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.

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• Econ Dev Pro: Upgrade your subscription and support the Econ Dev Show with a paid membership. Plus AI in Economic Development and other bonuses.

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• Grand Prairie Hires New Economic Development Manager

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.

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• Econ Dev Pro: Upgrade your subscription and support the Econ Dev Show with a paid membership. Plus AI in Economic Development and other bonuses.

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• JobsOhio - Ohio Economic Development

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.

Sponsored By:

• Econ Dev Pro: Upgrade your subscription and support the Econ Dev Show with a paid membership. Plus AI in Economic Development and other bonuses.

Links:

• Robert Harrington MPA MEDP | LinkedIn

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.

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• Econ Dev Pro: Upgrade your subscription and support the Econ Dev Show with a paid membership. Plus AI in Economic Development and other bonuses.

Links:

• What the heck is this Texas ED Connection thing? on Vimeo

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.

Sponsored By:

• Econ Dev Pro: Upgrade your subscription and support the Econ Dev Show with a paid membership. Plus AI in Economic Development and other bonuses.

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• Setting up your business in North America | Investissement Québec

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.

Sponsored By:

• Econ Dev Pro: Upgrade your subscription and support the Econ Dev Show with a paid membership. Plus AI in Economic Development and other bonuses.

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• LinkedIn Economic Development Newsletter | June 2021

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.

Sponsored By:

• Econ Dev Pro: Upgrade your subscription and support the Econ Dev Show with a paid membership. Plus AI in Economic Development and other bonuses.

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• Welcome to Clayton, North Carolina

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.

Sponsored By:

• Econ Dev Pro: Upgrade your subscription and support the Econ Dev Show with a paid membership. Plus AI in Economic Development and other bonuses.

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• Purchase Recast Your City

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.

Sponsored By:

• Econ Dev Pro: Upgrade your subscription and support the Econ Dev Show with a paid membership. Plus AI in Economic Development and other bonuses.

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• Cody Mosley Receives Designation of Certified Economic Developer from the International Economic Development Council | The Edmond Way

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.

Sponsored By:

• Econ Dev Pro: Upgrade your subscription and support the Econ Dev Show with a paid membership. Plus AI in Economic Development and other bonuses.

Links:

• BCIC | Brownsville Community Improvement Corp.