We examine local real estate markets and the unique mix of property and economic development components at the local level here at the ‘Are We Here Yet?’ podcast so our listeners can find inspiration for their own local efforts back home. This episode host Scott Graves sat down with Ed Bove, Executive Director of the Rutland Redevelopment Authority in Scott’s adoptive hometown of Rutland, VT. Scott found resonance with Ed in their shared interest in incremental development and generally a ‘Stron...
Sep 19, 2024•1 hr 5 min•Season 10Ep. 163
Without getting to Jargon-ey, our guest Gregory Thomas and yours truly explored where and how we in the private sector and within institutions can support the journey from on-the-shelf research to marketplace success. Gregory is The Executive Director and Lecturer for the Berthiaume Center for Entrepreneurship, Isenberg School University of Massachusetts Amherst . UMASS is a leader in cutting edge research for a number of Massachusetts tech sectors. The UMASS system which includes campuses in Lo...
Sep 12, 2024•54 min•Season 10Ep. 162
The team at Innova802 enter the solutions-driven world of biomimicry with Vermont entrepreneur Byron Garcia. Byron is the founder of Natural Designs where he and his team study the natural flora and fauna of the planet for clues to solving some of industry’s most pressing issues. Projects include improvements to data center cooling systems through the mimicry of beetle wings and elephant ears and a whole new class of non-nicotinoid pesticides that prohibit the infestation of pests without killin...
Sep 05, 2024•1 hr 12 min•Season 10Ep. 161
We had the distinct pleasure of engaging in conversation with two very special professionals. In their report, Integrating Inner & Outer Systems Change , authors Stephen Posner & Kim Nolan offered us insight into the importance inner perspective within each of us plays in the necessary task of reimagining how we collectively survive and even thrive on the planet. Our conversation was vivid. I have to say I personally enjoyed these interviews, taken over two months this past spring, for m...
Aug 26, 2024•49 min•Season 9Ep. 160
Doug Merrill is Regional Innovation Officer for UVM in Burlington, VT. Doug is leading the charge for the Vermont GaN Tech Hub, a regional reshoring initiative spurred on by the CHIPs legislation. Doug joined the Innova802 team to discuss the project's progress and its potential impact to the regional economy. We also talked about what's so fab about gallium nitride microprocessing chips. From a rural development perspective the state of Vermont is eager for this reshoring of technology-based ma...
Aug 16, 2024•54 min•Season 9Ep. 159
For more than five years Travis Benson has represented the interests of citizens of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts as a policy advocate, primarily working on issues of transparency. His article, "Dissecting the 'Toxic' State House Culture", published May 25 in Commonwealth Beacon recounts the current dysfunction of the state legislature of Massachusetts. The issues we discussed are not unique to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, a state near and dear to host Scott M. Graves, the state of his...
Aug 10, 2024•35 min•Season 9Ep. 158
My guest today is Ilana Preuss, founder of Recast City, LLC which she’s led for 10 years. To date, Ilana has worked with 60 communities throughout the United States. Her commitment is to apply her expertise in smart growth, community reinvestment, real estate analysis, and stakeholder engagement to create more opportunity for more people in more places and to create strong, inclusive, and resilient economies. Her core beliefs navigate this approach. Ilana is the author of 2021’s, Recast-Your-Cit...
Aug 08, 2024•1 hr 8 min•Season 9Ep. 157
This latest Innova802 episode had the crew of Scott Graves, Ryan Munn and Will Jeffries exploring different sides of the question, 'Who owns this?' We explored the issue surrounding last spring's decision by Spotify to set limits on how they pay royalties to artists, something Scott takes issue with since his days in the industry. This affects all creatives utilizing Spotify as a platform, including many local Vermonters and other rural artists. Will and Ryan offer a look at two Vermont-centric ...
Aug 01, 2024•59 min•Season 9Ep. 156
Up End This is a custom modular housing solution, a startup located in Johnson, VT. It’s founder Michael Zebrowski is the kind of entrepreneur that everyone can both connect with and look up to. He and his family have weathered the recent floods and the more daily mundane challenges inherent in owning your own business. Learn More from Up End This They are looking to grow with a smart strategy and an eye towards the future of de-centralized housing solutions. We spoke about how decisions made on...
Jul 25, 2024•42 min•Season 9Ep. 155
We begin our episode with an interview co-host Scott M. Graves held with Vermont State Rep. Monique Priestley (D-Bradford) regarding the latest on the bill she is co-sponsoring. VT. House Bill 121 was vetoed by Gov. Phil Scott at the end of the 2024 legislative session and upheld by the Vermont Senate. We offer our listeners the latest on the future of the bill from Monique, who used the opportunity to engage our audience with information via her new web presence Let'sDoPolicy.com. Many citizens...
