Econ Dev Show Podcast - Economic Development

In this episode of the Econ Dev Show, host Dane Carlson interviews Jonathan Knecht, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Creative Services at the Kansas City Area Development Council, who reveals how his team markets the greater Kansas City region to attract business investment and talent. Jonathan, a self-described "refugee from advertising" who's been with the organization for 21 years, discusses their collaborative approach to regional branding centered around the iconic KC Heart logo, their focus on key industry sectors like digital health and sports architecture, and how Kansas City's central location, affordability, and quality of life create competitive advantages. He also shares insights on building consensus across state lines and how their in-house creative agency supports economic development efforts throughout the region. Like this show? Please leave us a review here — even one sentence helps! Actionable Takeaways for Economic Developers Consider adopting organically popular community symbols rather than creating new brands from scratch to ensure authenticity and community buy-in. Build collaborative relationships across political boundaries to present a unified front when pursuing major projects and investments. Leverage your region's unique industry clusters (like KC's sports architecture) to create compelling specialization stories for targeted marketing. Create an in-house creative agency to support marketing needs across your region, especially for partners with limited budgets. Develop talent attraction initiatives like KC's "Team KC" that connect employers and equip them with shared marketing resources. Create specialized content for different audiences, such as belonging guides for various cultural communities, to support talent recruitment efforts. Focus on tracking meaningful metrics tied to actual business attraction and expansion results rather than just marketing activities. Identify and promote quality of life advantages such as central location, cost of living, and cultural amenities as competitive differentiators. Establish sector-specific initiatives (like KC's Digital Health and Animal Health Corridor) to target industries where your region has competitive advantages. End counter-productive incentive competitions between neighboring communities to better focus resources on attracting new businesses to the region. Special Guest: Jonathan Knecht.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:Jonathan Knecht | LinkedInKansas City Area Development Council | HomeKC Heartland | FacebookKansas City Area Development Council | LinkedInKCADC (@ithinkKC) / XKC Area Development Council on VimeoKC Area Development Council (@ithinkkc) • Instagram photos and videos

In this episode of the Econ Dev Show, host Dane Carlson speaks with Deb Brown, co-founder of Save Your Town and author of "From Possibilities to Reality: How to Save Your Small Town." They discuss Brown's workbook-style approach to small town economic development, sharing practical examples of community revitalization, including movie theater revitalization as an economic driver. Brown offers insights on addressing resistance to change by exploring what people truly valued about their towns in the past, and provides actionable strategies for community members who want to make a difference in their small towns. Like this show? Please leave us a review here — even one sentence helps! Actionable Takeaways for Economic Developers Implement the "idea friendly method" to bypass traditional committee bureaucracy and mobilize community-driven economic development projects. Organize "Tour of Empty Buildings" events to showcase vacant commercial spaces and connect potential business owners with available properties. Focus on attracting and supporting local businesses to expand into empty downtown spaces rather than solely pursuing large outside employers. Create accessible maps and resources that showcase available commercial properties to potential investors and entrepreneurs. Engage residents outside the "usual suspects" (city officials, chamber members) by hosting informal idea-gathering sessions at local coffee shops or breweries. When communities resist change, dig into what they specifically valued about the past to identify the core needs that modern solutions can address. Develop sustainable business models for community assets (like movie theaters) that create real employment rather than relying exclusively on volunteers. Establish clear pathways from idea generation to implementation that don't require formal committee formation or extensive bureaucratic processes. Prioritize filling downtown vacancies with businesses that serve current community needs while preserving historical character. Leverage success stories from similar small towns as proof-of-concept examples when pitching new development ideas to stakeholders and building owners. Special Guest: Deb Brown.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:Debra Brown | LinkedInSaveYour.Town – Practical steps to shape a better future for your community, small town, rural or local neighborhoodBuyTheBook - Building PossibilityFrom Possibilities to Reality: Save Your Small Town with these Uniquely Do-able Ideas, Projects, and Success Stories: LuluFrom Possibilities to Reality: Save Your Small Town with these Uniquely Do-able Ideas, Projects, and Success Stories by Deb BrownBuilding Possibility - FacebookMentions Library - Deb Brown | Building PossibilityAbout - Deb Brown | Building Possibility

