In this episode of the Econ Dev Show, Dane Carlson sits down with Barry Broome, President and CEO of the Greater Sacramento Economic Council.

Dane and Barry explore Sacramento's remarkable economic transformation. Barry highlights how Sacramento has leveraged its strategic location 72 miles east of San Francisco to become one of America's premier second-tier markets, emerging as a semiconductor hub while diversifying into clean tech and agricultural research sectors.

Throughout the conversation, Barry shares his data-driven approach to economic development, his passion for working with underdog cities, and the challenges he overcame to build community trust and create a thriving economic ecosystem in California's capital region.

Barry shares insights on economic development, leadership, and the importance of data-driven decisions in driving regional growth.

The episode also covers his personal background, emphasizing Barry's passion for economic development in underdog cities and his experiences in navigating and overcoming initial challenges to build a thriving community.

Special Guest: Barry Broome.

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:

• Barry Broome | LinkedIn
• Home - Greater Sac Economic Council
• The Way We Work: Barry Broome | Comstock's magazine
• California 2030: Greater Sacramento Economic Council President Barry Broome - YouTube
• Team - Greater Sac Economic Council
• The Semiconductor Industry's Dynamic Nature and Continuous Evolution | Nasdaq
• News & events - Greater Sac Economic Council

In this episode of the Econ Dev Show, host Dane Carlson interviews Jonathan Knecht, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Creative Services at the Kansas City Area Development Council, who reveals how his team markets the greater Kansas City region to attract business investment and talent. Jonathan, a self-described "refugee from advertising" who's been with the organization for 21 years, discusses their collaborative approach to regional branding centered around the iconic KC Heart logo, their focus on key industry sectors like digital health and sports architecture, and how Kansas City's central location, affordability, and quality of life create competitive advantages. He also shares insights on building consensus across state lines and how their in-house creative agency supports economic development efforts throughout the region.

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Special Guest: Jonathan Knecht.

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:

• Jonathan Knecht | LinkedIn
• Kansas City Area Development Council | Home
• KC Heartland | Facebook
• Kansas City Area Development Council | LinkedIn
• KCADC (@ithinkKC) / X
• KC Area Development Council on Vimeo
• KC Area Development Council (@ithinkkc) • Instagram photos and videos

In this episode of the Econ Dev Show, host Dane Carlson speaks with Deb Brown, co-founder of Save Your Town and author of "From Possibilities to Reality: How to Save Your Small Town." They discuss Brown's workbook-style approach to small town economic development, sharing practical examples of community revitalization, including movie theater revitalization as an economic driver. Brown offers insights on addressing resistance to change by exploring what people truly valued about their towns in the past, and provides actionable strategies for community members who want to make a difference in their small towns.

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Special Guest: Deb Brown.

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:

• Debra Brown | LinkedIn
• SaveYour.Town – Practical steps to shape a better future for your community, small town, rural or local neighborhood
• BuyTheBook - Building Possibility
• From Possibilities to Reality: Save Your Small Town with these Uniquely Do-able Ideas, Projects, and Success Stories: Lulu
• From Possibilities to Reality: Save Your Small Town with these Uniquely Do-able Ideas, Projects, and Success Stories by Deb Brown
• Building Possibility - Facebook
• Mentions Library - Deb Brown | Building Possibility
• About - Deb Brown | Building Possibility

In this episode of the Econ Dev Show, host Dane Carlson speaks with Aaron Pitts, Chief Commercial Officer for Business PA, who shares how Pennsylvania is revitalizing its economic development approach under Governor Shapiro's administration.

Aaron explains the creation of Business PA, a dedicated unit within the Department of Community and Economic Development focused exclusively on building and maintaining business relationships. He details Pennsylvania's strategic advantages as a founding state with major cities, rural areas, and world-class educational institutions like UPenn and Carnegie Mellon, while highlighting their focus on five key sectors: life sciences, manufacturing, energy, AI/tech, and business services.

Listeners learn about Pennsylvania's impressive $500 million investment in site development, streamlined permitting processes that reduced business license waits from eight weeks to two days, and how Pittsburgh has emerged as a global AI leader with companies like Google, Nvidia, and Duolingo.

Aaron also shares insights from his previous experience helping create JobsOhio and explains why leaving corporate America for economic development has been so personally fulfilling.

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Special Guest: Aaron Pitts.

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:

• Business in Pennsylvania | PA DCED
• Pennsylvania Department of Community & Economic Development: Posts | LinkedIn
• Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development | Facebook
• PA DCED - YouTube — PA DCED
• Aaron Pitts | LinkedIn

In this episode of the Econ Dev Show, host Dane Carlson sits down with Victor Hoskins, President and CEO of Fairfax County Economic Development Authority, who oversees Virginia's largest economy and leads a team that has secured approximately $3 billion in capital investment. Victor shares insights from his unique career spanning both public and private sectors, including his instrumental role in securing Amazon HQ2 during his time at Arlington Economic Development. With candid reflections on his education at MIT, experience in private equity, and passion for creating economic opportunity, Victor reveals his philosophy that has helped companies create over 38,000 jobs in Fairfax County – a place he describes as "where companies come to dent the universe."

