Mark Imerman’s Post

This became much more timely, yesterday, when the Iowa Utilities Board approved the Summit CO2 pipeline. Nearly all of Iowa's industrial CO2 is a byproduct of ethanol production. The pipeline will inevitably reduce supply and increase the cost of industrial CO2 in Iowa. It will also affect the availability of other industrial gasses that are close substitutes.

Don't be data driven. Be data informed. There is not a data string in the world I would default to for decisions. There are a lot of data strings I would review before making a decision.

My years at the university garnered a lot of tools I utilize in market research, economic impact analysis, business planning, and pro forma analysis: economics, accounting, statistics. Tools that help define and present answers. Learning to ask the right questions, however, started in a multiple-business family. We had a small truck line, a livestock brokerage, and a farm. Even when we played, we were often in the truck shop or the stockyards. Chores made us part of the business. It has proven invaluable. https://lnkd.in/eWTjYAyS

Regional Strategic, Ltd. is excited to be working with Farm Rescue in evaluating social and economic impacts beyond the farm accruing to Farm Rescue's efforts across the Upper Midwest.

We do a steady stream of economic impact analysis projects at Regional Strategic, Ltd. Here is a brief accessible note on some of the characteristics and constraints of an analysis based on an Input-Output model. You don't have to be an economist or mathematician to understand the environment, but you do need to understand a few basic ground rules. https://lnkd.in/g9wJs-jP

This is a common problem that is the result of a lack of empathy. We have largely lost the ability to step outside of ourselves and into the shoes of another. The result is that we are not even aware that we are out of step. A linguist once told me there are at least 6 people in every conversation: Me You Who I think you are Who you think I am Who I think you think I am Who you think I think you are If we are not cognizant of all of this, we inevitably hit the result Gallup finds in the post below

All human progress depends upon changing minds – first your own and then those around you. Changing minds is a function of carrots rather than a function of sticks. Whenever we dig our heals in and refuse to compromise, we stop progress.

DATA IN CONTEXT: We all talk about employment and quote statistics on a regular basis, but few of us even imagine the complexity of the employment data out there or the substantial differences between sources. About 20 years ago, I wrote the original version of the linked narrative to assist students and researchers engaged in regional analysis work. Its first home was the Department of Economics website at Iowa State University. When I left the department in 2007, the document stagnated due to a lack of updates. I recently stumbled across the original text and decided it would still serve a purpose if updated. Here is the update.

Staying off the brakes can drive more change.