Trust, Place, and the Future of Regional Manufacturing Growth with Chuck Shoopman

In this episode, I sit down with my old friend and longtime collaborator Chuck Shoopman, president of Growth Innovations Group and a leader in Tennessee. We take a trip down memory lane back to our days with E3 and the early IMCP initiatives and talk about how those early bottom-up, place-based strategies have now become central to national economic revitalization efforts. Chuck shares relevant stories from his time at the Tennessee Valley Authority and the University of Tennessee, reflecting on how losing manufacturing jobs impacted rural communities and why rebuilding that foundation matters now more than ever.We dive into the critical role of trust in regional collaboration, the unique value that universities can bring when they truly partner with communities, and why private sector helpers like Chuck’s group are vital to strengthening local manufacturers. If you care about sustainable economic development, workforce readiness, and America’s role in a global manufacturing race, this one’s for you. We cover a lot but it all comes back to working together at the regional level to move the national project forward.AMCC’s podcast is made possible in part by the expertise of Mike McAllen, founder of Podcasting4Associations. Are you part of an association also looking to produce a podcast? Let us get you in touch with Mike.Thank you to the Economic Development Administration for their partnership in producing this podcast. This podcast was prepared in part using Federal funds under award 3070145 from the Economic Development Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce. The statements, findings, conclusions, and recommendations are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Economic Development Administration or the U.S. Department of Commerce.🔗Links to Learn More:Find Chuck on Linkedin.Follow AMCC on Linkedin.Find Matt on Linkedin.Visit our website.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.