Econ Dev Show Podcast - Economic Development

Jim Eldridge grew up wanting to be an anthropologist or a city planner. Instead, he puts both of those skillsets to use as an economic developer in Ada, Oklahoma. Jim thinks that economic developers need to change the ways in which we work. So much of the work we do, day-to-day, in our field is pragmatic, but we spend too little time thinking about more innovative or better ways of improving our ability to support our local communities and economies. We have to spend more time thinking about new and different ways of making our work more effective. Special Guest: Jim Eldridge.

Retired econ dev Don Erwin has written an engrossing thriller and an economic development textbook. (And yes, they're the same book: Buffalo Hunting in Alabama: A Novel.) You can reach Don by email at [email protected] Guest: Don Erwin.

In this episode, we hear from Zachary Barker about entrepreneurship-led economic development. Zach's an expert in ecosystem design and delivery of entrepreneurship, technology, and innovation (ETI) led programming. He said: Entrepreneur-led economic development is the one of the best investment EDOs can make in their communities. It supports BRE efforts for small businesses, retains young talent, diversifies the local business makeup, and... even if the people who enter your program are not successful in growing a business, they become experts in business execution and thus EXCEPTIONAL employees. What's been your most influential book and why? The Four-Hour Workweek by Timothy Ferris this was my first glimpse into building systems to scale entrepreneurial ventures. I was a banker at the time when this came out and it shifted how I did banking, then launched me into entrepreneurship Mastering the Rockefeller Habits by Verne Harnish as a dealmaker (not the technical partner in a startup), I found that I was driving activity but didn't understand why I was not getting results. I had a business plan but that was a lot of assumptions where the "Rock Habits" is a "what to do today to be successful" model to follow I have adapted this style of training along with driving the entrepreneurs self-understanding of their emotional intelligence, natural strengths, and mental health to create the Entrepreneur Blueprint What is your favorite productivity tool or resource? Audible - I have some wicked ADD and it can be difficult to find quiet time to read and dig in, but listening in the car, at the gym, walking the dogs, makes it to where I can learn the whole concepts, then go back and use the book as a manual of which I have a great understanding upfront Therapy - while maybe not a tool or resource, understanding entrepreneurship is a guaranteed path towards failures, rejection, and missteps (as you have to learn what not to do before you succeed), means that you entrepreneurs (more than others) will have high potential for mental health struggles. From despair to frustration, loneliness to anxiety, knowing these will come and having a plan to preemptively address them gives me a toolkit that helps me move to the next "win" Special Guest: Zachary Barker.

I this episode, Dane talks with Jimi Copland. Jimi is rural economic developer, educator, needle mover, encourager, change agent, and owner of The Rural Spark, an online educational platform for small communities. Special Guest: Jimi Copland.

Not content to just interview economic developers, in this episode host Dane Carlson tries talking to himself. He spends time talking to himself about all of the great content from the Econ Dev Show that's not the podcast, including the five weekday emails: (Monday) Podcast Episode 14 - Is Stewart McGregor the Friendliest Economic Developer in Texas? - What happens when you pair one of the friendliest economic developers you'll ever meet, with one of the most interesting cities that you've never heard of? (Tuesday) Amazon Has Changed Online Shopping and Economic Development - This isn't about Amazon HQ2, I promise. (Wednesday) Economic Development and Developers in the News - Econ dev news from 112 economic development executives and organizations in 38 states, the Virgin Islands and Canada. (Thursday) 45 Things Economic Developers Need To Know This Week - The stories that you need to see from this week. (Friday) Economic Development Jobs This Week

What happens when you pair one of the friendliest economic developers you'll ever meet, with one of the most interesting cities that you've never heard of? In this episode, Dane meets Stewart McGregor of Grand Prairie, Texas. Special Guest: Stewart McGregor.

