Catch Up With Chuck | Dave Rippe

Rural Futures Institute Author

03/13/2018 Added

15 Plays

Description

Recorded Episode

Searchable Transcript

Search:

[00:00:04.942]Welcome back to "Catch Up With Chuck"
[00:00:06.689]from the Rural Futures Institute
[00:00:08.443]at the University of Nebraska.
[00:00:10.451]I'm Chuck Schroeder.
[00:00:11.592]I'm the founding executive director
[00:00:13.084]of the Rural Futures Institute,
[00:00:14.855]and I have a very special guest with me today that,
[00:00:17.148]quite honestly, I wanted to get on this program even
[00:00:20.789]before he rose to his new elevated position
[00:00:25.112]as the director of the Department of Economic Development
[00:00:28.294]for the state of Nebraska, Dave Rippe.
[00:00:30.145]Dave, welcome.
[00:00:31.223]Hey, thanks for the opportunity to be here, Chuck.
[00:00:33.174]It's been a while since we've been able to catch up.
[00:00:35.748]Well it has, and I just, I'm excited about this.
[00:00:39.678]You and I met when I did a community visit to Hastings
[00:00:43.185]on behalf of the Rural Futures Institute a few years ago
[00:00:45.865]when you were the Economic Development Director there.
[00:00:48.976]And at that time, I was so impressed
[00:00:52.674]with the renaissance that had occurred in Hastings.
[00:00:56.054]My gosh, and it was something
[00:00:58.367]that had required leadership, courage in the community.
[00:01:03.122]So that's what I think of when I think of Dave Rippe.
[00:01:05.466](Dave laughs)
[00:01:06.547]But listen, let our audience know a little bit more
[00:01:09.054]about you and your background, and your upbringing,
[00:01:12.038]and the kind of things that Dave Rippe thinks about
[00:01:15.254]when he's trying not to think about anything else.
[00:01:17.605]Well, I am a native Nebraskan, Chuck.
[00:01:21.418]I didn't know if you know that,
[00:01:22.352]but my family's from Malcolm, Nebraska,
[00:01:24.289]which is just west of town here.
[00:01:25.743]Folks still live there.
[00:01:27.400]I grew up on a small, just 20-acre piece of ground,
[00:01:30.887]but I grew up walking beans and milo,
[00:01:33.348]and everything else for area farmers
[00:01:35.406]that they'd pay a guy to do,
[00:01:37.456]and detasseling corn, and eventually building houses,
[00:01:40.570]and just about anything to make a buck,
[00:01:43.013]kind of a classic Nebraskan, right?
[00:01:44.332](Chuck laughs)
[00:01:45.165]Sure.
[00:01:45.998]And ultimately went to Nebraska Wesleyan University,
[00:01:48.586]and then a graduate degree from right here
[00:01:50.791]at the University of Nebraska Lincoln.
[00:01:52.602]And so, very proud Nebraskan, went to work after grad school
[00:01:56.271]for our state Legislature and the Fiscal Office.
[00:01:59.280]And then started recruiting businesses
[00:02:01.200]for the Department of Economic Development
[00:02:03.520]and took a leap of faith and landed in Hastings.
[00:02:06.355]And knew one person when we moved to Hastings,
[00:02:09.234](Chuck laughs)
[00:02:10.775]so we spent eight years there just really building a network
[00:02:13.804]and learning what it means to be part
[00:02:15.760]of a vibrant, thriving rural community in Nebraska.
[00:02:19.666]You know, Dave, your background
[00:02:22.027]brings such credibility, in my view, to your work now
[00:02:25.146]in leading The Department of Economic Development.
[00:02:27.219]Yes, it's a discipline and a profession unto itself,
[00:02:30.974]but understanding the culture has a lot to do,
[00:02:34.693]I think, with potential success.
[00:02:36.212]So, listen, the Department of Economic Development
[00:02:39.413]over the years, you and I were just talking,
[00:02:41.011]has had some really interesting, talented,
[00:02:44.295]creative leadership that have really had an impact.
