Ask Dane #1: Starship Edition

Welcome to this inaugural edition of Ask Dane.  Every week, you ask, and I answer.  Sometimes the questions only need short answers, and other-times they require tons of research or contemplation.  This issue is a little of both.

To ask a question, send it to me.

What inspired you to start the "Econ Dev Show," and how does your experience as the director of economic development for Galveston County, Texas, inform the content of the podcast, and newsletter?

Honestly, it was COVID, and I was craving connection.

I don't know about you, but I like to go to conferences to hear the talks and meet other economic developers from around the country. I want to connect with people, listen to their stories, and discover their challenges and how they overcame them. Stuck at home, I was missing that.

In Texas, for the most part, the cities take the lead in economic development. They have the tools, and the powers, at their disposal to compete internationally. So at the county level, I just try to help our cities. I fill in the gaps and bring resources to bear where I can, but my position is mostly there to help.

During COVID, I found myself reassuring people over and over that things in Galveston County, Texas, and the US were going to be alright.

More than that, the supply chain challenges we all experienced were harbingers of a changing world - a dismantling of the system that we've known for nearly seventy-five years. And this new world is going to need economic developers more than ever.

I could do that with a newsletter and podcast for more economic developers everywhere.