Inside America's Best Cities, An Economic Development Podcast

Hosted by Livability Media

Business Society Culture

Website RSS feed

Episodes

Latest episode

Nov 2026

Language

About the show

We delve into all things talent attraction and economic development, bringing you insights from America's most promising places and industry professionals on how your community can be a better place to live, work and play. At Livability, we highlight the unsung awesomeness of small and mid-sized cities, and help communities reach target companies and residents through custom content programs. Learn more at LivabilityMedia.com.

Listen to episodes

60 recent

November 3, 2026Episode 1332 min

A New Home for $175K: Using Housing to Attract and Retain Talent

A brand-new, single-family home at a set price of $175,000, with tens of thousands in down payment assistance on top? That's how Jackson County, Michigan is turning affordable housing into a talent attraction and retention engine, because when people own a home, they're far more likely to stay. In this episode, Keith Gillenwater of Accelerate Jackson County explains their "Build in Jackson" program that pairs a remarkably affordable new-build price with down payment assistance (up to $35,000, and for a limited window this year, as much as $60,000) and a welcome package designed to help new residents plant roots in the community from day one. We get into how the program came together, the eligibility terms and commitments that come with it, and why they chose freestanding homes on infill lots over chasing density. Resources Mentioned: Accelerate Jackson Build in Jackson Why People Love Living in Michigan 00:00 Introduction 01:39 About Jackson, Michigan 03:10 What is Build in Jackson? 08:20 What stage the homes are in now 11:05 Why freestanding homes instead of density 12:15 How they got builders to hit the $175K price 16:07 The ripple effect on neighborhoods 17:41 Who the program targets 19:40 Eligibility requirements and commitments 23:50 Building a sense of community through the incentive package 30:07 Fun closing question ____ At Livability, we highlight the nation's most vibrant small and mid-sized cities as a trusted voice for communities across America. We help places attract talent and reach target companies through digital content and print magazine programs. Be sure to subscribe so you're alerted when we release new episodes. Learn more about us at LivabilityMedia.com and follow us on LinkedIn , Facebook , Instagram and YouTube . Have an idea for an upcoming episode? Email host Amanda Ellis at aellis@livability.com . Inside America's Best Cities is produced by SpeakEasy Productions .

October 13, 2026Episode 1234 min

Bringing 17 Localities Together in One Talent Story

How do you market a region made up of 17 different localities as a single, cohesive place to live and work? In this episode, Lauren Roberts Carter of the Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce breaks down Start in Hampton Roads, the region's first talent attraction and retention initiative, and the research-backed strategy behind it. We get into why the initiative targets far more than just young professionals (including "boomerangs" and transitioning military members), how they're pairing quality-of-life messaging with a real-time jobs portal, and how they're planning to measure whether it's all working. P.S. If you missed our last episode with Emily Larimore from Hampton Roads, check it out to hear about how they turned their regional publication into a full-blown marketing moment: https://livabilitymedia.com/episode-82-how-the-right-partnership-amplifies-your-talent-attraction-reach/ Resources Mentioned: Start in Hampton Roads Website Start in Hampton Roads 2026 Publication Hampton Roads Chamber Website Podcast Episode "How Your Local Military Presence Can Boost Your Talent Strategies" 00:00 Introduction 02:06 What is Start in Hampton Roads? 04:36 Building one regional identity across 17 localities 06:42 Balancing quality of life with practical job concerns 08:38 The "big six" target industries (the DEAL framework) 09:30 Leveraging the region's military community 13:06 Who else the initiative targets (boomerangs and beyond) 17:33 How they're marketing the initiative 20:19 Getting local businesses and organizations on board 24:37 How they plan to measure success 27:28 Launch timing and what's rolling out first 28:46 Lauren's career journey from special ed to marketing 31:14 Fun closing question ____ At Livability, we highlight the nation's most vibrant small and mid-sized cities as a trusted voice for communities across America. We help places attract talent and reach target companies through digital content and print magazine programs. Be sure to subscribe so you're alerted when we release new episodes. Learn more about us at LivabilityMedia.com and follow us on LinkedIn , Facebook , Instagram and YouTube . Have an idea for an upcoming episode? Email host Amanda Ellis at aellis@livability.com . Inside America's Best Cities is produced by SpeakEasy Productions .

