web01.fireside.fm Mon, 25 May 2026 09:02:41 -0500 Fireside (https://fireside.fm) Econ Dev Show Podcast - Economic Development - Episodes Tagged with “Data Centers” https://podcast.econdevshow.com/tags/data%20centers Mon, 16 Feb 2026 00:00:00 -0600 Dane Carlson explores the strategies, ideas, and insights that are driving economic development forward into the future. You'll hear new insights from passionate ED's about their successes and struggles, and you'll learn from attraction and retention experts about how to apply actionable strategies inside your EDO. We'll help take your organization, your community, and your career to the next level. en-us episodic Actionable economic development strategies and stories Dane Carlson Dane Carlson explores the strategies, ideas, and insights that are driving economic development forward into the future. You'll hear new insights from passionate ED's about their successes and struggles, and you'll learn from attraction and retention experts about how to apply actionable strategies inside your EDO. We'll help take your organization, your community, and your career to the next level. no econ dev, economic development, ed Dane Carlson show@econdevshow.com 209: Building a Cross-Border Economic Engine with Heath Vescovi-Chiordi https://podcast.econdevshow.com/209 293f3f9e-7aed-48ac-8db8-5756fb64f71a Mon, 16 Feb 2026 00:00:00 -0600 Dane Carlson 209 Building a Cross-Border Economic Engine with Heath Vescovi-Chiordi full Dane Carlson How Pima County is leveraging cross-border trade, university research, and strategic policy to drive regional growth across 9,000 square miles of Southern Arizona with Heath Vescovi-Chiordi. 24:20 no <p>In this episode of the Econ Dev Show, Dane Carlson sits down with Heath Vescovi-Chiordi, Director of Economic Development for Pima County, Arizona, to explore how one of the largest counties in the country balances rural biodiversity, cross-border trade with Mexico, aerospace and optics clusters, semiconductor workforce development, and even controversial data center projects. </p> <p>Heath shares how a four-and-a-half-person team coordinates across municipalities, tribal nations, academia, and public health to execute a regional strategy that blends quantitative results with qualitative community engagement. </p> <p>From a $1.2 billion battery manufacturing project to evolving policies on nondisclosure agreements and enhanced due diligence, this conversation offers a behind-the-scenes look at modern county-level economic development in action </p> <p><a href="https://econdevshow.com/rate-this-podcast/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Like this show? Please leave us a review here</a> — even one sentence helps! Special Guest: Heath Vescovi-Chiordi.</p> econdev, economic development, eco devo, Pima County, Tucson Arizona, cross-border trade, USMCA, semiconductor workforce, aerospace cluster, optics and photonics, data centers, public land development, economic development strategy In this episode of the Econ Dev Show, Dane Carlson sits down with Heath Vescovi-Chiordi, Director of Economic Development for Pima County, Arizona, to explore how one of the largest counties in the country balances rural biodiversity, cross-border trade with Mexico, aerospace and optics clusters, semiconductor workforce development, and even controversial data center projects.

Heath shares how a four-and-a-half-person team coordinates across municipalities, tribal nations, academia, and public health to execute a regional strategy that blends quantitative results with qualitative community engagement.

From a $1.2 billion battery manufacturing project to evolving policies on nondisclosure agreements and enhanced due diligence, this conversation offers a behind-the-scenes look at modern county-level economic development in action

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

Special Guest: Heath Vescovi-Chiordi.

Sponsored By:

Links:

]]> In this episode of the Econ Dev Show, Dane Carlson sits down with Heath Vescovi-Chiordi, Director of Economic Development for Pima County, Arizona, to explore how one of the largest counties in the country balances rural biodiversity, cross-border trade with Mexico, aerospace and optics clusters, semiconductor workforce development, and even controversial data center projects.

Heath shares how a four-and-a-half-person team coordinates across municipalities, tribal nations, academia, and public health to execute a regional strategy that blends quantitative results with qualitative community engagement.

From a $1.2 billion battery manufacturing project to evolving policies on nondisclosure agreements and enhanced due diligence, this conversation offers a behind-the-scenes look at modern county-level economic development in action

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

Special Guest: Heath Vescovi-Chiordi.

