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

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Special Guest: Heath Vescovi-Chiordi.

In this episode of the Econ Dev Show, Dane Carlson sits down with Lisa Hurley, Executive Director of the York County Development Corporation in Nebraska, to talk about what modern rural economic development actually looks like on the ground.

Lisa shares how York County leverages its logistics position, diversified employers, and growing civic pride while navigating workforce shortages, childcare capacity, housing pressure, and community resistance to change. They discuss talent attraction campaigns, podcasting as an economic development tool, and why rural EDOs must now think far beyond traditional business recruitment.

The conversation also explores leadership, burnout, mentoring the next generation of economic developers, and how Lisa is using AI to save time while staying human where it matters most.

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1. Treat childcare capacity as core economic infrastructure, not a side issue
2. Invest in talent marketing even when results are hard to attribute directly
3. Use layered messaging across state, local, and employer campaigns
4. Build trust by proactively sharing progress and visuals with the community
5. Accept that some resistance to change cannot be resolved, only managed
6. Partner aggressively to avoid owning every initiative yourself
7. Use podcasts and storytelling to humanize your community and organization
8. Leverage AI for HR, editing, and admin work to protect business-facing time
9. Mentor younger economic developers to reduce burnout and build continuity
10. Remember that stopping a bad project can be a win, not a failure

Special Guest: Lisa Hurley.

In this episode of the Econ Dev Show, Dane Carlson sits down with Ellie Reynolds, President and CEO of the Douglas County Economic Development Corporation, to unpack how one of Colorado’s fastest-growing counties balances quality of life, infrastructure investment, regulatory realities, and speed-to-market.

Ellie shares how Douglas County positions itself along the Front Range, why shovel-ready infrastructure matters more than incentives alone, how cutting red tape became a competitive strategy, and what economic developers can do locally when state-level constraints get in the way.

The conversation also dives into AI as a staff multiplier, coalition-building for regulatory reform, and why economic development is ultimately about reducing risk, not forcing growth.

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Special Guest: Ellie Reynolds.