In this episode of the Econ Dev Show, Dane Carlson welcomes back Jamie Beasley, who shares her path from chamber leadership to her current role as a Regional Development Specialist in north central Oklahoma.

Jamie discusses the joys and challenges of working with small towns, the importance of building authentic community connections, and the value of bringing fresh ideas from other places.

She also introduces her new initiative, Econ Dev Ops, a virtual assistant service tailored to chambers of commerce and economic development organizations, designed to help overburdened leaders focus on strategy and growth.

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

Ten Actionable Takeaways for Economic Developers

1. Spend time in the field. Nothing replaces face-to-face conversations.
2. Look at how other communities solve problems; good ideas travel well.
3. Small towns often lack staff capacity; find ways to connect them to resources.
4. Collaboration across counties and regions can amplify limited resources.
5. Celebrate small wins to keep communities motivated for long-term goals.
6. Don't underestimate the importance of simply listening to local leaders.
7. Recognize that chamber directors and small-town EDs often juggle multiple roles.
8. Consider outsourcing administrative tasks (like social media, invoicing, and newsletters) to free up strategic capacity.
9. Include small towns in summits and regional events--they often feel overlooked.
10. Focus on relationships and encouragement--sometimes validation is as valuable as funding.

Special Guest: Jamie Beasley.

Sponsored By:

• Sitehunt: If your property data is scattered or out of date, you're losing projects. Sitehunt gives economic developers an AI-powered property database and instant RFI responses. Schedule a demo today!

Links:

• Jamie Beasley | LinkedIn
• Chamber Burnout with Jamie Beasley - A Podcast for Chamber Professionals
• Econ Dev Ops LLC
• Sitehunt
• Crowdfund Better
• SmartStart Business Development
• SaveYour.Town – Practical steps to shape a better future for your community, small town, rural or local neighborhood
• Oklahoma Department of Commerce | Building business in OK
• Econ Dev Show Podcast - Economic Development 106: The First Month in the ED Director's Chair with Jamie Beasley

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

Actionable Takeaways for Economic Developers

1. Implement the "idea friendly method" to bypass traditional committee bureaucracy and mobilize community-driven economic development projects.
2. Organize "Tour of Empty Buildings" events to showcase vacant commercial spaces and connect potential business owners with available properties.
3. Focus on attracting and supporting local businesses to expand into empty downtown spaces rather than solely pursuing large outside employers.
4. Create accessible maps and resources that showcase available commercial properties to potential investors and entrepreneurs.
5. Engage residents outside the "usual suspects" (city officials, chamber members) by hosting informal idea-gathering sessions at local coffee shops or breweries.
6. When communities resist change, dig into what they specifically valued about the past to identify the core needs that modern solutions can address.
7. Develop sustainable business models for community assets (like movie theaters) that create real employment rather than relying exclusively on volunteers.
8. Establish clear pathways from idea generation to implementation that don't require formal committee formation or extensive bureaucratic processes.
9. Prioritize filling downtown vacancies with businesses that serve current community needs while preserving historical character.
10. Leverage success stories from similar small towns as proof-of-concept examples when pitching new development ideas to stakeholders and building owners.

Special Guest: Deb Brown.

Sponsored By:

• Sitehunt: If your property data is scattered or out of date, you're losing projects. Sitehunt gives economic developers an AI-powered property database and instant RFI responses. Schedule a demo today!

Links:

• Debra Brown | LinkedIn
• SaveYour.Town – Practical steps to shape a better future for your community, small town, rural or local neighborhood
• BuyTheBook - Building Possibility
• From Possibilities to Reality: Save Your Small Town with these Uniquely Do-able Ideas, Projects, and Success Stories: Lulu
• From Possibilities to Reality: Save Your Small Town with these Uniquely Do-able Ideas, Projects, and Success Stories by Deb Brown
• Building Possibility - Facebook
• Mentions Library - Deb Brown | Building Possibility
• About - Deb Brown | Building Possibility

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

Ten Actionable Takeaways for Economic Developers

1. Take fresh looks at existing assets - they might be more valuable than you think
2. Focus on building complete ecosystems including housing, childcare, and healthcare
3. Leverage your location's unique advantages in infrastructure and connectivity
4. Develop strong workforce pipelines through youth apprenticeships
5. Create strategic plans that align all community assets
6. Build relationships with both large and small businesses
7. Focus on quick turnaround times for business requests
8. Highlight quality of life advantages for workforce attraction
9. Develop strong public-private partnerships
10. Invest in sustainable infrastructure like green energy for long-term growth

Special Guest: Dr. Ronda Sauget.

Sponsored By:

• Sitehunt: If your property data is scattered or out of date, you're losing projects. Sitehunt gives economic developers an AI-powered property database and instant RFI responses. Schedule a demo today!

Links:

• Dr Ronda Sauget, MBA | LinkedIn
• Coles Together
• Greater Value in Site Selection in Tertiary Markets | Trade and Industry Development
• Coles Together (@colestogether) • Instagram
• Coles Together | Facebook