Podcast
Econ Dev Show Podcast - Economic Development
Hosted by Dane Carlson · EN
Dane Carlson explores the strategies, ideas, and insights that are driving economic development forward into the future. You'll hear new insights from passionate ED's about their successes and struggles, and you'll learn from attraction and retention experts about how to apply actionable strategies inside your EDO. We'll help take your organization, your community, and your career to the next level.
28episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
227: Never Underestimate the Power of Ceremony with Melissa James
1w ago00:37:57Tap to summarizeIn this episode of the Econ Dev Show Dane Carlson talks with Melissa James, founding president and CEO of REACH Central Coast, about building a regional economic development organization amid the anticipated closure of Diablo Canyon, persistent affordability challenges, and a fragmented approach to growth. Melissa explains how the Central Coast organized around its distinctive assets in energy, space and aerospace, and high tech; set a goal of creating 15,000 good-paying jobs by 2030; and connected that strategy to workforce development and housing. She also shares practical lessons about private-sector leadership, cross-sector coalitions, memorandums of understanding, institutional continuity, the patience required for long-term development, and the surprisingly powerful role ceremony can play in sustaining shared ownership and momentum. Like this show? Please leave us a review here — even one sentence helps! Special Guest: Melissa James.Sponsored By:Sitehunt: Sitehunt helps economic developers understand their sites, match them to projects, and respond with confidence in minutes instead of scrambling for days. Links:REACH Central Coast - YouTube REACH: Overview | LinkedIn REACH Melissa James | LinkedIn
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226: Economic Development Is a Relationship Game with Damian Denmark
2w ago00:30:02Tap to summarizeIn this episode of the Econ Dev Show Dane Carlson talks with Damian Denmark, economic development director for the City of Yukon, Oklahoma, about what it looks like to build an economic development department in a fast-growing suburban community northwest of Oklahoma City. Damian shares how his move to Liberal, Kansas changed the way he thinks about community, belonging, and the people-first side of economic development. The conversation moves from rural marketing and relationship-building to Yukon’s new incentive policy, the Miller Crossing project, TIFs, sports tourism, and the increasingly complicated question of data centers. For economic developers, this episode is a reminder that projects matter, but trust, policy, infrastructure, and community buy-in are what make growth work. 10 Actionable Takeaways for Economic Developers Build the relationship before you need the deal. Damian’s approach is clear: trust opens doors with property owners, developers, tenant reps, brokers, city departments, and regional partners. Create policy before the pressure hits. Yukon’s work on incentive and economic development policies gave the city a framework for handling projects, negotiations, and community expectations. Treat residents as part of the project equation. Especially in communities reliant on sales tax, residents need to see why a project matters and how it benefits the place they live, work, and raise families. Use incentives to create community value, not just close deals. Yukon’s requirements around chamber membership, public art, city services, and community impact show how development agreements can ask more from projects. Do the infrastructure homework early. For data centers and other major projects, water, power, utilities, noise, and capacity questions need to be understood before promises are made. Do not reduce data centers to job counts. Damian notes that a data center may bring only 20 to 25 jobs, but the broader financial and infrastructure deal can still matter if negotiated well. Know what your community can realistically support. Economic developers should understand market capacity, utility capacity, resident concerns, and policy constraints before pursuing major industrial or technology projects. Move quickly, but do not confuse speed with sloppiness. Yukon’s Miller Crossing TIF moved in less than 60 days, but Damian also emphasized the stress, negotiation, and policy work behind that speed. Let personal experience shape professional practice. Damian’s time in Liberal, Kansas changed how he thinks about belonging, service, and the human side of economic development. Remember that buildings do not build communities by themselves. Projects, investment, and development matter, but the strongest communities are built through people, trust, participation, and shared pride. Like this show? Please leave us a review here — even one sentence helps! Special Guest: Damien Denmark.Sponsored By:Sitehunt: Sitehunt helps economic developers understand their sites, match them to projects, and respond with confidence in minutes instead of scrambling for days. Links:Damien Denmark | LinkedIn Yukon, OK | Official Website Rural Marketing for Chambers, EDOs & Cities
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225: Detroit Beyond the Comeback with Kevin Johnson