September 22, 2026Episode 1124 min

How the Right Partnership Amplifies Your Talent Attraction Reach

When you're marketing your region, it's easy to overlook the audience right in your backyard, but the best talent attraction content doesn't just reach people far away. It gets the whole community telling the same story. In this episode, Emily Larimore of the Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce shares how they turned a regional publication into a full-blown local marketing moment, complete with a launch party, a cover reveal, a featured-faces social takeover, and QR code standees popping up everywhere from the airport to university campuses. We get into why promoting locally matters even when your goal is attracting people from elsewhere, how they gave stakeholders multiple ways to participate beyond just buying an ad, and the early results that have local businesses already asking to be part of the next edition. Resources Mentioned: Start in Hampton Roads Website Start in Hampton Roads 2026 Publication Hampton Roads Chamber Website Best Places to Live in 2026 00:00 Introduction 01:53 What inspired the partnership with Livability 03:47 What the previous in-house publication was like 05:48 What makes the new publication special 07:39 The local marketing push behind the launch 10:41 The launch party and cover reveal 12:21 How it's been received locally 14:17 The results so far 16:06 Keeping the momentum going for future editions 18:43 Advice for other groups on maximizing the program 22:01 Fun closing question ____ At Livability, we highlight the nation's most vibrant small and mid-sized cities as a trusted voice for communities across America. We help places attract talent and reach target companies through digital content and print magazine programs. Be sure to subscribe so you're alerted when we release new episodes. Learn more about us at LivabilityMedia.com and follow us on LinkedIn , Facebook , Instagram and YouTube . Have an idea for an upcoming episode? Email host Amanda Ellis at aellis@livability.com . Inside America's Best Cities is produced by SpeakEasy Productions .

September 1, 2026Episode 1026 min

Turn Residents Into Ambassadors: A Greenville, SC Case Study

What if every resident in your community could be a trained advocate for it, acting as your own built-in talent attraction and community-building engine? In this episode, Adam Jennings of Visit Greenville SC shares how their Certified Tourism Ambassador program has trained over 800 people since 2023, built on the idea that today's visitor is tomorrow's resident, employee, or entrepreneur. We get technical on how the half-day certification program actually works, how they win over busy business owners and draw participation from industries you may not expect, and how they keep hundreds of ambassadors engaged year-after-year through an experience-based recertification process. Resources Mentioned: Greenville's Tourism Ambassador Program Why You'll Love Greenville, SC Livability's Official Guide to a Summer Weekend in Greenville Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction 01:41 What is the Tourism Ambassadors program? 03:13 How does the training work? 04:18 What material does the curriculum cover? 05:33 Who are these ambassadors and what do they do? 07:02 How does the program support broader economic development goals? 08:51 Getting business owner and frontline staff buy-in 12:45 How do you measure success and impact? 14:51 What does the renewal process look like? 18:00 What about reaching rideshare drivers and gig workers? 21:57 Advice for communities wanting to start something similar 23:44 Fun closing question ____ At Livability, we highlight the nation's most vibrant small and mid-sized cities as a trusted voice for communities across America. We help places attract talent and reach target companies through digital content and print magazine programs. Be sure to subscribe so you're alerted when we release new episodes. Learn more about us at LivabilityMedia.com and follow us on LinkedIn , Facebook , Instagram and YouTube . Have an idea for an upcoming episode? Email host Amanda Ellis at aellis@livability.com . Inside America's Best Cities is produced by SpeakEasy Productions .

August 11, 2026Episode 931 min

How Communities Get Noticed in an AI-Driven World

The way people find and judge a community is changing fast, and standing out now takes more than a great website. In this episode, Bethany Quinn of Golden Shovel Agency makes the case that in 2026, setting your community apart comes down to two things: being everywhere your audience is, and being specific enough that no one could swap your community's name for another. We also get into why video is the most underused tool in economic development, the three questions EDOs still aren't answering on their websites, and how AI is quietly changing the way people find (and judge) a community. Resources Mentioned: Golden Shovel Agency Shovel Talk Podcast My Episode on Shovel Talk Broken Arrow's Website ____ 00:00 Introduction 02:04 About Golden Shovel Agency 06:59 Why video is underused in economic development 08:40 Where to start with video on a budget 09:42 Site selection vs. talent attraction marketing 13:35 The most important pieces of a 2026 marketing strategy 15:40 How AI is changing place marketing 19:48 Three questions EDOs aren't answering on their websites 22:27 What makes the Economic Gateway platform different 23:23 Case study: Broken Arrow, Oklahoma 25:56 What to look for in a marketing partner 29:11 Fun closing question ____ At Livability, we highlight the nation's most vibrant small and mid-sized cities as a trusted voice for communities across America. We help places attract talent and reach target companies through digital content and print magazine programs. Be sure to subscribe so you're alerted when we release new episodes. Learn more about us at LivabilityMedia.com and follow us on LinkedIn , Facebook , Instagram and YouTube . Have an idea for an upcoming episode? Email host Amanda Ellis at aellis@livability.com . Inside America's Best Cities is produced by SpeakEasy Productions .

