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. Transit as Economic Development Strategy with Joya Stetson

    3D AGO

    Transit as Economic Development Strategy with Joya Stetson

    In this episode of the Econ Dev Show, host Dane Carlson talks with Joya Stetson, Community Development Director at the Minnesota Valley Transit Authority (MVTA), about how transit directly shapes workforce access, development costs, and long-term community competitiveness. Joya unpacks “first mile/last mile” barriers and how tools like microtransit and service tweaks can turn missed connections into real outcomes, including route changes that unlocked student internships and boosted ridership. They dig into suburban realities like coverage vs. ridership, post-COVID recovery, and why transit belongs inside RFP workforce narratives, land-use planning, and even parking requirement conversations. Like this show? Please leave us a review here (https://econdevshow.com/rate-this-podcast/) — even one sentence helps! 10 Actionable Takeaways for Economic Developers Get your transit provider “at the table” early for major projects, not after the announcement, so service planning can match real hiring needs. Treat “workforce access” as more than unemployment rates: explicitly describe how transit expands the labor pool and reduces absenteeism and turnover risk. Audit first-mile/last-mile gaps for key job centers, campuses, and training sites; don’t assume a route nearby means people can actually reach it. Use microtransit strategically to bridge gaps, but pair it with fixed routes when predictable arrival times matter (classes, shifts, internships). Build a “route change wins” pipeline: channel feedback from chambers, employers, schools, and workforce boards into concrete service-change proposals. Include transit in your site selection/RFP package (especially the workforce section): routes, frequency, last-mile options, and how employers can engage. Coordinate transit with land-use planning and TOD goals so comp plans and transit plans evolve together instead of living on shelves. Use transit to reduce development friction: make the case for lower parking requirements where transit access supports it. Map housing-to-transit-to-jobs (especially affordable housing) to show actual accessibility and to target investments or service pilots. Frame transit as competitiveness and sustainability: companies care about low-carbon performance, and mobility options are part of that story. Special Guest: Joya Stetson.

    33 min
  2. How Community Colleges Power Statewide Economic Development with John Loyack

    DEC 15

    How Community Colleges Power Statewide Economic Development with John Loyack

    In this episode of the Econ Dev Show, host Dane Carlson sits down with John Loyack of the North Carolina Community College System to unpack what “workforce development” looks like when you’re the person who gets the call the day after the ribbon cutting asking where the next 500–5,000 workers will come from—and how North Carolina answers that question through four major tools: NC Edge customized training, ApprenticeshipNC, the Bio Network (now stretching from life sciences into food/beverage and natural products), and a small business center network embedded across 58 community colleges, all while pushing for tighter collaboration so employers experience one connected system instead of disconnected silos. Like this show? Please leave us a review here (https://econdevshow.com/rate-this-podcast/) — even one sentence helps! 10 Actionable Takeaways for Economic Developers Treat workforce development as core infrastructure, not a support function. Engage community colleges early, not after a project announcement. Promote customized training programs aggressively to prospects and existing employers. Use pre-hire assessments to reduce employer risk on major projects. Encourage employers, even competitors, to collaborate on shared talent needs. Leverage apprenticeship programs beyond manufacturing into healthcare, construction, and trades. Think regionally, not jurisdiction by jurisdiction, when building talent pipelines. Repurpose successful training models across industries where skills overlap. Break down silos between workforce, small business, and economic development teams. Communicate these resources constantly because most businesses do not know they exist. Special Guest: John Loyack.

    26 min
  3. Why Electricity Decides Everything Now in Economic Development with Timothy Comerford

    DEC 8

    Why Electricity Decides Everything Now in Economic Development with Timothy Comerford

