Econ Dev Show Podcast - Economic Development

183: Small-Scale Manufacturing as Community Development Strategy with Ilana Preuss


Listen Later

In this episode of the Econ Dev Show, host Dane Carlson welcomes back Ilana Preuss, founder and CEO of Recast City, for a follow-up conversation four years after her initial appearance on the show. Preuss shares insights on how economic development has evolved and discusses her methodology for helping communities identify and support small-scale manufacturing businesses. The conversation explores how economic developers can create meaningful change with relatively modest investments by focusing on local assets, engaging directly with community members and business owners, and implementing targeted strategies that respond to actual community needs rather than pursuing expensive business recruitment projects.

Like this show? Please leave us a review here — even one sentence helps!

Ten Actionable Takeaways for Economic Developers
  1. Engage directly with small-scale manufacturing business owners to understand their specific needs and challenges before creating programs.
  2. Focus on modest, targeted investments ($10K-$20K) rather than expensive business recruitment projects that may not address community needs.
  3. Identify and leverage existing local assets and manufacturing businesses already present in your community.
  4. Meet with property owners to understand real estate availability and constraints for small manufacturing businesses.
  5. Analyze community feedback to prioritize actions that will create the biggest impact based on local goals and beneficiaries.
  6. Create short-term wins that build momentum toward longer-term, more complex development projects.
  7. Thread the line between community assets, needs, and goals to develop effective priority strategies.
  8. Focus on de-risking economic development investments by ensuring projects respond to actual community needs.
  9. Build "sticky" communities by creating places where interesting commercial activity takes place and people want to be.
  10. Use systematic methods to gather information from stakeholders and translate that into actionable development strategies.
  11. Special Guest: Ilana Preuss.

    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:

    • Ilana Preuss | LinkedIn
    • Recast City LLC
    • Recast Your City: How to Save Your Downtown with Small-Scale Manufacturing by Ilana Preuss
    • Recast Your City
    ...more
    View all episodesView all episodes
    Download on the App Store

    Econ Dev Show Podcast - Economic DevelopmentBy Dane Carlson

    • 4.8
    • 4.8
    • 4.8
    • 4.8
    • 4.8

    4.8

    15 ratings


    More shows like Econ Dev Show Podcast - Economic Development

    View all
    Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan by CBS News

    Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan

    1,156 Listeners

    WSJ What’s News by The Wall Street Journal

    WSJ What’s News

    4,327 Listeners

    Stuff You Should Know by iHeartPodcasts

    Stuff You Should Know

    77,738 Listeners

    Planet Money by NPR

    Planet Money

    30,688 Listeners

    Freakonomics Radio by Freakonomics Radio + Stitcher

    Freakonomics Radio

    32,075 Listeners

    The Way I Heard It with Mike Rowe by The Way I Heard It with Mike Rowe

    The Way I Heard It with Mike Rowe

    40,918 Listeners

    The Daily by The New York Times

    The Daily

    110,822 Listeners

    The Indicator from Planet Money by NPR

    The Indicator from Planet Money

    9,510 Listeners

    Develop This: Economic and Community Development by Develop This! Podcast

    Develop This: Economic and Community Development

    45 Listeners

    Fiction - Comedy Fiction by The Sunset Explorers

    Fiction - Comedy Fiction

    6,448 Listeners

    ShovelTalk: An Economic Development Podcast by Golden Shovel Agency

    ShovelTalk: An Economic Development Podcast

    2 Listeners

    The Working Genius Podcast with Patrick Lencioni by Patrick Lencioni

    The Working Genius Podcast with Patrick Lencioni

    360 Listeners

    Money For Couples with Ramit Sethi by Ramit Sethi

    Money For Couples with Ramit Sethi

    3,358 Listeners

    The Telepathy Tapes by Ky Dickens

    The Telepathy Tapes

    7,583 Listeners

    EDO Breakthrough by Sandy Dubay, CEcD

    EDO Breakthrough

    4 Listeners