[00:02:49.225]I know you're new to the role,
[00:02:50.692]but can you share with our audience a little bit,
[00:02:53.093]your vision for how you think things might go
[00:02:57.438]in your role to stir up the economy
[00:02:59.370](Dave laughs)
[00:03:00.203]across Nebraska.
[00:03:01.039]Yeah, well, sure.
[00:03:01.872]Everybody brings a perspective to every job they do, right?
[00:03:04.301]And it's really framed and formed by your experiences.
[00:03:08.232]My experiences have been across our state.
[00:03:11.038]As a business recruiter, I was able
[00:03:12.404]to canvass the state with different companies.
[00:03:14.851]In Hastings, I was able to learn
[00:03:16.401]what it takes to really invest in a community,
[00:03:19.669]and to help build a strong community
[00:03:21.482]where people want to live.
[00:03:22.927]And I think that that's just so important
[00:03:24.730]for us as Nebraskans, to consider.
[00:03:27.565]The governor says it a lot.
[00:03:29.183]Companies and people don't locate
[00:03:30.831]to a generic place in Nebraska.
[00:03:32.557]TheY locate to specific communities,
[00:03:34.794]and ultimately, when people can live anywhere,
[00:03:38.456]they locate in strong communities.
[00:03:40.606]So, really the priorities for us at the Department
[00:03:43.885]are the people, the businesses,
[00:03:46.594]and the communities of Nebraska.
[00:03:49.123]Helping to develop talent, the type of people
[00:03:52.076]that companies and communities want,
[00:03:53.525]investing in strong-
[00:03:54.733]Sure.
[00:03:55.566]-quality communities in our state,
[00:03:57.181]and certainly working hand-in-hand
[00:03:58.520]with our people and our businesses
[00:03:59.856]to build strong communities.
[00:04:01.940]Dave, when I think about Hastings,
[00:04:03.569]actually Dr. Lindsay Hastings here at the university,
[00:04:07.528]did a study a few years ago about communities
[00:04:09.944]that were successful and transitioning leadership
[00:04:12.658]generation to generation.
[00:04:14.572]And that resulted in set of characteristics
[00:04:17.418]of successful communities.
[00:04:20.289]One of those that we love to talk about
[00:04:22.563]is a hopeful vision backed by grit.
[00:04:26.934]And when I think about Hastings,
[00:04:28.210](Dave laughs)
[00:04:29.222]and the dramatic turnaround that you were able
[00:04:32.561]to achieve there, as a community.
[00:04:35.518]I mean, Hastings has been my poster child for years,
[00:04:39.433]now I'm talking about that hopeful vision backed by grit.
[00:04:42.459]I want to you to talk a little bit
[00:04:43.752]about what it took to start turning the ship
[00:04:48.177]in a community like Hastings,
[00:04:50.761]that today just has one of the most vibrant downtowns
[00:04:53.876]I think, in the state.
[00:04:55.470]You've just done some really interesting things there,
[00:04:57.765]so talk a little bit about that renaissance.
[00:05:00.036]Yeah.
[00:05:00.869]Well, you know as well as I do
[00:05:01.769]that a goal without a plan is just a wish, right?
[00:05:03.731]And so it takes follow-through and it does take grit.
[00:05:07.514]And you look at those boots that were on the ground,
[00:05:09.760]and when we came to Hastings in 2010,
[00:05:11.662]so much of the work, you know,
[00:05:13.465]that very important foundational work,
[00:05:15.742]the leadership was in place and it was up and rolling,
[00:05:18.013]and our mutual friend, Randy Chick, in Hastings,
[00:05:20.470]is responsible for so much of that.
[00:05:22.366]And I think Randy said it best when he said,
[00:05:24.735]"You know, the cavalry is not coming to save us."
[00:05:26.895](Chuck laughs)
[00:05:28.439]And I use that a lot.
[00:05:29.898]The communities across our state,
