web02.fireside.fm Thu, 23 Apr 2026 13:45:28 -0500 Fireside (https://fireside.fm) Econ Dev Show Podcast - Economic Development - Episodes Tagged with “Housing” https://podcast.econdevshow.com/tags/housing Mon, 10 Nov 2025 00:15:00 -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 198: Dane With Joe Barker on the Rural Strong Podcast https://podcast.econdevshow.com/198 7efd108f-8276-4a9a-beba-60539a32417d Mon, 10 Nov 2025 00:15:00 -0600 Dane Carlson 198 Dane With Joe Barker on the Rural Strong Podcast full Dane Carlson Talking Sitehunt, small towns, and staying persistent 26:41 no On this special crossover episode, Dane Carlson joins Joe Barker on the Rural Strong Podcast to talk about Sitehunt, entrepreneurship, and the power of AI to help rural and small-community economic developers compete at scale. In this episode of Rural Strong, Joe and Dane explore how AI tools like Sitehunt automate site analysis, RFI responses, and data collection — giving small EDOs the same analytical firepower as their big-city counterparts. Dane shares his unlikely journey from early-2000s internet entrepreneur to chamber president in the Sierra Nevada foothills to Texas economic-development director to startup CEO. They discuss why feedback matters more than features, why execution beats ideas every time, and why even the smallest communities need a modern website, a plan, and the willingness to pivot. Dane also unpacks how child care, housing, and workforce shortages have become the new pillars of competitiveness, why AI is best thought of as a “dim-witted but persistent intern,” and how rural leaders can use technology to take back the information advantage from site selectors. Like this show? Please leave us a review here (https://econdevshow.com/rate-this-podcast/) — even one sentence helps! Ten Actionable Takeaways for Economic Developers Treat AI as an intern, not an oracle. Feed it data and context to get useful answers. Launch before you're ready. Iterate in public and let real feedback drive improvement. Build a website that sells your community. Clear contact info and photos matter more than fancy graphics. Use LinkedIn as your industry newspaper. Learn from and connect with other EDOs daily. Start a local podcast. It's the best modern BRE tool and a non-threatening way to engage businesses. Plan but pivot. No plan survives first contact with reality; stay nimble. Address child care and housing head-on. They're workforce issues now, not social ones. Prioritize execution over ideas. A mediocre idea well executed beats a brilliant idea untried. Save cash for the long haul. Entrepreneurs fail more often from running out of runway than from bad concepts. Ask for feedback early and often. It's how both products and communities get better. econdev, economic development, eco devo, ai,economic development,sitehunt,rural communities,entrepreneurship,child care,housing,workforce,planning,feedback,innovation,small towns,technology,execution,startups On this special crossover episode, Dane Carlson joins Joe Barker on the Rural Strong Podcast to talk about Sitehunt, entrepreneurship, and the power of AI to help rural and small-community economic developers compete at scale.

In this episode of Rural Strong, Joe and Dane explore how AI tools like Sitehunt automate site analysis, RFI responses, and data collection — giving small EDOs the same analytical firepower as their big-city counterparts. Dane shares his unlikely journey from early-2000s internet entrepreneur to chamber president in the Sierra Nevada foothills to Texas economic-development director to startup CEO. They discuss why feedback matters more than features, why execution beats ideas every time, and why even the smallest communities need a modern website, a plan, and the willingness to pivot.

Dane also unpacks how child care, housing, and workforce shortages have become the new pillars of competitiveness, why AI is best thought of as a “dim-witted but persistent intern,” and how rural leaders can use technology to take back the information advantage from site selectors.

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

Ten Actionable Takeaways for Economic Developers

  1. Treat AI as an intern, not an oracle. Feed it data and context to get useful answers.
  2. Launch before you're ready. Iterate in public and let real feedback drive improvement.
  3. Build a website that sells your community. Clear contact info and photos matter more than fancy graphics.
  4. Use LinkedIn as your industry newspaper. Learn from and connect with other EDOs daily.
  5. Start a local podcast. It's the best modern BRE tool and a non-threatening way to engage businesses.
  6. Plan but pivot. No plan survives first contact with reality; stay nimble.
  7. Address child care and housing head-on. They're workforce issues now, not social ones.
  8. Prioritize execution over ideas. A mediocre idea well executed beats a brilliant idea untried.
  9. Save cash for the long haul. Entrepreneurs fail more often from running out of runway than from bad concepts.
  10. Ask for feedback early and often. It's how both products and communities get better.

