In this episode, Devin talks through a topic he's passionate about - activating your real estate for economic development purposes. A community's land is one of its most precious assets, and if you don't take control of its future then someone sure as heck will. We explore how to break down the steps to real estate activation through a simple process and bring some order to the chaos. So let's roll up our sleeves, get down and dirty, and discuss some actionable steps to tackling real estate in economic development.

Here's some resources for those interested in learning more (see Site Selectors Are People, Too | Devin Hillsdon-Smith (podbean.com) if your app doesn't show links):

• National Association of Industrial and Office Properties (NAIOP)
• Urban Land Institute (ULI)
• The Counselors of Real Estate (CRE)
• CCIM Institute
• Journal of Property Investment & Finance
• An Overview of DMAIC for Beginners
• Measuring Commercial Real Estate's Impact
• Understanding the Real Estate Development Process (& 4 Ways to Scale)
• Real Estate Development Timeline: The Complete Developer’s Guide
• Real Estate Development Process
• Real Estate Development Crash Course: The Development Process in 7-Minutes

Stories from the Road, a miniseries within the podcast, features the people behind the profession in the communities Devin visits and within his network of esteemed misfits.

In this installment of the miniseries, Devin is joined by Keith Gillenwater, the president & CEO of The Enterprise Group of Jackson in Michigan. We discuss what it's like as an economic developer to land in a new community and how to host a top tier familiarization (FAM) tour for site selectors.

Keith can be reached at:

keith@enterprisegroup.org

(517) 788-4456

Stories from the Road, a miniseries within the podcast, features the people behind the profession in the communities Devin visits and within his network of esteemed misfits.

In this installment of the miniseries, Devin is joined by Jonathan Sackett, head of marketing and communications at the Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership.

How do economic development professionals market their communities? How do you create a compelling brand for a community? Tune in to find out and much, much more.

If you enjoyed this episode, you're in luck - this is Part 2 of 2 of a much larger conversation! Go check out Part 1 on The NEI Pioneer Podcast and follow them here: Podcast | Pioneer Starts Here

In this episode of Site Selectors Are People, Too, Devin tackles work-life balance in a highly competitive environment. Let's take a look at some of the unique demands and challenges associated with each profession (site selection and economic development) and scratch the surface of some best practices and strategies for finding balance. Traveling too much? Expected to show up at too many community events? You're not alone.

Here's some resources for those interested in learning more (see Site Selectors Are People, Too | Devin Hillsdon-Smith (podbean.com) if your app doesn't show links):

Work/Life Balance Tips for Professionals:

• Forbes: Work-Life Balance Tips for Busy Professionals
• Harvard Business Review: Time Management Tips

Resources for Site Selectors and Economic Developers:

• Site Selectors Guild: Resources
• International Economic Development Council (IEDC): Tools and Resources
• Economic Development Administration (EDA): Resources for Economic Developers

Strategies for Managing Work/Life Balance:

• Mind Tools: Work-Life Balance Toolkit
• The Muse: How to Maintain a Work-Life Balance

Support Networks and Communities:

• LinkedIn Groups for Site Selectors
• Economic Development Networks and Forums

Mental Health and Well-being:

• National Institute of Mental Health: Stress Management
• Mental Health America: Work/Life Balance

Stories from the Road, a miniseries within the podcast, features the people behind the profession in the communities Devin visits and within his network of esteemed misfits.

In this second installment of the miniseries, Devin is joined by Matthew Marshall, manager of member services, rates & economic development for the Minnkota Power Cooperative in North Dakota and Minnesota.

Matthew can be reached at:

mmarshall@minnkota.com

(701) 630-4658

Stories from the Road, a miniseries within the podcast, features the people behind the profession in the communities Devin visits and within his network of esteemed misfits.

In this installment of the miniseries, Devin is joined by Keith Lambert, chief operating officer for the Lansing Economic Area Partnership in Michigan.

Keith can be reached at:

keith@purelansing.com

(517) 331-2990

In the 1st Episode of Season 2 of Site Selectors Are People, Too, Devin responds to a listener question about how the public can get more engaged with economic development projects. How do we balance critical project confidentiality with the community's right to know what's coming next? It's not an easy topic, but it's one worth discussing.

Here's some resources for those interested in learning more (see Site Selectors Are People, Too | Devin Hillsdon-Smith (podbean.com) if your app doesn't show links):

1. The Role of Transparency and Accountability for Economic Development in Resource-rich Countries
2. Making Politics Work for Development: Harnessing Transparency and Citizen Engagement
3. How transparency can help the global economy to grow
4. Our Commitment to Transparency
5. Transparency: Economic Development
6. Economic Development Transparency
7. Transparency and Accountability in Development: Where Do We Stand?
8. Transparency and Accountable Development
9. Sports, Jobs, & Taxes: Are New Stadiums Worth the Cost?
10. How Amazon, Google and Other Companies Exploit NDAs

Stories from the Road, a miniseries within the podcast, will feature the people behind the profession in the communities Devin visits and within his network of esteemed misfits.

In this first installment of the miniseries, Devin is joined by Bryant Niehoff, executive director of the Uplands Science & Technology Foundation in southwest Indiana.

Bryant can be reached at:

BNIEHOFF@USTFWESTGATE.ORG

(812) 259-2177