In this episode we talk about making "rural cool" in Southeast Ohio with Taylor Stepp, and democratizing growth by recruiting white collar remote-workers to a traditionally blue collar region. Dane and Taylor discuss the benefits of rural communities, BR&E and remote work opportunities. Taylor also dispels some preconceived notions about Appalachia. Special Guest: Taylor Stepp.

Former President Harry Truman said, "It is amazing what you can accomplish when you do not care who gets the credit." For Robert Harrington this quote is the key to success in economic development in rural America. Born and raised in rural Missouri. Robert has remained part of rural America for his entire life. When he was a boy, his grandmother instilled in him the importance of a hard day's work and giving back to your community. As an economic developer, he's remained committed to following his grandmother's advice while working as a full-time economic developer across Missouri, Iowa, and Texas. Robert is currently the Director of Economic Development at the Bourbon County Economic Development Council in Fort Scott, Kansas. Join Dane, as he and Robert, explore the challenges and opportunities in rural economic development success.Special Guest: Robert Harrington.

Super Dave Quinn is one of those economic developers that seems to know and be known by everybody. He's also a sought-after public speaker, influencer, and all around nice guy. He's also super. He served as Vice President of the Frisco EDC in Frisco, TX from 2014-2018 where he helped lead an economic development team for one of the nation's fastest-growing cities Since then he's cofounded and is the managing partner for Day One Experts, an on-demand economic development and small business consulting firm. He's also the founder of the Texas Economic Development Connection, a statewide marketing partnership that connects out-of-state businesses with relocation opportunities in Texas. Super Dave's favorite book is QBQ! The Question Behind the Question: Practicing Personal Accountability at Work and in Life, by John Miller. Super Dave says it "It opened my eyes to who was responsible for my success and failure and set me on a lifetime journey of self-discovery and accountability. "Special Guest: "Super" Dave-Quinn.

Foreign direct investment doesn't just mean international investment in the US. For economic developers in other countries, the US is often the source of the "international" funds. For JP Saucier, who recruits businesses from Los Angeles, California to Quebec, the FDI flows from the United States to Canada.Special Guest: JP Saucier.

It turns out that I've been doing LinkedIn wrong, and probably so have you. In this episode, LinkedIn's EDO expert Andrew Phillips sets us on the right path.Special Guest: Andrew Phillips.

Often the best way to advance in your economic development career is to change organizations. But do you secretly worry that if you pack up and move across the country that you'll get there and be completely clueless? Today's guest did just that - Patrick Pierce moved from a large organization in Washington state to a small town in North Carolina, and he says that the coopetition is the same everywhere. Coopetition (sometimes spelled "co-opetition") is the collaboration between competitors, in hopes of mutually beneficial results. Sounds exactly like regional economic development.Special Guest: Patrick Pierce.

What's your downtown like? As a county economic developer, I can look out over several different cities, all with a diverse array of downtowns: Some are vibrant, beautiful tourist destinations. Others are transitioning and improving with city dollars and commercial reinvestment into new stores, new facades, new lighting, new life. Some suburban cities, to their shame, don't even really have downtowns. Unfortunately, I live in a town like that. But still, others are shells of their former selves; Empty storefronts with faded signs and broken sidewalks -- places that you don't go after dark -- not because they're dangerous per se, but because there's no reason to. Our guest today, hopes to change that. Ilana Preuss and her book Recast Your City: How to Save Your Downtown with Small-Scale Manufacturing offer an excellent primer on how to rebuild your downtown without relying on outsiders to bring their businesses to your community. Ilana's an expert. She led the technical assistance program at the U.S. EPA Smart Growth Program and was the Vice President & Chief of Staff at Smart Growth America. Her firm Recast City, works with local leaders to help create great places. Enjoy the show, and the book. Special Guest: Ilana Preuss.

Can a workforce developer lead the charge for economic development? While many organizations made the the switch from attraction to business retention last year because of COVID and the associated downturns in the economy, Cody Mosely with the Francis Tuttle Technology Center in Oklahoma is going in the other direction and leading the charge for regional economic growth.Special Guest: Cody Mosley.

