Moving the Needle Christopher Gergen & Johnathan Holifield

President Biden has appointed today's guest Alejandra Castillo to head the Economic Development Administration, leading the federal economic development agenda by promoting innovation and competitiveness, preparing American regions for growth and success in the worldwide economy.
For Assistant Secretary Castillo, having grown up in New York City and then the Dominican Republic, and as the daughter of entrepreneurs, she knows how small businesses can work with their communities to thrive.
Moving the Needle is hosted by Christopher Gergen & Johnathan Holifield, and is produced by Earfluence.

Thank you to our sponsors:


Live Oak Bank is on a mission to be America's small business bank and has the privilege of helping thousands of passionate, driven entrepreneurs turn their dreams into reality. These small business owners aren’t in it for the fortune or the fame. They’re in it to make a difference, just like Live Oak.

SHRM has created better workplaces by supporting diversity, equity and inclusion throughout the world of work and society. It’s why they developed the Together Forward@ Work initiative to drive racial inequity out of the workplace. It’s why SHRM made a capital commitment to support minority-owned business enterprises.
If you like our podcast, you'll also like our books:


The Future Economy and Inclusive Competitiveness: How Demographic Trends and Innovation Can Create Economic Prosperity for All Americans, by Johnathan Holifield

Life Entrepreneurs: Ordinary People Creating Extraordinary Lives, by Christopher Gergen and Gregg Vanourek

Today's guest is Darrin Redus, CEO of the Cincinnati Minority Business Accelerator within the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber of Commerce. The Accelerator has recently launched a $100 million transformational equity capital fund to fuel the creation of larger scale minority owned businesses, and Darrin is here to give us all of the details of what that means and the impact it will have in addressing long-standing economic inequities.
Moving the Needle is hosted by Christopher Gergen & Johnathan Holifield, and is produced by Earfluence.

Thank you to our sponsors:


Live Oak Bank is on a mission to be America's small business bank and has the privilege of helping thousands of passionate, driven entrepreneurs turn their dreams into reality. These small business owners aren’t in it for the fortune or the fame. They’re in it to make a difference, just like Live Oak.

SHRM has created better workplaces by supporting diversity, equity and inclusion throughout the world of work and society. It’s why they developed the Together Forward@ Work initiative to drive racial inequity out of the workplace. It’s why SHRM made a capital commitment to support minority-owned business enterprises.
If you like our podcast, you'll also like our books:


The Future Economy and Inclusive Competitiveness: How Demographic Trends and Innovation Can Create Economic Prosperity for All Americans, by Johnathan Holifield

Life Entrepreneurs: Ordinary People Creating Extraordinary Lives, by Christopher Gergen and Gregg Vanourek

Bitwise Industries fuels the growth of tech economies in underestimated cities, powered by underestimated talent - through workforce development, enterprise tech services, and placemaking in under-invested areas. Bitwise cofounders Irma Olguin Jr and Jake Soberal are truly moving the needle, and today we hear their reasons for starting the company, what they've accomplished so far, and what's on the horizon for the rapidly growing startup.

Rodney Williams saw it firsthand. His mom would get paid on Monday, and the bill would be due on Thursday. With getting to the bank, having the check clear, and having access in her account, sometimes that meant the check would bounce. And the lights would turn off. And the food in the refrigerator would go bad. And there would be a shut off fee PLUS a turn on fee PLUS a bounced check fee. So being late meant a perpetual inability to get ahead. Rodney saw all of this, and is doing something about it, as the co-founder and chairman of SoLo Funds.

Christopher Gergen and Johnathan Holifield come from completely different backgrounds. One was born into power and privilege in a political family in DC. One grew up in blue collar Detroit where you had to work hard to survive. Through their careers and personal growth, they've ended up with the same goals - to raise awareness that we're not all on an equal playing field - and ultimately move the needle in closing the generational wealth gap among races in the United States.

Today we're sharing an episode of a podcast that shares our mission to move the needle - WorkforceRX with Futuro Health.

Johnathan Holifield spent many years deeply involved in neighborhood and community development work without really moving the needle until he discovered the game-changing nature of the innovation economy. “The stuff we were doing was good work, but we were focused on largely inelastic career opportunities versus what you find in the tech sector and innovation economy, which are elastic opportunities that really give you social and economic mobility.” As senior vice president of New Economies at Bitwise Industries, he’s now in a position to help what he calls disconnected populations gain access to the best options for economic advancement, and do so on an increasingly national scale. Bitwise, which started in Fresno, California in 2013, helps marginalized communities obtain the skills and resources necessary to access opportunities in the tech industry. Apprenticeships are key to its model and Bitwise is now the largest tech apprenticeship provider in the United States. Check out this illuminating episode of WorkforceRx as Futuro Health CEO Van Ton-Quinlivan explores how Bitwise is bringing its successful formula of workforce development, technology consulting and creating great community spaces to seven states and counting.