148: High-Touch Economic Development in Indiana with Brock Herr

In this episode of the Econ Dev Show, Dane Carlson talks with Brock Herr, Senior Vice President for Business Development at the Indiana Economic Development Corporation. They discuss the evolution of economic development beyond simple land sales.

He details Indiana's comprehensive approach to business development, including sales enablement, lead generation, site selection, and ongoing business support. Herr emphasizes the importance of high-touch engagement and walking businesses through each step of their journey, highlighting how modern economic development requires a full-experience approach to ensure long-term success.

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Ten Actionable Insights for Economic Developers

1. Develop a high-touch, full-experience model for business engagement
2. Focus beyond just selling land - create comprehensive support systems
3. Build strong introduction networks for new businesses
4. Maintain detailed knowledge of available sites and inventory
5. Create strategic approaches for modern site selection needs
6. Implement business retention and expansion programs
7. Develop clear online resources while maintaining personal connections
8. Focus on long-term business success rather than just initial attraction
9. Create systems to support projects of all sizes, not just large ones
10. Establish clear communication channels for business support needs

Five Notable Quotes

• "Economic development is not an easy game and glad that somebody like you's bringing a little bit of insight to folks that may not have a peek into what we do on a day to day."
• "There's more to it than just selling them a piece of land."
• "You bring a business into your community, and you want them to succeed."
• "Like you'd rather not just be looked at as a sale or a metric."
• "Walking them through step by step, introducing them to who they need to be introduced to, opening doors that are closed to them, all those kinds of things."

Sponsored By:

• Sitehunt: Sitehunt is an AI-enhanced platform that helps economic developers build a comprehensive property database, enabling informed decisions and efficient RFI responses to accelerate site selection and project success.

Links:

• Indiana Economic Development Corporation
• Gov. Holcomb, IEDC continue record-breaking economic momentum, secure largest annual committed capital investment in Indiana’s history — Following back-to-back record-setting years for investment and the largest quarter on record in Q1 2024, Indiana sets yet another record with $38.3 billion in committed CapEx
• J. Brock H. | LinkedIn