RoleCall’s Annual Superlatives: The Best People, Places, Partners (and Pizza!) of the Year

Wow. What. A. Year. 

We are so unbelievably fortunate to have met some of the best and brightest and downright awesome people, places, and programs in 2021. At a time when so many things are focused on resilience and recovery, we wanted to pen a little love letter to the positive things and forward-thinking that inspired us this year.

We know there are more out there and we want to hear about them! So, drop us a line and brag about what you have going on. Bringing light to the fantastic work being done across the country is a great passion of ours at RoleCall. The work of economic developers often goes unnoticed. That’s not cool with us. Let’s take this year to celebrate each other’s success!

Best Local Partnership

Champaign County EDC and Visit Champaign County, Champaign-Urbana, IL

When it comes to EDC/CVB partnerships, Carly McCrory-McKay of the Champaign County EDC and Terri Reifsteck of Visit Champaign County set an extremely high bar for collaboration, innovation, and their ability to, to put it bluntly, get sh*t done. By sharing the work (and deflecting the credit), they’ve built a remarkably strong partnership in Champaign-Urbana. Throw in the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign’s Dana Cohen, and you have a tenacious trio of triumph. Their most recent success? The Chambana Welcome Crew, a program to help new and potential Champaign-Urbana area residents navigate their new home.

Best State-Level Innovation

North Dakota Department of Commerce

North Dakota is a small state that is thinking big. Like, really big. As we see in nearly every corner of the country, the state has a large number of jobs open and not enough people to fill them. So, they’ve partnered with RoleCall to launch a statewide talent attraction program to invite new North Dakotans to join the party. The team is led by Katie Ralston, and she has built a squad of regional champions. Her team is mighty and amazingly well-connected to one another, despite their geographical distance. And this isn’t new, the state has been running a wildly successful Personal Relocation Assistance Program under the watchful eye of Melyssa Diebold. Now, they’re ready to expand it and carve out their rightful place as a national innovator in talent attraction. We couldn’t be happier or more excited to be along for the ride.

Best First Friend

Beth Franklin, La Crosse (WI) Chamber of Commerce

Have you met Beth? Well, you should. Beth runs the First Friend Newcomer Connection Program for the La Crosse Area Chamber of Commerce. Beth’s kindness and warmth combined with her ability to connect with La Crosse employers make her a perfect match for newcomers and, well, a perfect first friend. The program is only a few years old, but it is growing quickly and proving to be a major asset in the talent attraction strategy for La Crosse. 

Best Brainstormers

Matt Sanford and Joe Stewart, City of Carlsbad, CA

Having friends and clients like Matt and Joe is really great. Sure, they’re fun and kind and smart and driven, but knowing them and working together has made us a better company and better economic developers. Our conversations might start with feedback and updates about Carlsbad’s Life in Action Recruiter Tool, but we end up talking about a lot more than that. They are smart, bold thinkers and extremely generous with their time. Both Matt and Joe are able to see things in a creative way, and our brainstorms have churned out some really big ideas. Click below to check out an episode of the Tacos + Tech (best podcast name ever?) we did with Matt a few months back!

Best Incentive Program

Remote Tucson (AZ)

We could write all day about incentive programs, and we actually did a webinar about them last year. The programs are many and the successes are imprecise, but we fell in love with Remote Tucson from the very start because it set itself apart from the rest of the pack. Dre Thompon and Liz Pocock started a program on a shoestring budget by prioritizing community connection. Instead of just a cash incentive, they focused on perks like free wifi, arts and culture passes, coworking space, and a membership to their outstanding young professionals program. Now, they’re getting upwards of 500 applicants and building a base of new, loyal, proud Tucson residents.

Paradigm Shifter

Rebecca Undem, Growing Small Towns

You know that feeling you get when you’re talking to someone and you lean back, exhale deeply, and think “they just GET it.” Well, that’s Rebecca. Her work in Oakes, North Dakota (pop. 2,100) and her organization, Growing Small Towns, will dramatically reshape the way people see small towns across the country. Why? Because she won’t stop until they do. She’s tenacious and dedicated, funny and bold, smart and poised. We pride ourselves on thinking outside the box when it comes to economic development, but after a chat with Rebecca, we always feel inspired to push ourselves and our work even further.  Want to soak up a little of Rebecca’s magic in real-time? Check out this fun convo we had about people-centered economic development on her podcast!

Biggest Problem Solver

Zack Mannheimer, Alquist

Zack and his company, Alquist, printed the first 3D-printed home in the country last month in Virginia. Yeah, that’s right, printed a home. There’s a housing crisis going on across the country. I think we all know that. So Zack got to work trying to solve the problem. Their printed homes are more affordable, eco-friendly, and provide drastic time savings. As the printed home industry grows, Alquist will be at the tip of the spear solving this problem. 

Best Mentors

Josh Krakauer, Sculpt

Melissa Halsell, Tennessee Valley Authority

Kyle Sexton, ChamberThink Strategies

Dre Wright, Humanize My Hoodie

Terri Bradshaw, Kentucky Capital Development Corporation

Michal Eynon-Lynch

Brian Crowe, Greater Des Moines Partnership

Each one of these people probably deserves their own blog post. Over the course of 2021 and before, this group has gone so far above and beyond to help us succeed. They’re confidants, cheerleaders, pushers, connectors, helpers, and most of all, friends. We’re lucky to have them in our lives and our work, and we’re so thankful for each of them.

Quick Hits

We finally got a chance to visit clients and attend some in-person conferences in 2021. Here are a few of our favorites from the road:

Best Bite

Tim: Mushroom Pizza, Bricco Pizza Romana - Philadelphia, PA

Winona: Fried Cheesy Pickles, The Toasted Frog - Grand Forks, ND

Best Adult Beverage

Tim: Triptych Dank Meme, Sipyard - Urbana, IL

Winona: Aged Rum Flight, Paladar - King of Prussia, PA

Best Coffee

Tim: Frozen Cheerwine Latte, Mean Mug Coffee - Salisbury, NC

Winona: Frozen Cheerwine Latte, Mean Mug Coffee - Salisbury, NC

Best Hotel

Tim: The Jasper - Fargo, ND

Winona: Bottleworks - Indianapolis, IN

Best Airport

Tim: Eastern Iowa Airport - Cedar Rapids, IA

Winona: Nashville International Airport - Nashville, TN

Best Drive

Tim: Watford City, ND → Bismarck, ND

Winona: Salisbury, NC → Gold Hill, NC

Best Conference Buddies

Tim: Cherie & Carly, Member Marketplace - IEDC 2021 - Nashville, TN

Winona: The Emsi Gal Pals, Cara, Courtney, & Jay - IEDC 2021 - Nashville, TN

Best Book

Tim: Greenlights, Matthew McConaughey

Winona: In The Weeds by Tom Vitale