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Special Guest: Victor Hoskins.

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:

• Victor Hoskins | LinkedIn
• FFX NOVA Business
• The Innovator's Dilemma: The Revolutionary Book That Will Change the Way You Do Business by Clayton M. Christensen

In this episode of the Econ Dev Show, host Dane Carlson speaks with David Fleming, president and CEO of Rev Birmingham, about transforming Birmingham from an industrial city into a thriving service economy centered around healthcare and education. Fleming discusses how his organization fosters downtown vibrancy by preserving historic character, supporting local businesses that "make the city cool," ensuring economic and racial diversity, and collaborating with various municipal authorities to create a downtown that attracts over 30 million annual visitors while maintaining its unique identity.

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Special Guest: David Fleming.

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:

• REV Birmingham is creating vibrant places
• Downtown Birmingham
• David Fleming | LinkedIn
• REV Birmingham (@revbham) • Instagram
• REV Birmingham - Facebook
• REV Birmingham: Overview | LinkedIn
• Downtown Birmingham (@downtownbhm) • Instagram
• Downtown BHM - Facebook
• Downtown Birmingham: Overview | LinkedIn
• Downtowns will evolve and survive - Birmingham Business Journal
• Do Business - Downtown Birmingham
• The Death and Life of Great American Cities (50th Anniversary Edition) by Jane Jacobs

In this episode of the Econ Dev Show, Dane Carlson speaks with Lindsay Greene, CEO of the Brooklyn Navy Yard, about transforming industrial spaces for modern manufacturing. Greene shares insights on the challenges of changing perceptions about manufacturing careers, the importance of integrating workforce development with economic strategy, and her unusual career path from investment banking to grocery e-commerce before leading a major industrial development. The conversation explores how the Navy Yard creates accessible economic opportunities, the difficulties of attracting grocery stores to underserved areas, and Greene's passion for industrial policy as a driver of economic growth.

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Special Guest: Lindsay Greene.

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:

• Brooklyn Navy Yard
• Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation | LinkedIn
• Brooklyn Navy Yard (@BklynNavyYard) / X
• Brooklyn Navy Yard (@bklynnavyyard) • Instagram
• Alumni Spotlight: Lindsay Greene '11 - YouTube
• Brooklyn Navy Yard CEO Lindsay Greene on keeping innovation in NYC | Crain's New York Business

In this episode of the Econ Dev Show, host Dane Carlson sits down with Rohan Sandhu, co-founder of the Reimagining the Economy Project at Harvard Kennedy School, to examine the convergence of industrial policy, market crafting, and place-based economic development strategies. Drawing on his 15 years of experience at the intersection of research and practice, Sandhu discusses how traditional economic development approaches often fail distressed communities due to uncoordinated policies and limited local capacity. They explore how forward-looking economic transformation requires moving beyond reactive, transactional approaches to development and better aligning workforce systems with economic growth initiatives. Sandhu's insights from his work on projects like "Bottom-Up Bidenomics" and "The US Place-Based Policy Supply Chain" offer practical guidance for practitioners seeking to build more resilient local economies.

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Special Guest: Rohan Sandhu.

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:

• Rohan Sandhu | LinkedIn
• Rohan Sandhu | Harvard Kennedy School
• Industrial Policy Is a Verb - ProMarket
• Servicing Development: Productive Upgrading of Labor-Absorbing Services in Developing Economies
• Industrial policy for micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises | VoxDev
• Policy Works Podcast | Harvard Kennedy School
• Recoding America by Jennifer Pahlka
• Power, for All: How It Really Works and Why It's Everyone's Business: Julie Battilana and Tiziana Casciaro

In this episode of the Econ Dev Show, host Dane Carlson speaks with marketing consultant Alissa Sklar about effective digital strategies for economic development organizations. They discuss leveraging AI tools while maintaining an authentic voice, website management tips for small EDOs, content amplification through LinkedIn, and how to build partnerships with educational institutions. Alissa offers practical advice for economic developers wearing multiple hats, emphasizing how to maximize impact with limited resources and time.

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Special Guest: Alissa Sklar.

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:

• Sklar Consulting – Innovative digital marketing strategy for B2B and economic development
• Alissa Sklar, Ph.D. | LinkedIn
• Sklar Consulting | LinkedIn
• White Papers – Sklar Consulting
• Economic Development Marketing & Priorities | fDi Insights

In this episode of the Econ Dev Show, host Dane Carlson sits down with Clint O'Neal, Executive Director of the Arkansas Economic Development Commission, to discuss the evolution of economic development over his 17-year career spanning both Missouri and Arkansas. O'Neal shares his path from junior high teacher to economic development leader, highlights successful foreign direct investment projects, and emphasizes the importance of customer service in working with businesses. He also offers perspective on how economic development is adapting to changing workforce priorities, with quality of life and community attractiveness becoming increasingly important factors as people choose where to live before finding employment.

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Special Guest: Clint O'Neal.

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:

• Clint O'Neal, CEcD | LinkedIn
• Arkansas Economic Development Commission
• Arkansas Year in Review 2024 - YouTube
• Why Arkansas - YouTube