23 Things Economic Developers Need to Know This Week
The stories Dane thinks you need to see. June 26, 2025 edition.
Welcome to this week's issue of What Economic Developers Need to Know This Week, where we explore the evolving dynamics of our economy.
This week we have 23 tools, stories, graphics, charts and videos that I think you'll find informative, useful, inspiring, and perhaps even humorous. Some are economic development related directly, and some only indirectly. 🤔
If you're wondering what to do with the info in this newsletter, send something to your board members. It will make you look good!
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1) Economic Development and Developers in the News # 201 - Econ dev news from 98 economic development executives and organizations in 34 states plus Puerto Rico.
2) Podcast 179: Why PR Beats Advertising in Economic Development Every Time with April Mason - We explore the "nerdy side of public relations"
3) 24 New Economic Development Jobs This Week - In 15 states, from $39,000 - $250,000
4) 19 Things Economic Developers Need to Know This Week - The stories Dane thinks you need to see. June 19, 2025 edition.
5) Sitehunt is thrilled to welcome Hampton Roads Alliance as our newest Sitehunt client in Virginia! They're now leveraging Sitehunt's property enrichment technology and AI-driven RFI tools to accelerate their economic development wins. Schedule a demo and see how Sitehunt can help your community.
6) Highway drivers avoiding traffic jams are accidentally discovering small-town businesses, creating authentic economic opportunities for rural communities. Sometimes the best economic development strategy is simply being visible and memorable when opportunity drives past your door.
7) 💥 Join an Economic Development LinkedIn Boost Group: If you're an economic developer posting on LinkedIn this is for you.
I'm already part of a few small group texts where economic developers drop links to their LinkedIn posts. Then everyone in the group jumps in to like, comment, and boost them.
It really works. I've seen a noticeable increase in engagement on my posts, and several economic developers have told me it's helped them gain visibility, build relationships, and even get traction on major initiatives in their communities.
Now, I'm helping organize more of these algo-boost groups and I want them to be geographically diverse, so your content reaches well beyond your usual network.
- 📱 iPhone users will be grouped with other iPhone users.
- 🤖 Android users with other Android users.
- 👥 All groups are only for economic developers.
Whether you post regularly or are just dipping your toes in, this is a great way to amplify your voice, support your peers, and elevate the profession.
- 👉 Want in? Sign up here.
- 💬 Have questions? Just reply to this email or contact me at dane@danecarlson.com.
8) Mid-sized American cities outperform major metros at turning economic growth into patents: 95% of communities produce just 25% of patents. Mid-sized cities might not match tech hubs city vs city, but on a per dollar basis it's a different story. Turns out that focusing on local economies helps "jump-start the American growth engine".
9) A New Meatpacking Plant’s Novel Pitch to Attract American Workers: A Nebraska slaughterhouse offers ergonomic work stations and no night shift to lure employees as the immigration crackdown threatens its traditional labor force.
10) (From Australia) EcDev with Paul #4: Unlocking the economic development potential of major event precincts
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When an RFI comes in, Sitehunt checks each site against the criteria and gives it a score. Higher score = better fit.
No more guesswork. No more bias. Just fast, fair, data-backed rankings that help you pick the right site—faster.
11) A survey found that casual chains had soared in US consumers' approximations as the best-value option for dining, while value scores for the fast food and fast casual categories sank throughout 2024.
12) Roughly 55% of US movie exhibition execs now think that the “traditional cinema experience” has less than 20 years left as a viable business model.
13) Young Americans are now planning to have just 1.8 kids on average, down from 2.3 in 2012.
14) Costco vs Sam's Clubs by state:
