Episode 235
Site Selection Doesn't Start With the Site with Thane Hutcherson
September 7th, 2026
28 mins 54 secs
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About this Episode
In this episode of the Econ Dev Show Dane talks with Thane Hutcherson about what site selection looks like from the company side of the table, beginning with why the process often starts with markets, labor, supply chains, and operating conditions rather than a specific piece of dirt.
Thane explains how companies narrow their choices, why falling in love with a community or site too early can create problems, and what the best economic development teams do differently—from submitting only sites that actually fit to helping visiting companies visualize what long-term success in the community would look like.
They also discuss incentives, the growing role of AI in professional services, and why automating data gathering and analytical work can free economic developers and consultants to spend more time building relationships, exercising judgment, and doing the work that still requires humans.
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10 Actionable Takeaways for Economic Developers
- Understand the market-level decision before pitching individual sites. Companies may narrow locations based on labor availability, labor costs, specialized occupations, supply chains, utility costs, and other operating factors before they ever start comparing properties.
- Don't lead with dirt when the project isn't ready for dirt. Learn what the company is actually solving for first. A perfect site in the wrong labor market or supply-chain location may never be competitive.
- Submit fewer, better-fitting properties. If an RFI asks for 20–50 acres with specific characteristics, don't pad the response with properties that obviously fall outside the requirements. Protect the company's time and your own.
- Know what surrounds the site, not just what is on it. Be ready to explain neighboring uses, infrastructure, businesses, access, and the larger environment in which the company would operate.
- Understand your community's goals and resources. Know how a project aligns with local priorities and what financial and non-financial resources—including workforce training and community-college partnerships—you can realistically bring to the table.
- Help prospects visualize operating in your community. During site visits, answer the questions behind the spreadsheet: Where would executives and employees live? Where would their children attend school? Which airport would they use? What would the drive look like?
- Bring successful local businesses into the conversation. Give prospects opportunities to hear from companies already succeeding in your community. Their experience can help establish confidence that the prospect can succeed there too.
- Treat a location decision as a long-term relationship. Thane describes these decisions as potentially 50-year commitments. Think beyond winning the announcement and demonstrate why the company can operate successfully over the long haul.
- Use AI to gather and organize information, not replace judgment. AI can help process datasets, collect information, and accelerate analytical work, but ranking alternatives, evaluating sites, negotiating incentives, and making final decisions still require experience and judgment.
- Spend the time AI saves on people. Use automation to create more room for business retention visits, prospect relationships, community engagement, conferences, conversations, and the other human interactions technology cannot replicate.