Econ Dev Show Podcast - Economic Development

Dane Carlson
  • 4.8 (15)
  • Non-Profit
  • Updated Weekly

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.

  1. 5d ago

    Building Trust Before Building Buildings with Janae Stark

    In 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.

    26 min
  2. The Power of Powerlessness with Michael Hecht

    Jun 15

    The Power of Powerlessness with Michael Hecht

    In 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.

    27 min
  3. How Energy Is Changing Site Selection with Anna Cardona

    Jun 8

    How Energy Is Changing Site Selection with Anna Cardona

    In 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.

    28 min
  4. Music as Economic Development with Matt Mandrella

    Jun 1

    Music as Economic Development with Matt Mandrella

    In 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.

    35 min
  5. The Hidden Cost of Becoming Cool with Jon Roberts

    May 25

    The Hidden Cost of Becoming Cool with Jon Roberts

    In 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.

    30 min
  6. The Economic Development Handbook We All Needed with Glenn Athey

    May 18

    The Economic Development Handbook We All Needed with Glenn Athey

    In 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.

    30 min
  7. What Site Selectors Wish Economic Developers Understood with Mark Williams

    May 11

    What Site Selectors Wish Economic Developers Understood with Mark Williams

    In 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.

    27 min
  8. Why Economic Development Fundraising Matters More Than Ever with Brian Abernathy and Clint Nessmith

    May 4

    Why Economic Development Fundraising Matters More Than Ever with Brian Abernathy and Clint Nessmith

    In this episode of the Econ Dev Show Podcast, Dane Carlson talks with Brian Abernathy of Convergent and Clint Nessmith of Resource Development Group, now RDG, a Convergent Company, about the merger of two major economic development fundraising firms and what it means for chambers, EDOs, and community organizations. They discuss why economic development fundraising is becoming more critical, how campaigns are evolving beyond traditional jobs and investment metrics, and why organizations must make a clearer case for their value. Brian and Clint also explain how data, disciplined campaign execution, feasibility studies, and strong public-private partnerships can help communities fund the work required to compete. Like this show? Please leave us a review here — even one sentence helps! 10 Actionable Takeaways for Economic Developers Make the value case clearer. Investors need to understand what your organization does, why it matters, and what outcomes their funding supports. Do not rely only on past success. A good track record helps, but each new campaign needs a fresh, specific, forward-looking reason to invest. Use data to strengthen your story. Fundraising works better when your case combines vision with evidence, benchmarks, campaign history, and measurable outcomes. Treat fundraising as strategy, not just revenue. A campaign should clarify priorities, align leadership, and sharpen the organization's role in the community. Run a feasibility study before a major campaign. Confidential investor feedback can reveal whether your campaign is ready, credible, and properly sized. Connect economic development to broader community needs. Workforce, housing, infrastructure, quality of life, and nonprofit capacity all affect competitiveness. Keep trusted relationships front and center. Funders support people and organizations they trust, especially when the work requires multi-year commitments. Show investors where their money goes. Be specific about programs, staff capacity, outcomes, timelines, and the practical work their support makes possible. Position your organization as a convener. EDOs and chambers often create value by bringing public, private, nonprofit, and education partners together around shared priorities. Prepare for more sophisticated funders. Investors are asking better questions. Be ready with a stronger narrative, better data, and a disciplined plan for execution. Special Guests: Brian Abernathy and Clint Nessmith.

    27 min
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4.8
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About

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.

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