The steaks hit the grill with a satisfying hiss, smoke curling into the early evening air. Dan adjusted the heat and turned to Charlie, who stood nearby sipping a bourbon old-fashioned, sleeves rolled up and a smirk forming.
“Careful,” Dan said, “you’ll end up branding that grill with a motivational quote.”
Charlie laughed. “Dan-Funny you say that. I’ve had this phrase stuck in my head all week: ‘Be Kind, Rewind.’ Sounds cute, right? An era of VHS manners- Camaros and cassette tapes. But the longer I’m in economic development, the more it feels like a good playbook.”
Dan leaned against the restaurant railing, curious. “Alright, I’ll bite—what’s kindness got to do with infrastructure and investment?”
“Everything,” Charlie said. “At Chippewa Economic Development Corporation, we’re here to grow our community—not just by building business parks or brokering deals, but also by connecting people’s ideas and capital. Communities that foster respectful and responsive environments tend to attract and retain talent, entrepreneurs, and investors. A welcoming attitude isn’t just nice-it’s strategic. It must become a mindset. Communities thrive on collaboration, openness, kindness, respect, and humility. That’s infrastructure, too—it’s just not on the city plan.”
Dan sipped his beer-smiled and said “go on…I’m still listening.”
“Lately, I keep running into people who forget that how you show up matters.” Charlie flipped a ribeye and sighed. “Folks asking for grant help but dodging their payments. Startup founders who trash our mission while asking for intros. Folks making discissions based on how much they personally benefit from it. Apathy leads to missed meetings. Overinflated egos…. That stuff doesn’t just annoy me—it lingers. Because memory is emotional. And if our first interaction is off? Well- I’m probably not making room for a second.”
Dan nodded. “So economic development isn’t just about bandwidth and tax credits—it’s also about that hometown feeling.”
“Exactly,” Charlie said. “Attitude is the hidden infrastructure. You can lay fiber optics, power lines, and widen roads-but if your business culture’s cold, bureaucratic, cocky, or transactional? Projects die on the vine. a community’s collective mindset—optimism, collaboration, openness—can be a form of soft infrastructure that powers growth.”
He pulled the steaks off the grill and let them rest. “At CEDC, we’re in this for the long game. When someone shows up with humility, offers something helpful, or just treats our team with respect—I remember that. We remember that. And when they come back around? We want to help them thrive.”
Charlie continued. “From an economic development standpoint, likability matters. At the early stage of a project, we’re working together for weeks or months-sometimes years—of partnership. If you’re demanding, abrasive, bureaucratic, or disrespectful, most people and projects are not binding themselves to that experience and I tend not to either. Odds are projects treated poorly on the front end won’t want to do business with you later down the road.”
Dan raised his glass. “So what’s the lesson?”
Charlie smiled. “Easy. Be kind. Rewind. Reflect. Repeat. In Chippewa, we’re not just building square footage—we’re building relationships. Trust is our growth engine. And kindness? That’s the ignition switch.”