Case Studies
Lessons learned from 200+ episodes of the Econ Dev Show Podcast and our brilliant guests
Small Cities Should Read Their Own Systems Before Copying Someone Else's Model
Outside examples can help, but rural entrepreneurship strategy has to be translated into local design.
Economic Development Needs Better Public Storytelling Than It Usually Gives Itself
The public sees the announcement, but rarely sees the machinery that made it possible.
What an Intertribal Support Organization Actually Does for Economic Development
The model is not just a bigger EDO. It is a capacity-building layer for sovereign nations.
A First-90-Days Framework Helps New Economic Development Leaders Inherit the Map
The new person inherits responsibilities fast. The harder work is inheriting local context before acting on it.
Small Communities Don’t Need Smaller Strategies. They Need a Different Rhythm.
How small communities can build momentum, set priorities, and create progress without borrowing a strategy built for somewhere else.
When the Chamber Becomes the Town’s Communication Layer
How small-town chambers and EDOs turn scattered local activity into shared civic momentum
Communities Sell Better When They Think Like the Prospect First
Why economic developers should stop selling first and start thinking like the prospect.
How West Virginia Made Entrepreneurship Support Easier to Navigate
What West Virginia’s BusinessLink model teaches economic developers about making entrepreneurship support easier to use.
What a Pre-Positioned Industrial Park Actually Does for Economic Development
A community can have industrial land and still not have an industrial product.
How a Staff-of-One EDO Can Go Proactive
How One Person Can Move a Rural EDO From Reactive to Proactive