3w ago00:27:00Tap to summarizeIn this episode Dane talks with Kevin Johnson, president and CEO of the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation, about Detroit’s current economic momentum and what other communities can learn from it. Kevin explains why “comeback city” no longer fully captures Detroit’s story, how technology, manufacturing, real estate, sports, tourism, and earned media are reshaping the city’s market position, and why neighborhood commercial corridors matter to both residents and corporate decision-makers. The conversation also digs into Motor City Match, startup investment, grocery access, DEGC’s role as a consistent economic development partner across administrations, and the need for economic developers to lead community conversations before projects reach the public hearing stage. Like this show? Please leave us a review here — even one sentence helps! 10 Actionable Takeaways for Economic Developers Move past outdated narratives. If your community is still being described by an old story, build a clearer explanation of what is happening now and why the market should care. Turn earned media into market momentum. When outside publications, events, or visitors validate your community, use that attention to reinforce your business attraction message. Treat neighborhoods as part of the business case. Corporate decision-makers care whether employees can live near quality housing, services, and commercial corridors. Support storefronts as neighborhood stabilization tools. Small business grants, façade improvements, and corridor-focused programs can create visible investment, jobs, and community confidence at the same time. Build entrepreneurship programs around local people. Kevin emphasized that many Detroit entrepreneurs come from the neighborhoods themselves; programs should recognize and support that local ownership. Use startup funding to anchor future growth. If you invest in early-stage companies, tie that support to a commitment that they build and scale in your community. Make access and inclusion measurable. DEGC points to who receives support through its programs, including women, minority entrepreneurs, and native Detroiters, so the public can see whether the work reflects the city. Keep economic development steady across political transitions. A clear report card, consistent outcomes, and strong public authority management can help preserve trust when administrations change. Lead community conversations early. For major projects, do not wait until the zoning or planning meeting to address concerns about utilities, infrastructure, schools, roads, water, or community benefits. Know whether your community really wants growth. Kevin’s advice to younger economic developers was blunt: read your city honestly, seek buy-in, and do not spend your best years fighting a place that does not want the work you were hired to do. Special Guest: Kevin Johnson.Sponsored By:Sitehunt: Sitehunt helps economic developers understand their sites, match them to projects, and respond with confidence in minutes instead of scrambling for days. Links:DEGC | Detroit Economic Growth Corporation
Transcribe →224: Building Trust Before Building Buildings with Janae Stark
4w ago00:25:50Tap to summarizeIn this episode of the Econ Dev Show, Dane talks with Janae Stark about the Community Economic Revitalization Board’s “right project, right time” approach to rural economic development, from planning and project development to infrastructure financing, construction timelines, and what happens when projects go sideways. Janae shares how CERB works with communities and federally recognized tribes in Washington State, why trust and relationship-building matter as much as funding, and how infrastructure like buildings, roads, utilities, and rural broadband can unlock opportunity for small communities. The conversation also explores the less visible work behind successful projects, the importance of helping communities avoid bad bets, and why economic developers need spaces to learn from one another instead of reinventing the wheel alone. Like this show? Please leave us a review here — even one sentence helps! 10 Actionable Takeaways for Economic Developers Start with project readiness, not the application. Before pursuing funding, work backward from the business or community timeline and identify permits, environmental review, match funding, private investment, and approvals needed to get to contract. Treat planning as economic development work. Use planning funds and community outreach to clarify what the community actually wants to become, not just what project happens to be available. Build relationships before things go wrong. Communities are more likely to call early when a business partner pulls out or a project changes if they already trust you. Be willing to coach communities toward the right funder. If your program is not the best fit, help the community find the organization or funding source that can get them to yes. Do not confuse urgency with readiness. A project can look exciting on paper but still be too risky if the private partner, repayment plan, permits, or timeline are not solid. Ask whether the infrastructure can support more than one possible business. Projects are safer when the building, road, utility, or site improvement can be reused or marketed to another company if the original deal falls apart. Help elected officials and board members understand the invisible work. Explain the project