Jul 22, 2024•57 min•Season 9Ep. 154
Since 1975, Tom Fox has been at the forefront of urban park and waterfront development primarily in New York City. His creative thinking, commitment to community engagement and coalition building, use of unique funding mechanisms, and knowledge of government and the media have resulted in revitalized waterfronts and waterways, new parks, greenways and community gardens that have made the city a more desirable and sustainable place to live, work, and visit. A working class kid from Brooklyn, Tom’...
Jul 16, 2024•1 hr 13 min•Season 9Ep. 153
Erica Von Kleist is performing artist, educator, businesswoman, colorful commentator on any number of the more ridiculous intersections between art and modern life and wouldn’t you know, she plays the saxophone to top it all off and we have to acknowledge, just had the premiere of three new arrangements at no less than Carnegie Hall. Find Erica on the Web I’ve admired her work for many years now and thought about asking for an interview for the AWHY podcast, it was the commentary of many of our ...
Jul 10, 2024•1 hr 16 min•Season 9Ep. 152
“Rural communities do not exist solely to be extracted from. They are also generative, they can host tech, sic (the example from) our radically Rural biotech (program) is to not just bring (biotech) to but grow from the people and places we already have.” Julianna Dodson, Director of Radically Rural and Deputy Director for the Hannah Grimes Center for Entrepreneurship spoke with us regarding the well documented need and regenerative benefit of our relationships in order for community development...
Jun 20, 2024•1 hr 13 min•Season 9Ep. 151
"I DON’T THINK THE ‘MONTANA MIRACLE’ IS A ONE-TIME FLUKE. I THINK IT CAN REPRESENT A NEW PARADIGM OF POLITICS IN MONTANA, WHERE THE LEFT AND RIGHT JOIN TOGETHER IN COMMON BELIEF THAT MONTANANS MUST BE FREE TO BUILD, INNOVATE, AND PROGRESS IN ORDER TO OVERCOME THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES FACING OUR STATE." So we opened our Season Nine here at the ‘Are We Here Yet?’ podcast with this quote from Kendall Cotton. He is Executive Director of the Frontier Institute . We met earlier this year after Kendall w...
Jun 13, 2024•1 hr 19 min•Season 9Ep. 150
Many rural regions of the US appear to be at the vanguard of a de-centralization of venture capital. Specifically, we are seeing a gradual increase in interest on the part of those controlling venture capital streams to ensure we go beyond Boston, New York, San Francisco and Austin. So can Venture Capital ignite rural economies? What other critical mass changes are necessary to realize resilient rural economies capable of creating well-paying and meaningful jobs in innovation? This is the focus ...
May 24, 2024•1 hr 9 min•Season 8Ep. 149
We had the distinct Pleasure to speak with Daniel Parkins with a rather broad question to answer: What does the way we assign value to commerce, global policy, culture and just about everything else in our community tell us about our society. Does it reflect our weaknesses or our strengths? What does it say about the health of our communities, about the health of our inner self? In an era where most of us question globalization, where students are questioning our values while taking to the stree...
May 10, 2024•1 hr 8 min•Season 8Ep. 148
Our Vermont tech team was joined by Joshua Moses . Josh works with individuals, organizations, and communities to cultivate vision and resourcefulness in the face of uncertainty and socio-ecological transitions. He is currently on the faculty of Haverford College. Josh is currently visiting faculty with us in Vermont at UVM. He joined our conversation dealing with why and how our tech sector requires the perspective of the fine and performing arts and other, broader disciplines defined as humani...
May 03, 2024•1 hr 15 min•Season 8Ep. 147
The folks at Vermont-based medtech startup Aprexis are no strangers to the definition of persistence. This is the just the start of why the podcast desired to talk with co-founders Mike Howe, Rob Squire and Carrie LeCompte. In this episode you’ll learn the importance for rooting a medtech solutions company from the clinicians perspective. We spoke at length regarding the challenges unique to medtech software firms, namely the challenge to working in an iterative technology that comes up against ...
Apr 18, 2024•1 hr 2 min•Season 8Ep. 146
David J. Neff serves as Operating Partner at Austin, TX based Ecliptic Capital where he works with portfolio companies on people, process,, marketing, strategy and culture. he spearheads the fund’s concentration on climate change and energy transition as part of ecliptic Capital’s deep tech thesis. Our conversation is focused on the recent report Ecliptic released offering a comprehensive look at considerations for the consequences of Artificial Intelligence called, ‘How Artificial Intelligence ...
Apr 11, 2024•1 hr 12 min•Season 8Ep. 145
It was so interesting to talk with pianist, David Haney. Based in Portland, Oregon David travels often to NYC to perform at Joe’s Pub. Since 2012 he’s been the publisher and contributing editor of Cadence Magazine Online. In this two part interview we listen to performances of Improvised compositions featuring David and his friends. David discusses how he became publisher of Cadence Magazine Online. Learn more about Cadence Magazine...
