Placers’ Insights

July’s national job creation numbers caught many economists off guard. While predictions pointed toward 115,000 new jobs, the economy added just 57,000. However, beneath the surface level “ping-ponging” of monthly statistics lies a much larger story about workforce demographics, local sector recovery, and changing hiring tactics. In his monthly chat with WDEL’s Peter MacArthur, Placers […]

  Dogfish Head founder Sam Calagione joins the podcast to talk about legendary collaborations, punk rock culture, and learning from glorious failures.       When Sam Calagione founded Dogfish Head Craft Brewery in 1995, it was the smallest commercial brewery in America. Fast forward to today, and it’s a top-20 national craft powerhouse, widely […]

Why Your Next Big Growth Phase Depends on Slowing Down   “If you do not schedule your slow, your body and your business will eventually schedule it for you, usually at the worst possible time.”   We are heading into that time of year when the sun stays up longer, and the pace of the […]

  Logan Herring on why true social impact requires radical clarity and a business mindset.        “We are not a nonprofit; we are a tax-exempt business. If you are not running your mission-based work with the same rigor, infrastructure, and financial discipline as a for-profit, you are doing your community a disservice.” — […]

  The numbers are in, and the May jobs report completely defied expectations. Dropping a massive 172,000 new jobs against a predicted 85,000, the data suggests a resilient workforce economy. In his monthly chat with WDEL’s Peter MacArthur, Placers President Chris Burkhard noted that this forms a true three-month trend, marking the strongest stretch of […]

How to stop skimming the surface of your ambitions, ditch standard corporate formulas, and find root significance.   There is a specific kind of noise we all carry. It is the overwhelming sea of choices, ambitions, and expectations that flood our minds whenever we sit down to plan what comes next.   As leaders and […]

  Stephanie Lemek’s Playbook for Leaders       I sat down with Stephanie Lemek, founder of The Wounded Workforce, expecting a complex, clinical discussion about mental health. What I got instead was a masterclass in simplicity.   Stephanie is a “translator.” She takes the heavy, often scary language of workplace trauma and mental health […]

Moving from Reactive Firefighting to Intentional Impact   “He who every morning plans the transactions of the day, and follows that plan, carries a thread that will guide him through the labyrinth of the most busy life.” — Victor Hugo   I recently took my leaders through a workshop on the concept of the daily […]

  In his latest appearance on WDEL, Placers President Chris Burkhard breaks down the complex dynamics currently shaping the Delaware job market. With unemployment rising to 5.5%, Chris identifies a new trend called “job hugging”, where employees unnaturally hold onto roles due to a lack of confidence in finding new ones, paradoxically leading to fewer […]

  Tracy Davidson on why the best stories aren’t found on the screen, but within ourselves.        “Whatever it is they’ve been afraid to do or thought that they couldn’t do it, I hope they leave braver than when they came in.” — Tracy Davidson   I recently sat down with Tracy Davidson, […]