development, relationship management, and risk reduction that happen long before a groundbreaking or ribbon cutting. Recognize that different infrastructure has different economic impacts. Buildings, roads, water, sewer, and electricity may directly enable business expansion, while broadband may improve community competitiveness in broader, less immediately visible ways. Create peer networks for practitioners. New economic developers need places to ask basic questions, decode acronyms, find funding calendars, and learn from communities that have already solved similar problems. Show up and listen locally. Especially for people new to economic development, attending community meetings, listening to difficult voices, validating concerns, and asking experienced practitioners for help are essential parts of learning the work. Special Guest: Janea Stark.Sponsored By:Sitehunt: Sitehunt helps economic developers understand their sites, match them to projects, and respond with confidence in minutes instead of scrambling for days. Links:Janea (Jzuh-Nay) Stark | LinkedIn Community Economic Revitalization Board (CERB) – Washington State Department of Commerce Economic Development Done Right Makes Room for Joy | LinkedIn Infrastructure Assistance Coordinating Council | IACC annual statewide conference
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223: The Power of Powerlessness with Michael Hecht
Jun 1500:27:24Tap to summarizeIn this episode of the Econ Dev Show Dane Carlson talks with Michael Hecht, CEO of Greater New Orleans Inc., about the deeper economic story behind a region best known for food, music, culture, and Mardi Gras. Michael explains how New Orleans’ economy is rooted in maritime, energy, defense, aerospace, and industrial innovation, and why long-term recovery after major disruption requires sustained leadership, trust, humility, and coalition-building. The conversation covers GNO Inc.’s approach to business environment work, the “power of powerlessness,” regional trust-building across 10 parishes, the importance of focusing resources on sectors with real strategic fit, and why economic developers should study history and political science if they want to create lasting change. Like this show? Please leave us a review here — even one sentence helps! Special Guest: Michael Hecht.Sponsored By:Sitehunt: Sitehunt helps economic developers understand their sites, match them to projects, and respond with confidence in minutes instead of scrambling for days. Links:Michael Hecht | LinkedIn GNO, Inc. | New Orleans Business & Economic Development
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222: How Energy Is Changing Site Selection with Anna Cardona
Jun 800:27:44Tap to summarizeIn this episode of the Econ Dev Show, Dane talks with Anna Cardona, an economic development consultant with Wolves Development Group, about her path from architecture and design into economic development, her move from public and public-private work into the private sector, and the growing role of energy infrastructure in getting major projects across the finish line. Anna explains how power availability, behind-the-meter solutions, and infrastructure capital are shaping everything from advanced manufacturing to data centers, and why communities need to rethink economic development beyond job counts and CapEx. The conversation also covers community backlash, board education, regenerative industrial ecosystems, family office conferences as an overlooked deal source, and how economic developers can become more empowered, proactive, and creative in building their own pipelines. Like this show? Please leave us a review here — even one sentence helps! Special Guest: Anna Cardona.Sponsored By:Sitehunt: Sitehunt helps economic developers understand their sites, match them to projects, and respond with confidence in minutes instead of scrambling for days. Links:Anna Cardona | LinkedIn Wolves Development Group
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221: Music as Economic Development with Matt Mandrella
Jun 100:34:37Tap to summarizeIn this episode of the Econ Dev Show, Dane Carlson talks with Matt Mandrella, Music Officer for the City of Huntsville, Alabama, about what it means for a city government to take music seriously as an economic development strategy. Matt explains how Huntsville’s music audit led to intentional investments in venues, programming, artist development, tourism, and workforce attraction, including the Orion Amphitheater, MidCity, Women in Music, tour grants, a central music calendar, and partnerships that help local artists and businesses grow. The conversation shows economic developers how music can strengthen quality of life, support downtown and district development, attract talent, create career pathways, and give a community a stronger identity without trying to become the next Nashville or Austin. Like this show? Please leave a review. Even one sentence helps more than you know. 10 Actionable Takeaways for Economic Developers Start with an audit. Before launching programs, study the local music ecosystem, identify gaps, and use that work to create a practical roadmap. Treat music as quality-of-life infrastructure. Think about music the same way you think about parks, trails, sports, and public spaces: as something that helps people choose to live, work, and stay in your community. Connect music to talent attraction. If your