Main Street Business Insights: Scaling with Purpose
In this episode of Main Street Business Insights, Matt sat down with Mindy Bergstrom, owner of Cooks Emporium, Nook & Nest, Z.W. Mercantile, and The Recipe, all located in downtown Ames, Iowa.
Matthew Wagner, Ph.D. serves as Chief Innovation Officer. In this role, he is responsible for leading the Innovation Team, focused on internal and external research, new business support, and piloting, testing, and launching new ideas, tools, and technologies.
Prior to his work at Main Street America, Dr. Wagner had a dual role of Director, Global Community Affairs, and President of Johnson Redevelopment Corporation at SC Johnson, a $10 billion global consumer products company (Glade, Raid, Windex, Ziploc, etc.). Since 2011, he had international responsibilities driving the company’s $35 million philanthropy strategy in sustainability and workforce/economic development areas.
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Dr. Wagner provided entrepreneurial guidance and leadership to the company, directing the creation of the Lily Pad retail venture featuring SC Johnson branded merchandise for visitors and consumers, to which he received an Officer’s Award. Furthermore, he served as President of Johnson Redevelopment Corporation, SC Johnson’s real estate holding company invested in more than 1 million sq.ft. of retail, office and manufacturing space for third-party tenants.
Dr. Wagner’s professional background involves nearly 30 years of non-profit management and teaching experience in the area of downtown revitalization, entrepreneurship and economic development. At the University of Wisconsin-Parkside, he focused on aligning students in helping to find business solutions with partner businesses, serving as a lecturer in Entrepreneurship and Director of both the Small Business Development Center and Solutions for Economic Growth Center.
Dr. Wagner has served a leader in the area of community revitalization, directly guiding two nationally recognized downtown revitalization efforts. In Sheboygan Falls, WI, he led downtown redevelopment activities resulting in the community being named one of the first five Great American Main Street Award winners. As Executive Director of the Downtown Racine Corporation (Racine, Wisc.), Dr. Wagner led a downtown planning and implementation initiative that resulted in more than $100 million in new private investment earning honors from the International Downtown Association, Sierra Club, and the American Institute of Architects for downtown planning. In addition, he has served as a Senior Program Associate at Main Street America providing direct technical assistance to numerous downtowns and commercial corridor districts, with a specialization in economic restructuring activities, including market analysis, real estate development, downtown planning, and business recruitment and retention activities.
Aside from his professional experiences, academically Dr. Wagner has completed his Ph.D. with a focus on economic development and entrepreneurship. He is a Fulbright Specialist Scholar, completing a teaching assignment on social entrepreneurship at the University of Hyderabad, India. He has also presented internationally on topics of economic development and community revitalization in Japan, India, Canada, and Australia. Dr. Wagner also served as part of the U.S. State Department’s Speakers Bureau program, working with the US Embassy in Lithuania as part of a five-region tour on entrepreneurship and community development.
Furthermore, Dr. Wagner has a long history of program and service delivery in the area of small business development and place management. He currently serves on the Advisory Council at the Center for Transformative Placemaking at the Brookings Institute. As a testament to this work, he has been awarded the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Wisconsin Champion for Women-Owned Businesses, for his efforts to support women entrepreneurs. He is also a former Executive in Residence at Cardinal Stritch University and faculty for the University’s Mission Fuel: Social Entrepreneurship program.
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Articles & Publications
Kristin Smith, The Wrigley Appalachian Eatery
In this episode of Main Street Business Insights, Matt sat down with Kristin Smith, owner and founder of The Wrigley Appalachian Eatery in Corbin, Kentucky.
Main Street Business Insights: Staying Rooted Through Growth
In this episode of Main Street Business Insights, Matt sat down with Kristin Smith, owner and founder of The Wrigley Appalachian Eatery in Corbin, Kentucky.
Joshua and Jared Ravenscraft, New Frontier
In this episode of Main Street Business Insights, Matt talks with Joshua and Jared Ravenscraft, co-founders of New Frontier, a sustainable apparel brand in Morehead, Kentucky.
Main Street Business Insights: Thinking Globally, Acting Locally
In this episode of Main Street Business Insights, Matt talks with Joshua and Jared Ravenscraft, co-founders of New Frontier, a sustainable apparel brand in Morehead, Kentucky.
Mileyka Burgos-Flores, Allapattah Collaborative CDC
In this episode of Main Street Business Insights, Matt talks with Mileyka Burgos-Flores, executive director of the Allapattah Collaborative CDC in Miami, Florida, the only designated Main Street community in Miami. Mileyka is this year’s recipient of the prestigious Mary Means Leadership Award.
Main Street Business Insights: Preserving Culture through Community Leadership
In this episode of Main Street Business Insights, Matt talks with Mileyka Burgos-Flores, CEO of the Allapattah Collaborative CDC in Miami, Florida.
Ross Chanowski, NuMarket
In this episode of Main Street Business Insights, Matt chats with Ross Chanowski, owner and founder of NuMarket. NuMarket is a leader in crowdfunding solutions for small businesses with a focus on food services.