Sponsored By:

Links:

]]> On this special crossover episode, Dane Carlson joins Joe Barker on the Rural Strong Podcast to talk about Sitehunt, entrepreneurship, and the power of AI to help rural and small-community economic developers compete at scale.

In this episode of Rural Strong, Joe and Dane explore how AI tools like Sitehunt automate site analysis, RFI responses, and data collection — giving small EDOs the same analytical firepower as their big-city counterparts. Dane shares his unlikely journey from early-2000s internet entrepreneur to chamber president in the Sierra Nevada foothills to Texas economic-development director to startup CEO. They discuss why feedback matters more than features, why execution beats ideas every time, and why even the smallest communities need a modern website, a plan, and the willingness to pivot.

Dane also unpacks how child care, housing, and workforce shortages have become the new pillars of competitiveness, why AI is best thought of as a “dim-witted but persistent intern,” and how rural leaders can use technology to take back the information advantage from site selectors.

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

Ten Actionable Takeaways for Economic Developers

  1. Treat AI as an intern, not an oracle. Feed it data and context to get useful answers.
  2. Launch before you're ready. Iterate in public and let real feedback drive improvement.
  3. Build a website that sells your community. Clear contact info and photos matter more than fancy graphics.
  4. Use LinkedIn as your industry newspaper. Learn from and connect with other EDOs daily.
  5. Start a local podcast. It's the best modern BRE tool and a non-threatening way to engage businesses.
  6. Plan but pivot. No plan survives first contact with reality; stay nimble.
  7. Address child care and housing head-on. They're workforce issues now, not social ones.
  8. Prioritize execution over ideas. A mediocre idea well executed beats a brilliant idea untried.
  9. Save cash for the long haul. Entrepreneurs fail more often from running out of runway than from bad concepts.
  10. Ask for feedback early and often. It's how both products and communities get better.

Sponsored By:

Links:

]]> 164: Confronting Workforce Challenges in Wisconsin with Sadie Howell https://podcast.econdevshow.com/164 d6b244d4-cc80-4077-a9e4-d48e553e8e00 Mon, 10 Mar 2025 00:15:00 -0500 Dane Carlson 164 Confronting Workforce Challenges in Wisconsin with Sadie Howell full Dane Carlson Dane Carlson speaks with Sadie Howell about economic development in Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin, addressing regional misconceptions, workforce challenges, and practical advice for navigating local economic development landscapes. 31:38 no In this episode of the Econ Dev Show, host Dane Carlson talks with Sadie Howell with Envision Greater Fond du Lac, a combined Chamber of Commerce and economic development organization in Wisconsin. Sadie shares insights about her region's economic landscape, including the surprising prevalence of small manufacturers and agricultural businesses that often goes unnoticed. They discuss the challenges of workforce development, the advantages of a combined chamber-economic development approach, and the importance of understanding local politics and stakeholder dynamics. As a long-time listener of the podcast before becoming a guest, Sadie offers valuable perspective on regional economic development strategies and the shared challenges that unite economic developers across different communities. Ten Actionable Takeaways for Economic Developers Study the layout of your community's stakeholders, including their biases and politics, to identify which challenges you can overcome and which you should work around. Recognize that most economic developers face similar challenges with boards, communities, and regional impacts - you're not alone. Leverage the complementary strengths of chamber of commerce and economic development functions when possible. Address workforce issues by coordinating efforts across regions rather than trying to solve everything at the local level. Challenge misconceptions about your region by actively showcasing lesser-known economic assets like small manufacturers. Connect local economic development priorities with state-level initiatives around talent attraction, childcare, and housing development. Network with other economic developers to validate your experiences and gather new approaches to common challenges. Consider how to tailor workforce programming specifically for chamber members while making entrepreneurship services broadly available. Identify early in your planning process which obstacles can be overcome and which need to be circumvented. Use podcasts and other learning resources to continuously build your economic development knowledge, especially in areas outside your expertise. Like this show? Please leave us a review here (https://econdevshow.com/rate-this-podcast/) — even one sentence helps! Special Guest: Sadie Howell. econdev, economic development, eco devo, Economic development, Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, chamber of commerce, workforce development, small manufacturers, regional collaboration, local politics, talent attraction, housing In this episode of the Econ Dev Show, host Dane Carlson talks with Sadie Howell with Envision Greater Fond du Lac, a combined Chamber of Commerce and economic development organization in Wisconsin.