community has hard-to-fill jobs, especially higher-skill jobs, remember that people also choose places based on what life feels like after work. Design venues as district anchors. A major music venue can help catalyze surrounding private investment when it is tied to restaurants, hotels, housing, public spaces, and a broader district strategy. Program public venues beyond big concerts. Use civic venues for free and low-cost community events, fitness classes, festivals, seasonal events, and local programming so taxpayers feel ownership of the space. Support artists as small businesses. Programs like tour grants, showcases, and local performance opportunities can help musicians build momentum, gain confidence, and create professional pathways. Create a central music calendar. If residents and visitors have to check five different websites to find live music, the community is leaving value on the table. Use small programs in small communities. Even without a major amphitheater, communities can support live music on town squares, at restaurants, farmers markets, downtown events, and public gatherings. Build the behind-the-scenes workforce. Music creates opportunities beyond performers, including sound, lighting, staging, trucking, security, ticketing, marketing, hospitality, and event operations. Develop your own identity. Do not try to become Nashville, Austin, or New Orleans. Build a music strategy that fits your own community, culture, venues, talent, and long-term goals. Special Guest: Matt Mandrella.Sponsored By:Sitehunt: Sitehunt helps economic developers understand their sites, match them to projects, and respond with confidence in minutes instead of scrambling for days. Links:Matt Mandrella | LinkedIn Huntsville Music Office Trade Group to Strengthen Local U.S. Music Ecosystems Launches Catching up with Huntsville Music Officer Matt Mandrella - Axios Huntsville Be Prepared: A Practical Handbook for New Dads by Gary Greenberg — Matt's favorite book
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220: The Hidden Cost of Becoming Cool with Jon Roberts
May 2500:29:38Tap to summarizeIn this episode Dane Carlson talks with Jon Roberts of TIP Strategies about his new book, The Cost of Cool: Austin's Tech Growth and the People Left Behind, and what Austin’s rise can teach economic developers everywhere. They discuss how Austin became a tech and talent magnet, why that growth created real pressure around equity, housing, and displacement, and whether tech growth inevitably widens community divides. Jon also explains why entrepreneurial ecosystems need more than enthusiasm, why universities and major companies matter, how communities like Green Bay and Racine County, Wisconsin are building on their own assets, and why economic developers need to think about AI, quantum computing, bioengineering, and the next wave of technology without forgetting the people who may be left behind. Like this show? Please leave us a review here — even one sentence helps! 10 Actionable Takeaways for Economic Developers Treat equity as a front-end strategy, not a cleanup project. If tech growth is coming, plan for housing, displacement, affordability, and access before the growth accelerates. Be honest about the tradeoffs of tech growth. Jon argues that more tech investment has historically been linked with greater inequity, so economic developers should discuss that risk openly instead of assuming growth automatically benefits everyone. Do not build an entrepreneurial strategy around vibes alone. Incubators and startup events help, but the conversation emphasized the importance of real links to research, tech transfer, and major corporate activity. Know the assets you actually have. Green Bay's example shows that communities can build from distinctive local strengths, including major institutions or brands, instead of trying to copy Austin or Silicon Valley. Create tight relationships with universities and companies, even if they are not in your backyard. Physical proximity may help, but the more important issue is whether the connection is real, active, and tied to specific development opportunities. Use major projects as platforms, not endpoints. A data center complex, corporate investment, or innovation park should raise the question: "What turns this into something more?" Protect vulnerable neighborhoods before market pressure arrives. Once high-income workers begin bidding up undervalued neighborhoods, the available responses become more limited. Understand that "cool" is hard to manufacture. Austin's music, counterculture, local institutions, and "Keep Austin Weird" identity became part of its attraction, but they were not simply chamber-of-commerce slogans. Keep a long view on technology. AI matters, but Jon cautions economic developers not to treat it as the final technological shift. Quantum computing, bioengineering, and other changes may be next. Make the uncomfortable conversations part of the work. Questions about displacement, inequality, tech disruption, and who benefits from growth may not have easy answers, but avoiding them makes communities less prepared. Special Guest: Jon Roberts.Sponsored By:Sitehunt: Sitehunt helps economic developers understand their sites, match them to projects, and respond with confidence in minutes instead of scrambling for days. Links:Jon Roberts | LinkedIn The Cost of Cool: Austin's Tech Growth and the People Left Behind | Amazon The Cost of Cool • TIP Strategies TIP Strategies: Economic Development, Strategic & Workforce Planning
