Dane Carlson on the Rural Strong Podcast: AI, Entrepreneurship, and Economic Development

Turning rural hustle and AI muscle into competitive advantage

4 Nov 2025 — 2 min read

In the episode we explored how Sitehunt's AI tools automate site analysis, RFI responses, and data collection, giving small EDOs the same analytical firepower as their big-city counterparts. I shared my unlikely journey from early-2000s internet entrepreneur to chamber president in the Sierra Nevada foothills to Texas economic-development director to startup CEO.

We also discuss why feedback matters more than features, why execution beats ideas every time, and why even the smallest communities need a modern website, a plan, and the willingness to pivot.

I also unpacked how child care, housing, and workforce shortages have become the new pillars of competitiveness, and how rural leaders can use technology to take back the information advantage from site selectors.

Listen here: Rural Strong Podcast

Sitehunt (from the Econ Dev Show's Dane Carlson) will not replace your relationships, manage your BR&E visits, or do your board politics. It will not invent workforce where none exists, and it will not make you sound smart after one login. Wit and wisdom are still on you.

But if you care about speed, clarity, and getting the RFI out the door with confidence, Sitehunt may be the smartest small investment you make this year.

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Ten Actionable Takeaways for Economic Developers

Treat AI as an intern, not an oracle. Feed it data and context to get useful answers.
Launch before you’re ready. Iterate in public and let real feedback drive improvement.
Build a website that sells your community. Clear contact info and photos matter more than fancy graphics.
Use LinkedIn as your industry newspaper. Learn from and connect with other EDOs daily.
Start a local podcast. It’s the best modern BRE tool and a non-threatening way to engage businesses.
Plan but pivot. No plan survives first contact with reality; stay nimble.
Address child care and housing head-on. They’re workforce issues now, not social ones.
Prioritize execution over ideas. A mediocre idea well executed beats a brilliant idea untried.
Save cash for the long haul. Entrepreneurs fail more often from running out of runway than from bad concepts.
Ask for feedback early and often. It’s how both products and communities get better.

Great Quotes from the Episode

“AI is a dim-witted intern who never sleeps and never quits.”

“If you’re not launching before you’re ready, you’re probably too late.”

“Economic development is still a people business — but people need better tools.”

“A website is as important as a phone number. If yours looks like it’s from 2005, so does your community.”

“A good idea is worth one; execution is worth a hundred. Multiply them together and you get results.”