Apr 04, 2024•1 hr 5 min•Season 8Ep. 144
Kevin Chu is Executive Director of the Vermont Futures Project People from throughout the United States can access their thoughtful and well researched information in order to make the case for workforce, middle market, affordable and any other form of housing needed. The core goal driving the work of the organization is to increase Vermont’s population while providing good housing to a more diverse population. The information provided by the project goes well beyond just addressing housing. Lik...
Mar 28, 2024•58 min•Season 8Ep. 143
Join Vermont tech leaders Will Jeffries, Ryan Munn and Scott Graves as they discover the best this Brave Little State has to offer in technology-driven entrepreneurship. Maybe you’re local, maybe you have a rural project in another part of the country, maybe you just love to talk technology and tech policy. We want YOU to come with us, listen in and join the neighborhood. #ruraldevelopment #techinvestment #ruralinnovation Like what you hear? Have a episode topic you want us to tackle? Let us kno...
Mar 20, 2024•43 min•Season 8Ep. 142
The housing crisis gripping the United States is gaining a disconcerting momentum in the Northeast, as it is in many regions of the United States. In this episode we’re speaking with Worcester, MA developer Jackson Restrepo regarding the challenges to the housing market in this, the second largest city in New England and one of the fastest growing cities there, as the Biotech sector continues to grow in Massachusetts. This is the second in our ongoing series of episodes focused on the housing cr...
Mar 12, 2024•1 hr 9 min•Season 8Ep. 141
We all hear about the importance of international talent to the US technology sector. We understand how an open set of arms to international trade, travel and immigration plays a role in our country’s success. But our historic relationship to immigration tells a much more complicated story and with the recent threat of closed borders as posed by a possible Trump 2024 administration, we wanted to take a closer look at the lived experience of those plying the waters of our current international te...
Mar 07, 2024•52 min•Season 8Ep. 140
Scott M. Graves, host of the ‘Are We Here Yet? Podcast speaks to us regarding the importance for small cities and towns to take advantage of the opportunity recently presented to solve some of the most pressing economic and social issues of our day. ‘For we are, I’m sure of this, at the start of a national movement to decentralize the map. For placing venture capital where it’s needed most, for updating outmoded zoning laws so we can start rebuilding our built environments to serve all of our ne...
Feb 15, 2024•40 min•Season 8Ep. 139
With a background in housing policy, law and international business, author and business leader Peter de Krassel has witnessed the long arc of bad housing policy across the globe. He is launching Breaking Housing Matters as a novel means to solve the global housing crisis, one that is designed to address the impasses our current system of financing and policy has created over the last half century or more. More on Peter’s Book, Custom Maid Housing for a New World Disorder Breaking Housing Matter...
Feb 05, 2024•1 hr 6 min•Season 8Ep. 138
We’re launching a closer look at Artificial Intelligence; how it has and will shape our society. How you can shape an informed perspective around what’s sure to play a significant role effecting all of us for centuries to come. Rather than do this investigation from a good/bad standpoint, we’d rather treat all of YOU, our listeners as the smart and curious people that you are! So away we go! Our guest, Dr. Meltem Ballan, Ph.D. has decades of experience in digital technology, data science, and AI...
Jan 27, 2024•54 min•Season 8Ep. 137
Regional Artist and VSU Castleton student Julie Griffin fills us in on the artist response to the latest attempt by Vermont State University to curtail budget constraints by consolidating fine and performing arts programming between its campuses. Find out what was the response to the proposed change by artists and students alike, get inspired by their response for when you need to organize and constructively show your dissatisfaction with institutional decision-makers. Mentioned in this podcast:...
Jan 19, 2024•36 min•Season 8Ep. 136
A Definition of Peace from Daniel Parkins. He helps businesses and local civic leaders work with communities to transform conflicts, launch impact initiatives, and achieve sustainable growth. Find Daniel here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielparkins/ and in The Jazz Room: we were able to chat a bit with bassist, Dave Holland just before his set at the Newport Jazz Festival. We talked about the musicians with him on that date and he answered questions from our friend Dave Zox. Learn more about ...
Jan 11, 2024•53 min•Season 8Ep. 135
In an age of decentralizing the map when it comes to venture capital, place takes center stage for an increasing number of communities whose neighborhoods benefit from innovation centers, coworking space, workforce development space and the like. Our guest Robert Pieroni has his own story to tell in founding Downtown Launchpad in Houston, Texas. He’s a successful VC and is currently Director – gBETA ITA & Director of Italian Business Development for our good friends at gener8tor and he’s wit...
Dec 31, 2023•51 min•Season 8Ep. 134