[00:05:32.059]they need to have the leadership,
[00:05:34.100]they need to have the grit, to really take control
[00:05:36.363]of their own destiny, of their own future,
[00:05:38.301]like Randy and the group did in Hastings
[00:05:40.358]and we were able to come be a part of.
[00:05:42.350]I sat with a company the other and they said,
[00:05:43.892]"Listen, we can't go in
[00:05:45.150]and fix all the community's problems.
[00:05:46.667]They need to prepared and ready for us."
[00:05:48.673]I thought that's exactly right.
[00:05:52.346]Our communities need to be strong,
[00:05:54.854]they need to be ready, and I really think
[00:05:56.761]that Hastings is a great example of that.
[00:05:58.463]You have great leadership that recognize
[00:06:00.902]that, logistically, the community isn't ideally placed
[00:06:04.190]along Interstate 80, that population-wise
[00:06:07.101]people are fleeing to urban centers in droves,
[00:06:09.881]and the communities that will be successful
[00:06:11.642]will be the ones that take the investment, the initiative
[00:06:14.277]and the leadership to position themselves
[00:06:15.962]as communities of choice.
[00:06:17.492]And Hastings is an example of that,
[00:06:20.141]Scottsbluff and Gering as examples of that.
[00:06:21.972]Sure.
[00:06:22.805]North Platte, Columbus, Norfolk.
[00:06:24.679]There's terrific examples throughout our state
[00:06:26.644]of communities that are making those types of investments.
[00:06:29.998]Listen, one thing that really struck me,
[00:06:32.536]two or three times actually, that I came to Hastings
[00:06:35.539]to visit with you and then to visit
[00:06:37.182]with local businesses and institutions.
[00:06:41.086]It was always that theme of collaboration.
[00:06:44.469]Not only individual-to-individual,
[00:06:47.251]but from Mary Lanning Hospital creating
[00:06:49.684]collaborative relationships with health care centers
[00:06:52.835]in communities in the region.
[00:06:55.515]Dutton-Lainson and it relationship
[00:06:57.331]with other other small manufacturers.
[00:06:58.164]Sure.
[00:06:59.437]I just heard that theme over and over.
[00:07:01.710]That's something that you'd hope
[00:07:03.952]to promote a bit, state-wide?
[00:07:06.041]Yeah, you bet.
[00:07:06.874]So Gary Pearson is the director of the Chamber of Commerce
[00:07:09.563]and Economic Development Partnership
[00:07:11.383]in North Platte, Nebraska.
[00:07:12.819]Another good friend of ours, sure.
[00:07:13.652](Chuck chuckles)
[00:07:14.485]And Gary said it best one time, he said,
[00:07:16.619]"Every community is just like an individual or group.
[00:07:19.485]It's only capable of so much energy.
[00:07:22.237]If all of the components of that community
[00:07:24.888]or that entity aren't working together,
[00:07:25.774]they're working against themselves."
[00:07:27.948]and I just think that is accurate across our communities.
[00:07:31.818]If all those facets aren't working together,
[00:07:33.713]we're not achieving our best potential.
[00:07:35.296]And so it takes the hospital,
[00:07:37.232]it takes the local manufacturers and employers,
[00:07:39.621]it takes civic leadership, really across the board
[00:07:43.057]to come together in the spirit of collaboration
[00:07:45.109]toward the end goal.
[00:07:46.260]And that's really something that is...
[00:07:48.359]We work across the state that we hope to foster
[00:07:51.125]and hope to encourage
[00:07:52.093]as the Department of Economic Development.
[00:07:54.681]You know, I always think of my visit
[00:07:57.148]to Mary Lanning Hospital, and your Chief Operating Officer
[00:08:00.954]at the time was a fellow, took me around,
[00:08:03.588]and was talking about those relationships
[00:08:05.794]with other health care centers.
[00:08:07.207]And I said, "You know, this doesn't necessarily sound
