power Ranking list, which list reflects the very best in Americas-focused outsourcing services leadership. From 2010 through 2013, D CEO Magazine honored Jeff as a Power Broker of the Year. Also, the Dallas Business Journal recognized Jeff as a 2013 Top Broker in DFW.

Jeff writes widely on site selection issues and methods, labor market analysis and economic development; recent topics include: labor market evaluation, labor force trends and emerging international BPO markets. He has spoken before many professional groups including the Denver Economic Development Partnership, Metro Hartford Alliance, Caribbean Investment Forum and the Nicaragua Investment Forum.

Jeff earned a Bachelor of Behavioral Science degree in Communications from Hardin Simmons University, where he also played collegiate soccer. Aside from being an active writer and speaker, he devotes a significant amount of his personal time to coaching girls’ select soccer, focusing on skill and player development for the D’Feeters Soccer Club of Dallas. As a patron of the arts, he is also active with the Nasher Sculpture Center’s Avant-Garde Society and AT&T Performing Arts Center’s Center Circle.

Also, Jeff is an active committee member for both St. Monica Catholic School and Thomas Jefferson High School alumni board in Dallas, Texas.

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From The Ground Up: feat. Cecilia Harry of the Greater Freemont Development Council

Cecilia Harry

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Cecilia Harry Cecilia Harry is a master level economic development professional. Cecilia is active in promoting Fremont, NE and the Greater Omaha Area as a quality community for business location and expansion and a terrific place to call home. Cecilia’s specialties include business attraction, business retention and expansion, program design and evaluation, workforce development, support for entrepreneurs and small businesses, and public and member relations.

Prior to joining Fremont, Cecilia was the founder of Harry Development Strategies, LLC where she coached and supported career development. Cecilia was also the economic development coordinator for the Leavenworth County Development Corporation. While there, Cecilia expanded BRE program outreach, doubled count of businesses that received technical assistance, secured $42K in training grants for five companies to facilitate the creation/retention of jobs, designed and implemented internet marketing strategies and increased credibility and accessibility of the agency through consistent and genuine community outreach, relationship and trust building with stakeholders.

Cecilia is a board member of the International Economic Development Council (IEDC) and is currently the vice chair of their External Relationship Committee. She led the efforts of the IEDC Young Professionals Task Force in 2014. She has been recognized by GISPlanning, Inc. and fDi Intelligence as a recipient of Economic Development Leadership Team Award for efforts related to nurturing young professionals in the economic development field. Her organization is successfully wrapping up a five-year private sector investment campaign that will increase her organizations programming budget by over 60%.

Cecilia received her Bachelor of Arts in psychology from the University of Notre Dame and her Master of Social Work in social and economic development from Washington University in St. Louis. She is also a proud graduate of Oklahoma University’s Economic Development Institute.

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An Inside Look: feat. Brad Migdal of Transwestern

Brad Migdal

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Brad MigdalBrad Migdal is an Executive Managing Director in Transwestern’s Location Advisory and Economic Incentives Advisory Services practice. Brad has experience managing corporate site selection engagements, business incentives projects, and economic development consulting assignments.  His expertise is in the areas of domestic site selection and location analysis, economic incentives research and acquisition, and demonstrating the economic and fiscal impacts of a wide variety of projects to both corporations and governments. He specializes in working with state agencies and local municipalities in connection with negotiating incentive packages. Brad’s prior successful negotiations have included financing assistance and grants, job credits, training grants, sales and use tax benefits, property tax abatements, and other in-kind benefits.

Prior to joining Transwestern, Brad was a Managing Director in the Global Corporate Services, Consulting Division at Newmark, Grubb, Knight Frank. Brad also was a manager at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP and Deloitte Tax LLP.

Brad is passionate about politics and social services. He supports Citizens United for Research in Epilepsy (CURE). He has also been an honored speaker at the North Eastern Strategic Alliance – South Carolina, NAIOP Wisconsin, Missouri Economic Development Council, Michigan Economic Developers Alliance, Mid America Economic Development Council and the Kansas City Area Development Council. Brad has also testified in front of legislative bodies regarding various economic issues. Brad serves on the Area Development Magazine Editorial Advisory Board and is an Advisor for Consultant Connect.

Brad received his Bachelor of Arts in International Relations from the University of Wisconsin – Madison, his Juris Doctor from The John Marshall Law School in Chicago, IL and his Masters of Law (LLM) from the Boston University School of Law.

