CREC staff
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Bob Isaacson Senior Vice President for Economic Research and Policy bisaacson@crec.net |
Bob Isaacson serves as Senior Vice President and leads CREC’s federal-state economic development partnership practice. With more than 30 years of local, state and Federal government experience, he is a proven leader driven by strategy and data with diverse economic/workforce development experience in finance, research/analysis and marketing. He is skilled at working with stakeholders to identify how policies and programs can effectively address current and future trends while using his evaluation and research experience to ensure improved program performance.
Bob has received multiple state and national awards for his work with many noting his inclusive partnerships, collaborative initiatives, and the use of innovative techniques to meet the needs of businesses, communities and workers. His long-term contributions to the economic development field were recognized by the Council for Development Finance Agencies (CDFA) as a recipient of the CDFA Distinguished Leadership Award in 2021.
Recent CREC project work includes enhancing the alignment between states and EDA’s economic development districts; assisting US Treasury in the administration of the State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI) with program research and analysis; providing technical assistance to recipients of US Treasury SSBCI funds; analyzing state collaboration opportunities in workforce and supply chain development in transformative manufacturing; assessment of industry clusters in several states; strategic planning and organizational assessments for Nebraska and Missouri; review of incentive program competitiveness for New York and Missouri; and assisting focus group discussions with the Development Districts Association of Appalachia (DDAA) and the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC). He also provides leadership and support to the State Economic Development Executives (SEDE) Network.
Prior to joining CREC, he served as Executive Director of the Office of Business Finance (OBF) for the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED). His team fueled business investment and job creation through more than $200 million in financial assistance, often in partnership with local and federal partners. He also led the creation and implementation of nationally recognized programs including the Angel Loan Fund, Angel Tax Credits (early stage), Emerging Entrepreneur Fund (underserved communities), the Job Creation Fund (performance based) and several COVID-19 business response loan programs.
During his time with OBF, he also served as the Executive Director of the Minnesota Agricultural and Economic Development Board. As a statewide issuer, the Board participated in business projects with conduit bond issues valued at more than $200 million. Bob also established a unique disaster recovery program that provided quick start-up grants to businesses affected by natural disasters.
Prior to his finance roles, Bob was the inaugural director in DEED’s Communication, Analysis and Research Division (CARD) where he led 50 LMI researchers, economic analysts, marketing staff and program evaluators. As Division Director, he ensured products were tailored for diverse communities, businesses, and workers. He also oversaw the development of partnerships to fund social marketing campaigns and unique research projects including an online version of Compare Minnesota, the economic impact of snowmobiling, business climate analyses, the State of Manufacturing, and economic linkages between metro and rural areas. He also served on several interagency committees to identify solutions for such issues as business freight, workforce information, the green economy, and industrial competitiveness.
Mr. Isaacson has also served in various leadership and analyst roles with the U.S. House Agriculture Committee, Government Accountability Office, the Minnesota Department of Trade and Economic Development, and the City of Minneapolis. His work covered a variety of topics including business start-up success, business costs, Minnesota’s defense industry, productivity, trade statistics, waste disposal and the nation’s dairy industry. These analyses led to programmatic changes and state/federal legislation.
Bob has served on a variety of initiatives related to his experiences which inform his CREC work:
- Board Chair and Board of Directors for the Council of Development Finance Agencies (CDFA)
- Loan Participation Program – Best Practices Working Group for the U.S. Department of Treasury’s State Small Business Credit Initiative
- Member Services Committee, Economic Development Association of Minnesota
- Board Chair and Board of Directors for the Council for Community and Economic Research (C2ER) and Alumni Board of Directors, Humphrey School of Public Affairs.
Bob has a M.A. in Public Policy from the Humphrey School at the University of Minnesota (U of M) with an emphasis on economic development and higher education and a B.A. in Political Science from the U of M.