[00:08:10.163]like a wealth-maximization strategy to me."
[00:08:12.687](Dave laughs)
[00:08:13.770]And he said, "No, but it is our mission."
[00:08:17.177]Yeah.
[00:08:18.010]And by the way, we're looking at all the renovations
[00:08:21.804]to the hospital, the upgrades and the cancer center,
[00:08:24.820]and he looked around, he said,
[00:08:26.050]"So far it's working pretty good."
[00:08:27.396](Dave laughs)
[00:08:28.229]So I love that story.
[00:08:30.156]Well, listen, the mission of the Rural Futures Institute
[00:08:33.299]is to harness the intellectual energy
[00:08:36.057]of the University of Nebraska and its partners
[00:08:39.108]to the benefit of humankind.
[00:08:42.437]So now more than ever, we think about
[00:08:45.208]the relationship with the university to business,
[00:08:49.296]to other institutions, to the culture of our state.
[00:08:53.683]Is part of your strategy to help build those partnerships
[00:08:57.167]with the university entities as well?
[00:08:59.083]Without a doubt.
[00:08:59.973]Mike Boehm, here at the university is a great,
[00:09:02.104]has become a great friend in a hurry.
[00:09:04.031]And Mike has a tremendous vision,
[00:09:06.281]spending time with Ronnie Green,
[00:09:07.826]just really the leadership team here at the university
[00:09:10.553]have been very encouraged about the potential
[00:09:13.372]for how we work together, and it's really...
[00:09:14.663]It's at play every day, we just don't always see it.
[00:09:19.460]At the beginning of February, we took a trip
[00:09:21.653]with the university to Japan, as a follow-up
[00:09:23.637]to the governor's trade mission last year.
[00:09:25.920]As a follow-up to that, the university
[00:09:28.692]and a company in Japan, Kewpie,
[00:09:30.519]just inked a deal for research and development
[00:09:32.394]that we hope will prosper into more
[00:09:33.944]in the months to come.
[00:09:35.171]We administer funds through the Department
[00:09:37.697]under the Business Innovation Act,
[00:09:39.698]and many of those funds come to research projects
[00:09:42.100]with companies here at the university.
[00:09:44.280]Like Quantified Ag, like Vestal,
[00:09:46.277]like in Telefarm, like Virtual Incision.
[00:09:49.305]Across the board, we're investing
[00:09:51.495]in companies that are doing research with the university.
[00:09:55.422]We just took the governor out to Seattle
[00:09:57.194]to go visit some companies and to say thank you to Costco
[00:10:00.192]for investing 400 million dollars into our state
[00:10:03.078]on a project that'll have a billion dollar
[00:10:05.315]annual economic impact to Nebraska.
[00:10:08.749]One of the things that we're working on with Costco
[00:10:11.063]is beef research up at Mead with the University of Nebraska.
[00:10:14.597]Sure.
[00:10:15.430]Another great, just a great example
[00:10:18.147]of the partnership between government, university,
[00:10:20.372]and private business and industry.
[00:10:22.132]And as we look forward at how we continue
[00:10:24.457]to marry up those efforts, I think that's an area
[00:10:26.868]of tremendous potential for our state.
[00:10:29.929]Listen, Dave.
[00:10:31.650]I know personally that you get Nebraska.
[00:10:33.778](Dave laughs)
[00:10:34.670]Rural, urban, east and west, all of those divides
[00:10:38.551]that we sometimes scheme up.
[00:10:40.479]I know you understand the pieces.
[00:10:43.006]I really believe that you are a leader
[00:10:47.076]who can capitalize on those strengths of our state.
[00:10:50.885]That includes our diversity.
[00:10:52.808]Yeah.
[00:10:53.641]And I just want you to know that we're awfully proud
[00:10:55.631]to be associated with you
[00:10:56.744](Dave laughs)
[00:10:57.577]at the Rural Futures Institute,
