Podcast 153: Sandy Dubay Created Her Own Path in Economic Development

Episode 153 of the Econ Dev Show Podcast is out.

In this episode Dane talks with Sandy Dubay. She opens up about her unexpected path from traditional economic development to entrepreneurship, sparked by a life-changing moment when she was pregnant with her first child and a friend's suggestion led her to establish her own consulting practice, which has now grown to a team of eight people over 22 years, while also discussing her passion for educating new economic developers through her her EDO Breakthrough Podcast.

If you enjoy our conversation as much as we did, I was also a guest on her show last month.

Like this show? Please leave us a review here — even one sentence helps!

As you may, or perhaps not know – not only do I publish the Econ Dev Show newsletter and podcast for free every week, but over the past year, I've also been developing a groundbreaking tool for economic development organizations: Sitehunt.

I've been told it's the first truly practical application of AI in economic development.

Your peers agree. In its first year alone, Sitehunt is already being used by EDOs of all sizes across the country.

Here's what it can do:

• Automatically research and enhance your existing buildings and site database--or even create one from scratch.
• Continuously discover new, suitable buildings and sites within your communities to grow your economic development inventory.
• Generate compelling marketing content for your sites.
• Instantly analyze RFIs and match them to your inventory, ensuring you never miss an opportunity from a site selector.

As we approach the end of the year, now is the perfect time to think about 2025. Can I give you a demo? I promise you'll be amazed at what Sitehunt can do.

Sign up for a demo

Episode Links

• Sandy Dubay, CEcD | LinkedIn
• PPR Strategies | We Tell Your Story
• EDO Breakthrough Podcast
• PPR Strategies: Overview | LinkedIn
• PPR Strategies (People & Places Reimagined) (@pprstrategies) • Instagram

Actionable Takeaways

1. Don't be afraid to consider alternative career paths within economic development
2. Build on your existing experience to create new opportunities
3. Look for ways to support the economic development community beyond traditional roles
4. Embrace your authentic self and personal style in professional settings
5. Consider creating educational content to help newcomers to the field
6. Stay connected to the economic development community even when working independently
7. Be open to unexpected opportunities and suggestions from colleagues
8. Find ways to balance personal life changes with professional growth
9. Focus on building relationships and making others feel comfortable
10. Document your ideas and insights, even if it means scribbling notes at stop signs