    In this episode of the Econ Dev Show, Dane Carlson talks with Timothy Comerford of Biggins Lacey & Shapiro about the rapidly shifting reality of power availability in site selection. Tim explains how explosive demand from data centers and industrial users is overwhelming electric utilities, reshaping incentive policy, and lengthening timelines for securing capacity. He breaks down the biggest misconceptions around power lead times, why transmission is often the bottleneck, how utilities are adapting with costly engineering studies and take-or-pay requirements, and what steps EDOs must take to credibly position their sites. This is a masterclass on the new electricity-driven geography of economic development. Like this show? Please leave us a review here (https://econdevshow.com/rate-this-podcast/) — even one sentence helps! Ten Actionable Takeaways for Economic Developers Build strong, direct relationships with utility contacts who will actually talk to prospects. Understand that real timelines for securing large loads run in years, not months. Work with utilities to pre-identify transmission routes and right-of-way feasibility. Gather realistic load estimates from prospects instead of just taking their engineer's peak numbers. Know whether your sites already sit near substations with real remaining capacity. Incorporate redundancy needs early, since 100 percent backup can double infrastructure requirements. Prepare for developers who request huge speculative loads and learn how to differentiate serious projects. Recognize that incentives tied to data centers may face political pressure due to ratepayer impacts. Push utilities and state partners to invest in long-range planning that anticipates industrial and data center growth. Educate local stakeholders that modern site readiness now includes power readiness as a top priority. Special Guest: Timothy Comeford.

    24 min
  4. How Colorado Springs Competes Globally with Johnna Reeder Kleymeyer

    DEC 1

    How Colorado Springs Competes Globally with Johnna Reeder Kleymeyer

    In this episode of the Econ Dev Show, Dane Carlson talks with Johnna Reeder Kleymeyer, President and CEO of the Colorado Springs Chamber and EDC, about how Colorado Springs is uniting its region to compete globally, building on its deep aerospace, defense, and cybersecurity assets, and expanding advanced manufacturing powered by a steady military-to-civilian talent pipeline. She explains the origin of the Colorado Aerospace and Defense Economic Council, the importance of advocacy for small and mid-sized contractors, how site selection really plays out in a mountain market, and why economic development still matters most at the level of individual opportunity. From cluster strategy to workforce realities to the joy of cutting a ribbon on a transformational project, Johnna offers insight from a 30-year career building thriving communities. Like this show? Please leave us a review here (https://econdevshow.com/rate-this-podcast/) — even one sentence helps! Special Guest: Johnna Reeder Kleymeyer.

    28 min
  5. How Peer-to-Peer Mentoring Can Transform Local Economies with Martin Vanags

    NOV 17

    How Peer-to-Peer Mentoring Can Transform Local Economies with Martin Vanags

    In this episode of the Econ Dev Show, Dane Carlson talks with economic development veteran and consultant Marty Vanags about Circles of Seven, a peer-based mentoring program designed to strengthen post-startup small businesses who often fall through the cracks of traditional support systems. Marty explains how C7 groups work, why small businesses learn best from each other, and how these circles create long-lasting bonds that improve BRE, build confidence, and ultimately make communities more attractive to prospects. He also touches on Next Wave Leadership, the importance of in-person connection, and why economic developers should spend more time nurturing the businesses they already have. Like this show? Please leave us a review here (https://econdevshow.com/rate-this-podcast/) — even one sentence helps! 10 Actionable Takeaways for Economic Developers Target the "liminal stage" -- businesses past the startup phase but not yet established need the most support and often have the fewest resources. Build peer-to-peer programs, not just classes -- small businesses learn better from each other than from lectures. Recruit strong facilitators, not "experts" -- a good mentor is a steady guide, not a guru. Create predictable monthly prompts (articles, videos, questions) to spark meaningful discussion. Require at least 30 minutes on the main topic so participants get what they came for. Train facilitators in group dynamics, not business theory -- their job is to manage conversation, not teach. Use C7-style programs as BRE tools -- they put you in front of businesses you rarely interact with. Remember cash flow and time are always the biggest pain points for small businesses. Encourage in-person interaction -- especially post-COVID, live meetings build deeper relationships and accountability. Measure success by longevity -- if your groups keep meeting years later, your ecosystem is working. Special Guest: Martin Vanags.

