Episode 230

No Is Never the Final Answer: Creative Retention Strategies with Andrew Sloss

August 3rd, 2026

26 mins 21 secs

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artificial intelligence economic development strategy community relationships workforce training business retention incentive compliance economic development incentives retention projects incentive negotiations site selection economic development econdev eco devo

About this Episode

In this episode of the Econ Dev Show Andrew Sloss discusses his transition to independent consulting and the lessons he has learned from nearly two decades in site selection and incentive negotiations. He explains why an initial “no” from a community may reflect a misunderstanding, a lack of available tools, or simply bad timing, and how better communication and persistence can create new possibilities.

Andrew also shares a retention project involving a struggling retailer, including how communities used job grants, workforce funds, and university tuition benefits to help keep locations open. The conversation covers demonstrating a company’s broader community value, building flexible incentive programs, avoiding compliance failures, maintaining long-term relationships, and using AI carefully in site selection work.

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10 Actionable Takeaways for Economic Developers

  1. Treat an initial “no” as a signal to clarify the request, not necessarily as the final decision.
  2. When a project does not create new jobs or investment, look for ways to demonstrate its broader community value.
  3. Assess whether a business provides essential services that residents would have to travel significantly farther to access.
  4. Review existing programs—such as workforce, façade, landscaping, or downtown grants—for unused funds and possible flexibility.
  5. Discuss unusual retention requests internally with elected officials and local leadership before dismissing them.
  6. Be transparent about what you can and cannot provide, and explain the limits of your authority clearly.
  7. Maintain strong relationships with site selectors, consultants, and company representatives before a project arrives.
  8. When negotiating incentives, discuss whether the answer is a hard no, a temporary no, or a maybe that could change with a stronger business case.
  9. Build incentive compliance responsibilities into multiple people’s roles so the process does not disappear when one employee leaves.
  10. Use AI for administrative support and high-level research, but double- and triple-check buildings, people, and other site-selection facts before relying on them.

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