[00:10:58.951]and I've called you a friend.
[00:11:00.810]What would you like to add about your goal and mission
[00:11:03.534]with the Department of Economic Development?
[00:11:06.139]Well, I guess first and foremost, Chuck,
[00:11:07.758]just to thank you for the very kind words.
[00:11:10.440]I'm very thankful for the opportunity
[00:11:12.929]that I've been given by our governor
[00:11:14.773]and by our state's legislature,
[00:11:15.944]to come in here and help try and see
[00:11:18.328]how pieces can come together.
[00:11:19.848]As I go out across our state, you know,
[00:11:21.947]the same recurring themes keep coming up
[00:11:23.989]that I knew to expect from my time in Hastings.
[00:11:25.883]We need more workforce, we need more talented people,
[00:11:28.348]we need the future doers and dreamers,
[00:11:29.980]we need housing, we need to help build communities
[00:11:32.855]where people want to live.
[00:11:34.958]But what I also hear, what maybe surprised me a little bit,
[00:11:39.622]is really the vocalization of the need
[00:11:41.362]for community leadership.
[00:11:43.120]And I know that that's something that you and I
[00:11:45.576]have discussed before.
[00:11:47.003]Really the critical differentiator
[00:11:48.476]in our communities is leadership.
[00:11:51.045]Absolutely.
[00:11:51.953]And I think that in our time going forward,
[00:11:55.032]that effort, for us to be able
[00:11:56.455]to work with the university and other partners,
[00:11:58.307]with the tremendous work
[00:11:59.193]of the Rural Futures Institute here,
[00:12:01.703]is to develop those next leaders in our rural communities
[00:12:05.638]that are gonna help rural Nebraska
[00:12:07.420]continue to thrive and to be vibrant.
[00:12:10.758]And so I'm just really looking forward to it.
[00:12:13.372]We have a legislature, a body of elected officials,
[00:12:16.660]that obviously wants to see a strong Nebraska.
[00:12:18.938]We have a governor who reminds us at every cabinet meeting
[00:12:21.271]that the vision is to grow Nebraska.
[00:12:23.711]It's not just to grow Omaha, or just to grow Lincoln,
[00:12:26.208]he lets us all know it's to grow Nebraska,
[00:12:28.883]and I think that we're all up to the challenge,
[00:12:32.952]knowing who's on the team here.
[00:12:35.396]Well, we're awfully proud to have you in that role,
[00:12:37.364]and thinking of that future, I just today
[00:12:39.188]have been interviewing some students
[00:12:42.182]in the Engler Agribusiness Entrepreneurship Program,
[00:12:44.709]and, believe me, there are dedicated,
[00:12:47.831]really bright young people coming along
[00:12:50.237]to fill those leadership roles
[00:12:53.449]and I just don't know what you and I could do
[00:12:54.793]that would be more important than encouraging them along.
[00:12:57.597]Thank you.
[00:12:58.573]Thank you.
[00:12:59.406]For being with us today.
[00:13:00.239]Well, listen, we want you to stay in touch
[00:13:01.229]with the Rural Futures Institute
[00:13:02.691]through our website, through Facebook and Twitter
[00:13:06.314]and Instagram and LinkedIn
[00:13:08.112](Dave laughs)
[00:13:08.945]and all that fun stuff, and know that we'll be back
[00:13:11.691]next week with another edition
[00:13:13.335]of "Catch up with Chuck", talking to real people
[00:13:16.608]about real places that demonstrate
[00:13:18.671]that thriving rural communities are a legitimate,
[00:13:21.180]best choice for worthwhile living.
[00:13:23.434]Thank you so much for joining us.

The screen size you are trying to search captions on is too small!

You can always jump over to MediaHub and check it out there.

Comments

0 Comments

Catch Up With Chuck | Dave Rippe

Description

Searchable Transcript

Comments icon comment

Related Channels

Comments