Econ Dev Show Podcast - Economic Development Podcast By Dane Carlson cover art

Econ Dev Show Podcast - Economic Development

Econ Dev Show Podcast - Economic Development

By: Dane Carlson
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 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.© 2025 Dane Carlson Economics Management Management & Leadership Marketing Marketing & Sales Political Science Politics & Government
Episodes
  • 178: Reinventing Shop Local Initiatives with Sophia Zheng

    178: Reinventing Shop Local Initiatives with Sophia Zheng
    Jun 16 2025
    In this episode of the Econ Dev Show, Dane Carlson interviews Sophia Zheng, Founder and CEO of Bludot Technologies, a startup initially incubated through a unique collaboration with a city’s economic development department. Sophia explains how Bludot’s innovative platform helps more than 150 communities across the U.S. and Canada retain and expand local businesses through advanced data analytics and digital incentives. She dives into the successful Open Rewards program, a community-wide shop-local initiative, and explores how technologies like AI could further enhance business retention and expansion strategies. Sophia also highlights Bludot’s achievements, including recognition in Govtech 100 and AWS GovtechStart, as well as USDA NIFA grants for supporting rural economic development. 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 Consider launching digital reward programs to incentivize local spending. Centralize your local business data for effective business retention strategies. Leverage consumer data to tailor shop-local campaigns to specific areas or seasons. Minimize barriers for businesses to participate in city-sponsored programs. Regularly evaluate and track consumer behaviors to measure the impact of your initiatives. Use qualitative consumer feedback to validate program effectiveness. Collaborate with local chambers, business districts, and main streets for increased program reach. Explore targeted incentives to revitalize specific economic zones. Integrate technology-driven solutions to streamline business support and retention processes. Continuously innovate engagement tactics to keep consumers excited and actively shopping locally. Special Guest: Sophia Zheng.
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    25 mins
  • 0: Not the First Episode

    0: Not the First Episode
    May 3 2021
    A teaser and demo of sorts. Definitely not episode #1.
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    1 min
  • 177: Expediting the RFI Process, with Dane Carlson

    177: Expediting the RFI Process, with Dane Carlson
    Jun 9 2025
    In this episode of the Econ Dev Show (a replay from EDO Breakthrough Podcast episode #10 (https://edobreakthrough.buzzsprout.com/2360993/episodes/16158566-e10-expediting-the-rfi-process-with-dane-carlson)), Sandy Dubay interviews Dane Carlson about his entrepreneurial journey in economic development. Dane shares the deeply personal story behind starting his podcast during COVID while his son underwent cancer treatment, his initial nervousness about hearing his own voice, and his strategy of cold-contacting newly certified economic developers for guests. The conversation explores the challenges economic developers face with changing leadership and boards, before diving into Dane's innovative solution: Sitehunt, (https://sitehunt.io) an AI-powered platform that transforms how economic developers respond to RFIs by automatically matching community assets with project requirements and generating detailed responses in minutes rather than days. Like this show? Please leave us a review here (https://econdevshow.com/rate-this-podcast/) — even one sentence helps! To reach Franklin for his podcast editing services, email franklin.carlson@icloud.com (mailto:franklin.carlson@icloud.com). Special Guest: Sandy Dubay.
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    33 mins
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