In this episode of the Econ Dev Show, host Dane Carlson speaks with Aaron Pitts, Chief Commercial Officer for Business PA, who shares how Pennsylvania is revitalizing its economic development approach under Governor Shapiro's administration. Aaron explains the creation of Business PA, a dedicated unit within the Department of Community and Economic Development focused exclusively on building and maintaining business relationships. He details Pennsylvania's strategic advantages as a founding state with major cities, rural areas, and world-class educational institutions like UPenn and Carnegie Mellon, while highlighting their focus on five key sectors: life sciences, manufacturing, energy, AI/tech, and business services. Listeners learn about Pennsylvania's impressive $500 million investment in site development, streamlined permitting processes that reduced business license waits from eight weeks to two days, and how Pittsburgh has emerged as a global AI leader with companies like Google, Nvidia, and Duolingo. Aaron also shares insights from his previous experience helping create JobsOhio and explains why leaving corporate America for economic development has been so personally fulfilling. Like this show? Please leave us a review here — even one sentence helps! Ten Actionable Takeaways for Economic Developers Create dedicated units focused solely on business relationships within your economic development organization to ensure businesses receive specialized attention. Invest significantly in site readiness programs with dedicated funding to create shovel-ready locations that can immediately accommodate business relocations. Implement a concierge service for permitting to help businesses navigate regulatory processes more efficiently and combat negative perceptions about permitting complexity. Identify and focus on 4-5 key sectors where your region has competitive advantages rather than trying to be everything to everyone. Build regional partnerships with clear roles and responsibilities for business retention, expansion and attraction activities to present a unified front to prospective companies. Bring corporate experience into economic development leadership to better understand and speak the language of business executives. Develop a strategy that balances care for incumbent businesses while positioning your region to attract cutting-edge industries. Create a disciplined financial model to evaluate incentive offers that ensures both the business and the region benefit from each deal. Leverage educational institutions as key partners in workforce development and innovation to create distinct advantages in specific sectors. Foster an attitudinal shift within economic development organizations from reactive to proactive engagement with businesses to demonstrate that you genuinely care about their success. Special Guest: Aaron Pitts.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:Business in Pennsylvania | PA DCEDPennsylvania Department of Community & Economic Development: Posts | LinkedInPennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development | FacebookPA DCED - YouTube — PA DCEDAaron Pitts | LinkedIn

In this episode of the Econ Dev Show, host Dane Carlson sits down with Victor Hoskins, President and CEO of Fairfax County Economic Development Authority, who oversees Virginia's largest economy and leads a team that has secured approximately $3 billion in capital investment. Victor shares insights from his unique career spanning both public and private sectors, including his instrumental role in securing Amazon HQ2 during his time at Arlington Economic Development. With candid reflections on his education at MIT, experience in private equity, and passion for creating economic opportunity, Victor reveals his philosophy that has helped companies create over 38,000 jobs in Fairfax County – a place he describes as "where companies come to dent the universe." Like this show? Please leave us a review here — even one sentence helps! Special Guest: Victor Hoskins.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:Victor Hoskins | LinkedInFFX NOVA BusinessThe Innovator's Dilemma: The Revolutionary Book That Will Change the Way You Do Business by Clayton M. Christensen

In this episode of the Econ Dev Show, host Dane Carlson speaks with David Fleming, president and CEO of Rev Birmingham, about transforming Birmingham from an industrial city into a thriving service economy centered around healthcare and education. Fleming discusses how his organization fosters downtown vibrancy by preserving historic character, supporting local businesses that "make the city cool," ensuring economic and racial diversity, and collaborating with various municipal authorities to create a downtown that attracts over 30 million annual visitors while maintaining its unique identity. Like this show? Please leave us a review here — even one sentence helps! Actionable Takeaways for Economic Developers Focus on supporting local businesses that give your city a unique character and "make the city cool." Create incentives that help historic redevelopment while still allowing for new growth. Work in partnership with various city authorities (parking, transit, housing) to align development goals. Develop housing incentives that encourage economic diversity, not just luxury developments. Measure downtown success by evening vibrancy and residential activity, not just daytime business metrics. Recognize the importance of maintaining racial and economic diversity in downtown development plans. Position anchor institutions like healthcare and universities as catalysts for urban revitalization. Balance the needs of various stakeholders: residents, workers, and visitors. Create development tools that preserve local character while encouraging economic growth. Focus on making downtown a destination with diverse attractions that can draw millions of visitors annually. Special Guest: David Fleming.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:REV Birmingham is creating vibrant placesDowntown BirminghamDavid Fleming | LinkedInREV Birmingham (@revbham) • InstagramREV Birmingham - FacebookREV Birmingham: Overview | LinkedInDowntown Birmingham (@downtownbhm) • InstagramDowntown BHM - FacebookDowntown Birmingham: Overview | LinkedInDowntowns will evolve and survive - Birmingham Business JournalDo Business - Downtown BirminghamThe Death and Life of Great American Cities (50th Anniversary Edition) by Jane Jacobs