    26 min
  6. Dane With Joe Barker on the Rural Strong Podcast

    NOV 10

    Dane With Joe Barker on the Rural Strong Podcast

    On this special crossover episode, Dane Carlson joins Joe Barker on the Rural Strong Podcast to talk about Sitehunt, entrepreneurship, and the power of AI to help rural and small-community economic developers compete at scale. In this episode of Rural Strong, Joe and Dane explore how AI tools like Sitehunt automate site analysis, RFI responses, and data collection — giving small EDOs the same analytical firepower as their big-city counterparts. Dane shares his unlikely journey from early-2000s internet entrepreneur to chamber president in the Sierra Nevada foothills to Texas economic-development director to startup CEO. They discuss why feedback matters more than features, why execution beats ideas every time, and why even the smallest communities need a modern website, a plan, and the willingness to pivot. Dane also unpacks how child care, housing, and workforce shortages have become the new pillars of competitiveness, why AI is best thought of as a “dim-witted but persistent intern,” and how rural leaders can use technology to take back the information advantage from site selectors. Like this show? Please leave us a review here (https://econdevshow.com/rate-this-podcast/) — even one sentence helps! Ten Actionable Takeaways for Economic Developers Treat AI as an intern, not an oracle. Feed it data and context to get useful answers. Launch before you're ready. Iterate in public and let real feedback drive improvement. Build a website that sells your community. Clear contact info and photos matter more than fancy graphics. Use LinkedIn as your industry newspaper. Learn from and connect with other EDOs daily. Start a local podcast. It's the best modern BRE tool and a non-threatening way to engage businesses. Plan but pivot. No plan survives first contact with reality; stay nimble. Address child care and housing head-on. They're workforce issues now, not social ones. Prioritize execution over ideas. A mediocre idea well executed beats a brilliant idea untried. Save cash for the long haul. Entrepreneurs fail more often from running out of runway than from bad concepts. Ask for feedback early and often. It's how both products and communities get better.

    27 min
  7. Inside IMPLAN: Fifty Years of Economic Impact Analysis with Candi Clouse

    NOV 3

    Inside IMPLAN: Fifty Years of Economic Impact Analysis with Candi Clouse

    In this episode of the Econ Dev Show, Candi Clouse from IMPLAN joins Dane Carlson to unpack how the fifty-year-old economic-impact platform grew from a U.S. Forest Service project into the industry’s gold standard for analyzing how local and regional economies respond to change. She explains the basics of input-output modeling, how opening a single manufacturing plant can affect hundreds of related industries and household spending, and describes how IMPLAN empowers users to measure those effects in real time. Candi also shares her personal journey from psychology to economic development, the surprising ripple effects of Ohio’s motion-picture tax credit, and how IMPLAN’s data helps states compare investments, balance urban-rural needs, and plan for reshoring and supply-chain shifts. Like this show? Please leave us a review here (https://econdevshow.com/rate-this-podcast/) — even one sentence helps! Special Guest: Candi Clouse.

    23 min
  8. AI and the Future of Economic Development with Dane Carlson

    OCT 27

    AI and the Future of Economic Development with Dane Carlson

    In this episode of the Econ Dev Show, host Dane Carlson shares his talk from the Utility Economic Development Association’s 2025 Fall Forum in Traverse City, Michigan. He explains how artificial intelligence is transforming economic development from a guessing game into a data-driven discipline. Drawing from his work with Sitehunt, Dane reveals how utilities can turn raw infrastructure data like power, water, sewer, and fiber into actionable intelligence that accelerates projects, shortens RFI responses, and drives smarter investment decisions. He challenges listeners to stop optimizing for Google and start optimizing for AI, showing how even small steps like making one dataset machine readable can reshape how regions grow and compete. Like this show? Please leave us a review here (https://econdevshow.com/rate-this-podcast/) — even one sentence helps! 10 Actionable Takeaways for Economic Developers Make one dataset machine readable, even if it is internal. It is the first step toward AI readiness. Think of AI as infrastructure, not a chatbot. Build systems that work continuously, not conversations. Use APIs to connect your data, automate workflows, and ensure consistency. Chain models together to combine reasoning, data retrieval, and structured writing capabilities. Capture tribal knowledge by converting what only a few people know into structured, shareable data. Automate RFI responses by integrating structured site data with AI models for instant scoring. Start vibe coding by describing outcomes and intent instead of writing brittle, rigid logic. Stop optimizing for Google. Design your data for AI systems that synthesize and act. Run small experiments monthly to test new models and internal automations. Advocate inside your organization. Utilities are the backbone of AI enabled economic development.

    19 min
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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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