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219: The Economic Development Handbook We All Needed with Glenn Athey
May 1800:29:38Tap to summarizeIn this episode of the Econ Dev Show Dane Carlson talks with Dr. Glenn Athey, author of The Local and Regional Economic Development Handbook, about what economic developers actually need to know to move from strategy to delivery. Glenn shares how growing up in northeast England during de-industrialization shaped his interest in regional economic development, why he wrote the book he wishes he had at the start of his career, and how practitioners can use international case studies without simply copying someone else’s playbook. The conversation covers action-oriented strategies, evidence that informs decisions instead of burying teams in data, the importance of local capacity, entrepreneurship support that prioritizes high-growth potential, and how sustainability can run through every part of economic development rather than sit off to the side. Like this show? Please leave us a review here — even one sentence helps! 10 Actionable Takeaways for Economic Developers Keep a working reference shelf. Economic development is too broad to know everything cold. Have reliable resources you can dip into before meetings on unfamiliar topics. Read enough to participate intelligently. You do not have to become an expert overnight, but you should understand the basics well enough to ask good questions and add value. Turn strategy into an action plan. A useful strategy should say what the community will do, what it will keep doing, what happens next, and how success will be measured. Do not confuse data with analysis. Dashboards and tables are not the point. Ask, "So what does this mean, and what should we do differently?" Borrow proven ideas, then localize them. Most communities do not need to invent something brand new. Study what worked elsewhere, then adapt it to your own economy, assets, and constraints. Be more curious. Visit the neighboring community with the strong business center. Ask how their program works. Learn from people who are already doing the thing well. Know your community's real capacity. Big ambitions require people, skills, funding, and institutional ability. A plan that ignores delivery capacity is likely to become shelf art. Prioritize business support where you can add the most value. Lifestyle businesses, high-growth startups, exporters, and innovation-driven firms may all need help, but they do not all produce the same economic impact. Connect the functions. Investment attraction depends on workforce, sites, infrastructure, universities, entrepreneurship, planning, and policy. The best economic developers see how the pieces fit together. Build confidence across the whole field. Economic development touches strategy, business growth, workforce, sites, investment, inclusion, planning, and more. You do not need to know every topic perfectly, but you do need enough range to recognize how the pieces connect. Special Guest: Dr. Glenn Athey.Sponsored By:Sitehunt: Sitehunt helps economic developers understand their sites, match them to projects, and respond with confidence in minutes instead of scrambling for days. Links:Glenn Athey | LinkedIn The Local and Regional Economic Development Handbook: Build Prosperous, Sustainable and Inclusive Local and Regional Economies on Amazon The Local and Regional Economic Development Handbook - The Local and Regional Economic Development Handbook Glenn Athey - YouTube Professional CPD and skills training in local economic development for UK practitioners. 15 hours of expert-led courses, active community. Join today. - Economic Development World
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218: What Site Selectors Wish Economic Developers Understood with Mark Williams
May 1100:26:51Tap to summarizeIn this episode of the Econ Dev Show, Dane Carlson talks with Mark Williams, founder of Strategic Development Group and author of Corporate Site Selection and Economic Development: A 35 Year Perspective, about what really happens behind the scenes in site selection. Mark shares lessons from working in state government, building a consulting firm, advising corporate clients, and writing a book that has become both a teaching tool and a business development asset. The conversation covers why economic developers and companies often misunderstand each other, why listening matters more than overloading prospects with information, how time quietly kills deals, what clients really want from consultants and communities, and how technology, AI, virtual meetings, and generational change are reshaping the field without replacing the need for judgment, trust, and walking the site. Like this show? Please leave us a review here — even one sentence helps! Special Guests: Dr. Glenn Athey and Mark Williams.Sponsored By:Sitehunt: Sitehunt helps economic developers understand their sites, match them to projects, and respond with confidence in minutes instead of scrambling for days. Links:Corporate Site Selection and Economic Development: A 35 Year Perspective by Mark Williams Mark WIlliams - Homepage Strategic Development Group | Expert Site Selection Consultants Mark Williams | LinkedIn
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