August 26, 2024 – Tech Econ Dev for Cities Julie Huls and Business on the Edge Emily Block

Julie Huls – Founder and CEO of Waymaker Group

Julie Huls is the founder and CEO of Waymaker Group, a full-service technology-based economic development (TBED) firm focused on jumpstarting innovation ecosystems in emerging cities. Julie has a nuanced understanding of the unique challenges and opportunities facing the recently designated Regional Technology and Innovation Hubs (Tech Hubs) as they aim to transform into globally competitive centers within a decade. Before starting Waymaker Group, Julie served as President and CEO of the Austin Technology Council, an association that represents 300 Central Texas technology companies and their executives and $29 billion in annual regional economic impact. She’s also served as the CEO of the DoSeum, a STEM foundation for kids 0-12, President and Founder of TalkMedia a public relations agency, and in executive functions for real estate ventures nationwide.





Dr. Emily S. Block – Professor at the University of Alberta School of Business and Business on the Edge: How to Turn a Profit and Improve Lives in the World’s Toughest Places

Dr. Emily S. Block is the George M. Cormie Chair of Management at the University of Alberta School of Business. A former consultant for Accenture, Block now teaches negotiations and decision-making and runs the university’s Business on the Frontlines program. I’m reaching out about (Basic Books; on sale: 7/16/24) by business professors Viva Ona Bartkus and Emily Block which is based on their groundbreaking Business on the Frontlines MBA course, founded at the University of Notre Dame and named one of the “10 most innovative courses in the US” by Forbes. In this new book, they show how doing business in the world’s frontline regions—areas stuck in cycles of violence and extreme poverty—can provide the foundations for peace and prosperity and expand opportunities for communities and corporations alike. BUSINESS ON THE EDGE establishes the enormous growth potential of frontline regions (which represent $20 trillion in economic activity) and draws on their 15 years of real-world experience running business projects some of the most challenging environments around the world.