In this episode of the Econ Dev Show, Dane Carlson speaks with Lindsay Greene, CEO of the Brooklyn Navy Yard, about transforming industrial spaces for modern manufacturing. Greene shares insights on the challenges of changing perceptions about manufacturing careers, the importance of integrating workforce development with economic strategy, and her unusual career path from investment banking to grocery e-commerce before leading a major industrial development. The conversation explores how the Navy Yard creates accessible economic opportunities, the difficulties of attracting grocery stores to underserved areas, and Greene's passion for industrial policy as a driver of economic growth. Like this show? Please leave us a review here — even one sentence helps! Ten Actionable Takeaways Consider integrating workforce development and economic development under one organizational structure to reduce friction and align goals. Modernize perceptions of manufacturing by highlighting how today's industrial jobs offer sustainable careers without requiring advanced degrees. Create flexible spaces like pop-up opportunities for businesses not ready to commit to permanent locations. Recognize the unique challenges of attracting grocery stores and develop targeted strategies for food access in underserved areas. Leverage social media (like Instagram) and accessible communication channels to connect with community members and businesses. Balance preservation of industrial/waterfront spaces with the need for evolution to meet modern economic needs. Build strategic partnerships that enhance both economic opportunity and quality of life for residents. Develop demonstration projects that showcase how traditional industries are transforming for the future. Consider how your personal and professional background, even if unconventional, brings valuable perspective to economic development work. Create open channels of communication between your executive team and the public to foster engagement and collaboration. Special Guest: Lindsay Greene.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:Brooklyn Navy YardBrooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation | LinkedInBrooklyn Navy Yard (@BklynNavyYard) / XBrooklyn Navy Yard (@bklynnavyyard) • InstagramAlumni Spotlight: Lindsay Greene '11 - YouTubeBrooklyn Navy Yard CEO Lindsay Greene on keeping innovation in NYC | Crain's New York Business

In this episode of the Econ Dev Show, host Dane Carlson sits down with Rohan Sandhu, co-founder of the Reimagining the Economy Project at Harvard Kennedy School, to examine the convergence of industrial policy, market crafting, and place-based economic development strategies. Drawing on his 15 years of experience at the intersection of research and practice, Sandhu discusses how traditional economic development approaches often fail distressed communities due to uncoordinated policies and limited local capacity. They explore how forward-looking economic transformation requires moving beyond reactive, transactional approaches to development and better aligning workforce systems with economic growth initiatives. Sandhu's insights from his work on projects like "Bottom-Up Bidenomics" and "The US Place-Based Policy Supply Chain" offer practical guidance for practitioners seeking to build more resilient local economies. Like this show? Please leave us a review here — even one sentence helps! Ten Actionable Takeaways for Economic Developers Shift from reactive, crisis-driven economic development to forward-looking strategies with a clear vision for transformation. Focus on building local institutional capacity as a foundation for implementing any economic development initiative. Identify and address the coordination gaps between overlapping economic development policies at federal, state, and local levels. Recognize the limitations of matching fund requirements that often exclude the most distressed communities from accessing resources. Develop funding models for local intermediary organizations that support capacity-building, not just project implementation. Integrate workforce development explicitly into economic growth strategies rather than treating them as separate domains. Use data visualization tools like economyinplace.com to better understand local labor markets and policy flows in your region. Examine how industrial policy principles can be applied practically to support small and medium enterprises in your community. Identify opportunities for "productive upgrading" of service sectors that absorb local labor. Design economic development strategies that directly target persistent economic distress rather than focusing primarily on already-advantaged areas. Special Guest: Rohan Sandhu.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:Rohan Sandhu | LinkedInRohan Sandhu | Harvard Kennedy SchoolIndustrial Policy Is a Verb - ProMarketServicing Development: Productive Upgrading of Labor-Absorbing Services in Developing EconomiesIndustrial policy for micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises | VoxDevPolicy Works Podcast | Harvard Kennedy SchoolRecoding America by Jennifer PahlkaPower, for All: How It Really Works and Why It's Everyone's Business: Julie Battilana and Tiziana Casciaro