Sadie shares insights about her region's economic landscape, including the surprising prevalence of small manufacturers and agricultural businesses that often goes unnoticed.

They discuss the challenges of workforce development, the advantages of a combined chamber-economic development approach, and the importance of understanding local politics and stakeholder dynamics.

As a long-time listener of the podcast before becoming a guest, Sadie offers valuable perspective on regional economic development strategies and the shared challenges that unite economic developers across different communities.

Ten Actionable Takeaways for Economic Developers

  1. Study the layout of your community's stakeholders, including their biases and politics, to identify which challenges you can overcome and which you should work around.
  2. Recognize that most economic developers face similar challenges with boards, communities, and regional impacts - you're not alone.
  3. Leverage the complementary strengths of chamber of commerce and economic development functions when possible.
  4. Address workforce issues by coordinating efforts across regions rather than trying to solve everything at the local level.
  5. Challenge misconceptions about your region by actively showcasing lesser-known economic assets like small manufacturers.
  6. Connect local economic development priorities with state-level initiatives around talent attraction, childcare, and housing development.
  7. Network with other economic developers to validate your experiences and gather new approaches to common challenges.
  8. Consider how to tailor workforce programming specifically for chamber members while making entrepreneurship services broadly available.
  9. Identify early in your planning process which obstacles can be overcome and which need to be circumvented.
  10. Use podcasts and other learning resources to continuously build your economic development knowledge, especially in areas outside your expertise.

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

Special Guest: Sadie Howell.

Sponsored By:

Links:

]]> In this episode of the Econ Dev Show, host Dane Carlson talks with Sadie Howell with Envision Greater Fond du Lac, a combined Chamber of Commerce and economic development organization in Wisconsin.

Sadie shares insights about her region's economic landscape, including the surprising prevalence of small manufacturers and agricultural businesses that often goes unnoticed.

They discuss the challenges of workforce development, the advantages of a combined chamber-economic development approach, and the importance of understanding local politics and stakeholder dynamics.

As a long-time listener of the podcast before becoming a guest, Sadie offers valuable perspective on regional economic development strategies and the shared challenges that unite economic developers across different communities.

Ten Actionable Takeaways for Economic Developers

  1. Study the layout of your community's stakeholders, including their biases and politics, to identify which challenges you can overcome and which you should work around.
  2. Recognize that most economic developers face similar challenges with boards, communities, and regional impacts - you're not alone.
  3. Leverage the complementary strengths of chamber of commerce and economic development functions when possible.
  4. Address workforce issues by coordinating efforts across regions rather than trying to solve everything at the local level.
  5. Challenge misconceptions about your region by actively showcasing lesser-known economic assets like small manufacturers.
  6. Connect local economic development priorities with state-level initiatives around talent attraction, childcare, and housing development.
  7. Network with other economic developers to validate your experiences and gather new approaches to common challenges.
  8. Consider how to tailor workforce programming specifically for chamber members while making entrepreneurship services broadly available.
  9. Identify early in your planning process which obstacles can be overcome and which need to be circumvented.
  10. Use podcasts and other learning resources to continuously build your economic development knowledge, especially in areas outside your expertise.

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

Special Guest: Sadie Howell.

Sponsored By:

Links:

]]> 68: How Creating Housing Density Can Solve Economic Challenges with Scott Graves https://podcast.econdevshow.com/68 b1709832-27b7-47fc-8941-0706debaa094 Mon, 10 Oct 2022 00:15:00 -0500 Dane Carlson 68 How Creating Housing Density Can Solve Economic Challenges with Scott Graves full Dane Carlson Scott Graves talks about how investing in creating housing density across a wide a socioeconomic spectrum can build better places. 30:10 no In this episode, Scott Graves talks about how investing in creating housing density across a wide a socioeconomic spectrum can build better places. Like this show? Please leave us a review here (https://econdevshow.com/rate-this-podcast/) — even one sentence helps! Special Guest: Scott Graves. econdev, economic development, eco devo, housing In this episode, Scott Graves talks about how investing in creating housing density across a wide a socioeconomic spectrum can build better places.

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

Special Guest: Scott Graves.

Sponsored By:

Links:

]]> In this episode, Scott Graves talks about how investing in creating housing density across a wide a socioeconomic spectrum can build better places.

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

Special Guest: Scott Graves.

Sponsored By:

Links:

]]>