In this episode, Dane talks to Josh Mejia, the executive director of the Brownsville Community Improvement District in Brownsville, Texas about all the great work he's doing in Brownsville. We also touch on his work with the IEDC and entrepreneurship-led economic development, SpaceX, international trade and supply chains, downtown redevelopment and more.Special Guest: Josh Mejia.

In today's epsisode, Chad Chancellor, CEO and Co-Founder of the Next Move Group and I have a wide ranging conversation: Why your EDO needs two podcasts (one for local stakeholders, and another for outside attraction.) Executive Searches. Now's a great time to find a new economic development job. (How to double your salary.) Economic developers should take jobs all over the country. (The more people you know, the better.) Special Guest: Chad Chancellor.

You're no doubt familiar with ride-sharing services like Uber and Lyft, and delivery services like Doordash, Uber Eats, and Instacart. These services work via an app on a smartphone, allowing users to request a ride, or a delivery, anytime, and in almost any medium sized city or larger. But it didn't used to be that way. DoorDash and Uber used to be exclusively focused on the big cities and the coasts. And there used to be places, decently sized communities like Cape Girardeau, Missouri, that they didn't serve. Cape Girardeau, Missouri, population 40,000 has about 130,000 in it's MSA. The city is the economic center of Southeast Missouri and also a college town as the home of Southeast Missouri State University. Located approximately 100 miles southeast of St. Louis and 150 miles north of Memphis, they had almost everything a small city could need... except delivery and ride services. Local residents were required to use their phones as phones and to call for deliveries from the few restaurants that offered it, and had to use their own cars to travel to stores to buy things. Oh, the horrors! In 2017, that all changed. carGO Technologies launched there to provide delivery and ride services. Made by local coders, marketed by local biz devs, and funded by local money, the service was a huge hit. So much so that they eventually expanded into other neighboring cities. But then, what had seemed so promising, suddenly hit a wall. As carGO tried to expand into larger markets to support its business model and growth, it came face to face with Uber, DoorDash and other competitors, companies who were internationally funded and losing billions of dollars a year. And then COVID-19 happened. Ultimately, the costs to continue funding growth and the search for a sustainable business model became insurmountable and the company ceased operations in early 2021. Why, you might ask, are we talking about a failed startup in south east Missouri on a show about economic development ? My guest today made the jump from economic development at a chamber of commerce, to startup CarGO, and then back to economic development for the state of Missouri. Along the way, he learned not only how to be entrepreneurial, but how talk to entrepreneurs in their own language. He understands what keeps them up at nights, what they care about, and most importantly what they don't care about at all. Enjoy the conversation. I did.Special Guest: Shad Burner.

In this episode Dane Carlson speaks with Rebecca Naragon, Economic Development Director for the United South and East Tribes, Inc. Many of us work in areas where governmental entities, be they cities, counties and even states and countries work together with through voluntary non profit associations of government. Where I live and work, in greater Houston, we have the Houston Galveston Area Council. It is the regional organization through which local governments consider issues and cooperate in solving area-wide problems. Earlier this week, I had the opportunity to sit down virtually with Rebecca Naragon, the economic development director for the United South and Eastern Tribes. United South and Eastern Tribes, is exactly this, but for 33 Native American tribes. I think that there are four takeaways from our conversation: As Rebecca describes it, shopping local doesn't always mean purchasing products and services where you live, but can mean supporting your community, wherever they are. Sometimes, the very act of just making a list of small business can be empowering for a community. Knowing that they're not alone, can be inspiring and uplifting for small entrepreneurs, and knowing that opportunities and resources are available in their community, can make others feel more connected. Together with each other, we're more resilient, even in light of huge and radical changes, like we've experienced in the last year with COVID-19. Finally - there's always light at the end of the tunnel in economic development. Special Guest: Rebecca Naragon.

In this episode, we get a little bit of background about our host Dane Carlson.

A teaser and demo of sorts. Definitely not episode #1.