In this episode of the Econ Dev Show, host Dane Carlson speaks with marketing consultant Alissa Sklar about effective digital strategies for economic development organizations. They discuss leveraging AI tools while maintaining an authentic voice, website management tips for small EDOs, content amplification through LinkedIn, and how to build partnerships with educational institutions. Alissa offers practical advice for economic developers wearing multiple hats, emphasizing how to maximize impact with limited resources and time. Like this show? Please leave us a review here — even one sentence helps! Actionable Takeaways Use AI tools like ChatGPT to draft content, but always rewrite it to match your organization's voice and verify all information. Amplify LinkedIn posts by having your director and board members repost content with additional commentary to significantly increase reach. Define clear objectives for all marketing content (website visits, downloads, event attendance) before creation. Avoid using auto-translate features that might make your organization appear to have capabilities it doesn't. Partner with local universities or community colleges for mutually beneficial marketing projects. Repurpose and leverage the same content across different platforms to maximize efficiency. Develop a consistent hashtag strategy for your organization's social media posts. Focus website content on what visitors need rather than internal organizational structures. Build relationships with educational institutions to connect with future business leaders. For small EDOs, prioritize quality website content over trying to maintain presence on too many platforms. Special Guest: Alissa Sklar.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:Sklar Consulting – Innovative digital marketing strategy for B2B and economic developmentAlissa Sklar, Ph.D. | LinkedInSklar Consulting | LinkedInWhite Papers – Sklar ConsultingEconomic Development Marketing & Priorities | fDi Insights

In this episode of the Econ Dev Show, host Dane Carlson sits down with Clint O'Neal, Executive Director of the Arkansas Economic Development Commission, to discuss the evolution of economic development over his 17-year career spanning both Missouri and Arkansas. O'Neal shares his path from junior high teacher to economic development leader, highlights successful foreign direct investment projects, and emphasizes the importance of customer service in working with businesses. He also offers perspective on how economic development is adapting to changing workforce priorities, with quality of life and community attractiveness becoming increasingly important factors as people choose where to live before finding employment. Like this show? Please leave us a review here — even one sentence helps! 10 Actionable Takeaways for Economic Developers Focus intensely on customer service when working with prospective businesses, as exceptional service can differentiate your location. Recognize that workers increasingly choose locations first and jobs second, making quality of life initiatives critical. Develop "risk-free" industrial sites that accelerate timelines and build company confidence in your location. Leverage data and AI tools to speed up information exchange with site selectors and businesses. Build strong relationships between economic development efforts and government leadership for coordinated responses. Create memorable experiences for visiting executives that showcase your region's unique advantages. Invest in outdoor recreation and quality of life amenities that make your community attractive to today's mobile workforce. Understand that economic development success often comes from coordinating multiple elements (tax policy, site readiness, incentives) simultaneously. Network with other economic development professionals to continuously learn and improve practices. Consider how shifts in business priorities (such as location flexibility) can be leveraged to benefit your community's recruitment efforts. Special Guest: Clint O'Neal.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:Clint O'Neal, CEcD | LinkedInArkansas Economic Development CommissionArkansas Year in Review 2024 - YouTubeWhy Arkansas - YouTube

In this episode of the Econ Dev Show, Dane Carlson welcomes Gus Garcia, the Director of Economic Development for the City of Arlington, Texas. Gus, a dual-certified economic developer with over 19 years of experience, shares his journey through various roles in both the public and private sectors. He emphasizes the importance of strategic planning, leveraging infrastructure, and fostering collaboration to achieve economic growth. Highlighting his work in Arlington and previous initiatives in cities like Edinburg and Duncanville, Gus provides listeners with a wealth of knowledge on implementing impactful economic development projects and aligning them with a city's long-term vision. Like this show? Please leave us a review here — even one sentence helps! Actionable Takeaways for Economic Developers Adopt strategic planning to keep your economic development initiatives aligned with long-term community goals. Leverage your community's location and infrastructure to attract businesses and investments. Cultivate both public and private sector partnerships to drive comprehensive economic growth. Draw upon your previous experiences to create adaptable solutions in new roles. Engage with local educational institutions to foster an environment conducive to economic advancement. Encourage civic leadership and active community involvement in economic decision-making. Recognize the importance of family support and personal interests in maintaining professional balance. Utilize certifications and continuous learning to enhance your skills and credibility. Balance immediate economic needs with long-term transformation strategies. Treat every stakeholder with dignity and respect, adhering to the golden rule in all interactions. Gus' Recommended Book The First 90 Days: Proven Strategies for Getting Up to Speed Faster and Smarter, Updated and Expanded - it sets the tone for an organization's direction. In Economic development, we have to have a plan and follow it. It is easy to get sidetracked in many different directions. Special Guest: Gus Garcia.Links:The First 90 Days: Proven Strategies for Getting Up to Speed Faster and Smarter, Updated and Expanded by Michael D. WatkinsAgustin G. Garcia CEcD, EDFP | LinkedIn