Entire Winter 2023 issue


The Retail Recruitment Opportunity: New Thinking for Successful Attraction in a Changing World

by Michael Berne
There is no such thing as a “new normal” in retail, and bold declarations of one emerging amidst the tumult of the pandemic did not come to pass. Longer-term market dynamics remain favorable for most types of Downtown/Main Street districts and shopping centers. That said, nuanced analysis can reveal which kinds /locations will likely be slower to recover (if at all) and point to where the public/non-profit sector might need to consider a more proactive approach.

Virginia’s Community Business Launch Program Recreates Local Economies and Empowers Entrepreneurship: A Place-Based Entrepreneurial Development Strategy

by Rebecca Rowe
The Community Business Launch program is shaping communities around Virginia creating jobs, growing small businesses, and filling vacant storefronts in towns and small cities from Tidewater to far Southwest Virginia and winning IEDC’s 2022 Gold Award for Entrepreneurship.

Newsjacking Your Way to Earned Media: How to Get National Attention for Your Region by Capitalizing on News and Lifestyle Trends

by April Mason and Georgette Gilmore
Newsjacking is a marketing strategy that capitalizes on breaking news to get a brand, region, organization or business covered by traditional media and social media influencers. Utilizing this strategy in the economic development sector can help increase awareness of a community or region, facilitate meaningful partnerships, attract and retain businesses, and stimulate investment.

The Introspective Community: Building Upon the Strengths of Rural America

by Jamie Wright and Jennifer Watkins
Economic development in rural America is a challenge, but not impossible. It takes a thoughtful, intentional and realistic approach that is broader than business recruitment. Three steps can help rural leaders build a stronger, more resilient community.

Measuring the Return on Investment of an Economic Development Marketing Event: A Case Study

by Burdette (Pete) Fullerton, PhD, CEcD, CRP, CEC
To create awareness and real estate transactions, the staff of the Platte County Economic Development Council conducted tours of available real estate in Platte County, Missouri. Staff established a Return on Investment (ROI) evaluation to gauge the relevance of the tour, create learning opportunities for the regional real estate professionals, determine if the information provided on the tour was used, document the real estate transactions that were achieved, and the ROI of the tour.

Northeast Indiana’s Talent Attraction Initiatives: Quality of Place Assets and Housing

by Ryan Twiss
Northeast Indiana’s talent attraction mantra is “invest in ourselves before we ask someone to invest in us.” Those working in economic development work together on region-wide acquisition strategies, but people don’t simply move to “locations on a map.” It’s more complicated than that. The talent attraction initiatives revolve mostly around physical investments in the built environment: quality of place assets and housing.