Ron Kitchens

Written By Tim Terrentine

Unstuck 012: More and Better — Building Economies That Leave No One Behind

What does it look like when the kid who grew up knowing what poverty feels and smells like dedicates his career to making sure no mom has to choose between tires and the electric bill?

In this episode of UNSTUCK, Tim Terrentine sits down with Ron Kitchens, Managing Partner of Greater St. Louis, Inc., for a conversation about economic development, leadership, community, and what it really takes to build prosperity that reaches everyone.

Ron Kitchens is one of the most recognized economic development leaders in the country. He turned a distressed region of Michigan into a national model. He closed the three largest private-sector investments in the history of Wichita Falls, Texas. He has spoken to more than 500 audiences in 31 states. And he is the author of Community Capitalism and Uniquely You.

But the conversation that shapes all of that work began much earlier: a small boy watching his young mother sit at an orange Formica table, checkbook open, trying to figure out how to keep the lights on and the car running at the same time.

That memory is what economic development is actually for. And it's what this episode is about.

This episode covers the full arc — from personal story to systems leadership to the future of American communities.

You’ll hear:

  • Why the rising tide doesn't actually lift all boats — and what leaders owe the people holding the frayed rope

  • What economic development really is when you strip away the jargon and the noise

  • Why you are not entitled to your own facts and what that costs communities right now

  • How hiring for hardwiring instead of resumes builds teams that actually change things

  • Why vulnerability is the leadership strategy most leaders are afraid to use

  • The story of a college football player who couldn't read — and what happened when Ron told the truth about himself

  • Why you can't stay on top of the mountain and what great leaders do instead

  • What "more and better jobs" means and why the distinction matters more than ever

  • How to build trust across communities with old wounds and long memories

  • Why none of us live an Instagram life — and why pretending costs us more than we think

A Key Insight:

"There's a mom sitting at a table somewhere tonight whose kids will be fed because of the work we do.”

That is Ron Kitchens' north star. It is the reason he does economic development, the reason he invests in teams, and the reason he has spent more than three decades refusing to let communities leave people behind.

He also leaves leaders with this:

"You can hold a handful of sand loosely and keep it all. But if you grab it, you only get a few grains. Be open handed in everything you do.”

About the Guest:

Ron Kitchens is Managing Partner of Greater St. Louis, Inc., the leading economic development organization for the 15-county St. Louis region. He has spent more than three decades driving growth across Missouri, Michigan, Texas, and Alabama, guided by the conviction that jobs change lives and that communities competing for the right ones change the world.

Previously, Ron led the Wichita Falls, Texas Chamber of Commerce, where he closed the three largest private-sector investments in the city's history. He spent 15 years at Southwest Michigan First, turning an economically distressed region into a national model for investor-led development. He also co-founded Consultant Connect and created North America's Top 50 Economic Developers.

He is the author of two books, Uniquely You and Community Capitalism, and has spoken to more than 500 audiences across 31 states.

Connect With Ron Kitchens:

Tim Terrentine
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