Econ Dev Show Podcast - Economic Development - Episodes Tagged with “Utilities”

216: Economic Development Isn’t What It Used to Be with Teresa Nortillo

Dane Carlson — Mon, 27 Apr 2026 00:00:00 -0500

In this episode of the Econ Dev Show, Dane Carlson talks with Teresa Nortillo, President of Eco Devo 360, about how economic development has evolved from a deal-focused discipline into a complex, ecosystem-driven practice. They explore how energy constraints, workforce skill gaps, and the need for rapid RFI responses are reshaping site selection, along with the growing importance of childcare, housing, and regional collaboration.

Teresa also introduces the concept of ecosystem-based cost modeling, explains why many communities struggle to implement traditional consulting plans, and shares her mission to make high-quality economic development support accessible to under-resourced communities.

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10 Actionable Takeaways for Economic Developers

Build a system to respond to RFIs within 48 hours or less
Inventory your community's workforce by skills, not just occupations
Develop relationships with utilities early, they are now deal drivers
Map your full economic ecosystem including housing, childcare, and infrastructure
Create or adopt a cost model to understand true location competitiveness
Collaborate regionally instead of competing in isolation
Identify and fill critical data gaps before prospects ask for them
Prioritize implementation capacity, not just strategic planning documents
Explore alternative revenue strategies beyond property and sales tax
Invest in training and mentorship for newer economic development staff

Special Guest: Teresa Nortillo.

201: Why Electricity Decides Everything Now in Economic Development with Timothy Comerford

Dane Carlson — Mon, 08 Dec 2025 00:00:00 -0600

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.

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Ten Actionable Takeaways for Economic Developers

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

Special Guest: Timothy Comeford.

196: AI and the Future of Economic Development with Dane Carlson

Dane Carlson — Mon, 27 Oct 2025 00:15:00 -0500

In this episode of the Econ Dev Show, host Dane Carlson shares his talk from the Utility Economic Development Association’s 2025 Fall Forum in Traverse City, Michigan. He explains how artificial intelligence is transforming economic development from a guessing game into a data-driven discipline. Drawing from his work with Sitehunt, Dane reveals how utilities can turn raw infrastructure data like power, water, sewer, and fiber into actionable intelligence that accelerates projects, shortens RFI responses, and drives smarter investment decisions. He challenges listeners to stop optimizing for Google and start optimizing for AI, showing how even small steps like making one dataset machine readable can reshape how regions grow and compete.

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10 Actionable Takeaways for Economic Developers

Make one dataset machine readable, even if it is internal. It is the first step toward AI readiness.
Think of AI as infrastructure, not a chatbot. Build systems that work continuously, not conversations.
Use APIs to connect your data, automate workflows, and ensure consistency.
Chain models together to combine reasoning, data retrieval, and structured writing capabilities.
Capture tribal knowledge by converting what only a few people know into structured, shareable data.
Automate RFI responses by integrating structured site data with AI models for instant scoring.
Start vibe coding by describing outcomes and intent instead of writing brittle, rigid logic.
Stop optimizing for Google. Design your data for AI systems that synthesize and act.
Run small experiments monthly to test new models and internal automations.
Advocate inside your organization. Utilities are the backbone of AI enabled economic development.