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
    Planet Money by NPR

    Planet Money

    30,667 Listeners

    Marketplace Morning Report by Marketplace

    Marketplace Morning Report

    925 Listeners

    WSJ What’s News by The Wall Street Journal

    WSJ What’s News

    4,356 Listeners

    Masters in Business by Bloomberg

    Masters in Business

    2,170 Listeners

    Odd Lots by Bloomberg

    Odd Lots

    1,896 Listeners

    How I Built This with Guy Raz by Guy Raz | Wondery

    How I Built This with Guy Raz

    30,225 Listeners

    The Strong Towns Podcast by Strong Towns

    The Strong Towns Podcast

    426 Listeners

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

    Develop This: Economic and Community Development

    45 Listeners

    Upzoned by Strong Towns

    Upzoned

    155 Listeners

    The Journal. by The Wall Street Journal & Spotify Studios

    The Journal.

    6,072 Listeners

    Fiction - Comedy Fiction by The Sunset Explorers

    Fiction - Comedy Fiction

    6,444 Listeners

    Morning Brew Daily by Morning Brew

    Morning Brew Daily

    3,002 Listeners

    The Walker Webcast by Willy Walker

    The Walker Webcast

    150 Listeners

    Moody's Talks - Inside Economics by Moody's Analytics

    Moody's Talks - Inside Economics

    316 Listeners

    The Leading Ladies of Economic Development by Kaycee Bunch

    The Leading Ladies of Economic Development

    4 Listeners