Welcome to a special episode of the show brought to you in partnership with Arlington Economic Development, where we discuss issues related to the workforce, the role of place in the future of work, and the role of the creative sector in a larger business context. We call this Return on Creativity. Today we’re going to talk about the partnership between business and their location, and the benefits of partnership. To help me discuss this topic, I’d like to welcome Michael Stiefvater, Acting Director, Business Investment at Arlington Economic Development. About Michael Stiefvater Michael Stiefvater is the Acting Director of AED’s Business Investment Group (BIG), where he oversees Arlington’s efforts in business recruitment and retention, international trade, entrepreneur support and catalyzing the innovation economy. Since joining BIG in late 2019, the team has contributed to the leasing of over 1 million square feet of office space and the creation/retention of over 5,000 jobs. Michael has over 15 years of experience in economic development and real estate, including the past five years with AED. Prior to joining AED, Michael served in roles with Richmont Development, CoStar, the City of College Park and Rockville Economic Development Inc. Michael holds a Master of Urban and Regional Planning from the University of California, Irvine and a Bachelor of Public Policy, Management and Planning from the University of Southern California. Resources The Innovation Economy Website: https://www.innovationeconomy.show Sign up for The Agile Brand newsletter here: https://agilebrandguide.com/ Get the latest news and updates on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/innovationeconomy/ Listen to our other podcast, The Agile Brand with Greg Kihlström: https://www.theagilebrand.show The Innovation Economy podcast is brought to you by Arlington Economic Development: https://www.arlingtoneconomicdevelopment.com The Innovation Economy is produced by Missing Link—a Latina-owned strategy-driven, creatively fueled production co-op. From ideation to creation, they craft human connections through intelligent, engaging and informative content. https://www.missinglink.company