Sponsored By:

Links:

]]> 201: Why Electricity Decides Everything Now in Economic Development with Timothy Comerford https://podcast.econdevshow.com/201 0c631bd5-eb3c-485b-8908-530c83db2407 Mon, 08 Dec 2025 00:00:00 -0600 Dane Carlson 201 Why Electricity Decides Everything Now in Economic Development with Timothy Comerford full Dane Carlson A deep dive into why electricity has become the defining site selection factor, and what economic developers must understand about today’s strained utility landscape. 24:12 no <p>In this episode of the Econ Dev Show, Dane Carlson talks with Timothy Comerford of Biggins Lacey &amp; Shapiro about the rapidly shifting reality of power availability in site selection. </p> <p>Tim explains how explosive demand from data centers and industrial users is overwhelming electric utilities, reshaping incentive policy, and lengthening timelines for securing capacity. He breaks down the biggest misconceptions around power lead times, why transmission is often the bottleneck, how utilities are adapting with costly engineering studies and take-or-pay requirements, and what steps EDOs must take to credibly position their sites. </p> <p>This is a masterclass on the new electricity-driven geography of economic development. </p> <p><a href="https://econdevshow.com/rate-this-podcast/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Like this show? Please leave us a review here</a> — even one sentence helps! </p> <h2>Ten Actionable Takeaways for Economic Developers</h2> <ol> <li>Build strong, direct relationships with utility contacts who will actually talk to prospects.</li> <li>Understand that real timelines for securing large loads run in years, not months.</li> <li>Work with utilities to pre-identify transmission routes and right-of-way feasibility.</li> <li>Gather realistic load estimates from prospects instead of just taking their engineer's peak numbers.</li> <li>Know whether your sites already sit near substations with real remaining capacity.</li> <li>Incorporate redundancy needs early, since 100 percent backup can double infrastructure requirements.</li> <li>Prepare for developers who request huge speculative loads and learn how to differentiate serious projects.</li> <li>Recognize that incentives tied to data centers may face political pressure due to ratepayer impacts.</li> <li>Push utilities and state partners to invest in long-range planning that anticipates industrial and data center growth.</li> <li>Educate local stakeholders that modern site readiness now includes power readiness as a top priority. Special Guest: Timothy Comeford.</li> </ol> econdev, economic development, eco devo, electric capacity, data centers, transmission constraints, site selection, utilities, economic development, grid planning, renewable energy, industrial projects, infrastructure readiness In this episode of the Econ Dev Show, Dane Carlson talks with Timothy Comerford of Biggins Lacey & Shapiro about the rapidly shifting reality of power availability in site selection.

Tim explains how explosive demand from data centers and industrial users is overwhelming electric utilities, reshaping incentive policy, and lengthening timelines for securing capacity. He breaks down the biggest misconceptions around power lead times, why transmission is often the bottleneck, how utilities are adapting with costly engineering studies and take-or-pay requirements, and what steps EDOs must take to credibly position their sites.

This is a masterclass on the new electricity-driven geography of economic development.

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

Ten Actionable Takeaways for Economic Developers

  1. Build strong, direct relationships with utility contacts who will actually talk to prospects.
  2. Understand that real timelines for securing large loads run in years, not months.
  3. Work with utilities to pre-identify transmission routes and right-of-way feasibility.
  4. Gather realistic load estimates from prospects instead of just taking their engineer's peak numbers.
  5. Know whether your sites already sit near substations with real remaining capacity.
  6. Incorporate redundancy needs early, since 100 percent backup can double infrastructure requirements.
  7. Prepare for developers who request huge speculative loads and learn how to differentiate serious projects.
  8. Recognize that incentives tied to data centers may face political pressure due to ratepayer impacts.
  9. Push utilities and state partners to invest in long-range planning that anticipates industrial and data center growth.
  10. Educate local stakeholders that modern site readiness now includes power readiness as a top priority.

Special Guest: Timothy Comeford.

Sponsored By:

Links:

]]> In this episode of the Econ Dev Show, Dane Carlson talks with Timothy Comerford of Biggins Lacey & Shapiro about the rapidly shifting reality of power availability in site selection.

Tim explains how explosive demand from data centers and industrial users is overwhelming electric utilities, reshaping incentive policy, and lengthening timelines for securing capacity. He breaks down the biggest misconceptions around power lead times, why transmission is often the bottleneck, how utilities are adapting with costly engineering studies and take-or-pay requirements, and what steps EDOs must take to credibly position their sites.

This is a masterclass on the new electricity-driven geography of economic development.

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

Ten Actionable Takeaways for Economic Developers

  1. Build strong, direct relationships with utility contacts who will actually talk to prospects.
  2. Understand that real timelines for securing large loads run in years, not months.
  3. Work with utilities to pre-identify transmission routes and right-of-way feasibility.
  4. Gather realistic load estimates from prospects instead of just taking their engineer's peak numbers.
  5. Know whether your sites already sit near substations with real remaining capacity.
  6. Incorporate redundancy needs early, since 100 percent backup can double infrastructure requirements.
  7. Prepare for developers who request huge speculative loads and learn how to differentiate serious projects.
  8. Recognize that incentives tied to data centers may face political pressure due to ratepayer impacts.
  9. Push utilities and state partners to invest in long-range planning that anticipates industrial and data center growth.
  10. Educate local stakeholders that modern site readiness now includes power readiness as a top priority.

Special Guest: Timothy Comeford.

Sponsored By:

Links:

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