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From The Ground Up: feat. Greg Wathen of the Economic Development Coalition of Southwest Indiana

Greg Wathen

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Greg WathenGreg Wathen serves as President and CEO of the Economic Development Coalition of Southwest Indiana. Since March of 2007 his leadership has helped garner over $2.8 billion in investment over 3,500 jobs and $73 million in state and federal grants for the region. In 2013, Wathen’s collaborative efforts saw Midwest Fertilizer Corporation, the largest investment for the state of Indiana choose Southwest Indiana for its first North American site.

Prior to his work at the Coalition, Wathen worked as the Executive Director for the Perry County Development Corporation, where he worked to secure nearly $500 million in new industrial development along with more than 2,000 new jobs. He also played a critical role in Perry County establishing its own railroad and river port on the Ohio River.

Prior to his stay in Perry County, Wathen was Public Affairs Manager for the Greater Louisville Economic Development Partnership; and, he also managed the Greater Louisville Media Information Center, an independent news service bureau which assisted international, national and regional media in dealing with stories about the Greater Louisville area.

Wathen is a sought-after speaker and has spoken to regional and national groups on issues such as reshoring investment; media relations and marketing; and, has conducted media relations’ seminars for such groups as the National Forum for Black Public Administrators. During 1999 and 2001, he was part of a five-member U.S. team who taught the first tertiary and advanced economic development courses in New Zealand.

A graduate of Indiana State University, Wathen is Accredited in Public Relations by the Public Relations Society of America, and held the position of president for the Bluegrass Chapter of the PRSA. He is a past president and served on the board of directors of the Indiana Economic Development Association, a statewide economic development organization with more than 300 members. He also served as one of the original 23-members of the Indiana Economic Development Corporation board of directors, created by the Indiana Legislature to carry out the economic functions of the State beginning in 2005.

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From The Ground Up: feat. Jeremy Vannatta of Big Sky Economic Development

Jeremy Vannatta

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Jeremy Vannatta Jeremy Vannatta is the director of Business Recruitment & Marketing for Big Sky Economic Development in Billings, Montana. He is the first point-of-contact with prospective businesses and facilitates the recruitment process in collaboration with internal and external resources and organizations. He also manages the overall marketing direction and public relations for the organization.

Prior to joining Big Sky Economic Development, Jeremy served as a Senior Marketing Manager for Macerich. He also held the post of vice president of the Billings Area Chamber of Commerce, and was the head of marketing for Thrifty Car Rental locations in Montana, Wyoming and Idaho.

Jeremy has been actively engaged in many non-profits throughout his community including the Montana State University Billings Alumni Association, American Cancer Society, Habitat for Humanity and many others. Jeremy and his wife, Haley, are publishers of Yellowstone Valley Woman magazine. He was selected as a 40 Under 40 Business Leader in his community, and has been recognized by the IEDC for his organization’s business recruitment and marketing efforts.

Jeremy holds a Bachelor’s of Science degree in media communications with an emphasis in marketing from Montana State University Billings.

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An Inside Look: feat. Kate McEnroe of Kate McEnroe Consulting

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Kate-McEnroeKate McEnroe formed her consulting company in 1993 in Chicago, and then relocated the business to Atlanta in 1994. From the start, Kate’s intention has been to keep the business small so that she can personally deliver the services she sells. Kate’s focus has been on corporate site selection assignments with expertise in labor-sensitive projects. She often monitors and evaluates her clients’ entire portfolio of locations with an eye toward determining the best opportunities to implement expansion and consolidation strategies. Kate also works with economic development organizations helping them refine their understanding of and presentation of workforce information and on optimizing their marketing efforts.

Prior to Kate McEnroe Consulting, Kate was vice president and principal with Fantus, the company that founded the field of location consulting. While at Fantus, she conducted corporate site selection studies and economic development projects in both New Jersey and Chicago. At the time, the norm was for location consultants to remain at arm’s length from the real estate transaction for the purposes of objectivity and that is the business model that Kate continues with today.

Kate is a Midwesterner, raised in Chicago and suburban Detroit, where her family still lives. She and her husband live in Atlanta, but enjoy downtown living in Chicago. She enjoys reading, quilting and a car-free lifestyle.

Kate attended Kalamazoo College in Kalamazoo, Michigan where she earned a business administration degree in economics and business. She then moved east to earn her masters of business administration at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School in Philadelphia.

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