July 14, 2026Episode 833 min

One Message, Two Audiences: Tying Talent Attraction to Tourism

For six years, Minnesota lost more residents than it gained. To reverse it, the state's tourism office made a bet: the same things that get people to visit can get them to stay. In this episode, Lauren Bennett McGinty shares how Explore Minnesota expanded into talent attraction and why tourism offices are uniquely positioned to sell people on relocating, not just visiting. We dig into the "halo effect" that turns a great visit into a relocation, how her team targeted entirely unexpected markets by focusing on high-demand career fields, and the messy challenge of measuring when a visitor becomes a resident. She also breaks down the "Come Visit Your Neighbors" campaign, which was born out of a difficult news cycle, and makes the case for first-person storytelling as the best way to stand out when so many places are selling the same things. Resources Mentioned: Explore Minnesota Website Moving to Minnesota Come Visit Your Neighbors Campaign Video ____ 00:00 Introduction 02:38 Overview of Minnesota's offerings for visitors and residents 05:19 How Explore Minnesota combined tourism and talent attraction 08:10 Where tourism and talent goals don't align as neatly 12:22 The challenge of tracking visitor-to-resident conversion 15:18 Targeting specific high-demand career fields 18:57 The "Come Visit Your Neighbors" campaign 22:49 What her craft beer background brought to the role 25:31 How to stand out when other places share similar amenities 28:33 Film as a tourism and economic driver 30:23 Fun closing question ____ At Livability, we highlight the nation's most vibrant small and mid-sized cities as a trusted voice for communities across America. We help places attract talent and reach target companies through digital content and print magazine programs. Be sure to subscribe so you're alerted when we release new episodes. Learn more about us at LivabilityMedia.com and follow us on LinkedIn , Facebook , Instagram and YouTube . Have an idea for an upcoming episode? Email host Amanda Ellis at aellis@livability.com . Inside America's Best Cities is produced by SpeakEasy Productions .

June 23, 2026Episode 730 min

From Crisis to Opportunity: A Chamber's Rapid Response

When the retail marketplace Painted Tree abruptly declared bankruptcy, 311 small businesses in Franklin, Tennessee were shut down and told to clear out their inventory, with no notice. In the blink of an eye, they lost their point-of-sale system, their storefront, and their customer lists. In this episode, Jena Potter shares how her team at Williamson, INC. stepped in and pulled together a two-day marketplace in just two weeks to help these displaced business owners liquidate inventory and reconnect with their customers. But the real story is what came next: the crisis response became one of the chamber's biggest wins of the year. We get into how a generous, nimble response turned into lasting results with new members, expanded community reach, earned media, and a first-of-its-kind partnership with a local content creator. Plus, what other chambers can take away when their own business community faces a crisis. Resources Mentioned: About Williamson, INC. and Jena Potter Jessie Tigges's Instagram The Collective Boutiques's Website ____ 00:00 Introduction 01:42 What happened: the Painted Tree bankruptcy 04:55 Deciding to step in: free memberships and a marketplace 07:33 Inside the store: meeting displaced business owners 11:12 How to move quickly as a Chamber 12:54 Earned media and reaching new audiences 14:58 The marketplace run-of-show 19:33 Partnering with a local content creator 22:12 The results: sales, new members, and survey insights 25:27 What's next for the businesses 27:07 Advice for other Chambers 28:14 Fun closing question ____ At Livability, we highlight the nation's most vibrant small and mid-sized cities as a trusted voice for communities across America. We help places attract talent and reach target companies through digital content and print magazine programs. Be sure to subscribe so you're alerted when we release new episodes. Learn more about us at LivabilityMedia.com and follow us on LinkedIn , Facebook , Instagram and YouTube . Have an idea for an upcoming episode? Email host Amanda Ellis at aellis@livability.com . Inside America's Best Cities is produced by SpeakEasy Productions .

May 19, 2026Episode 630 min

Playing the Long Game: Turning a Superfund Site into a Community Asset

What does it take to transform a former Superfund site into a thriving community asset? In Charleston, the answer involved decades of remediation, an innovative flood resilience solution, and a developer willing to play the long game. In this episode, Clark Davis shares how his team took a former EPA Superfund site from contaminated to livable, engineered a solution to remove the property from the flood zone, and broke ground on a $2.5 billion mixed-use district that includes affordable housing, parks, and a mile and a half of public waterfront walkway. We also get into the community engagement strategy behind the project, including the restoration of a neighboring African American cemetery, and what Clark looks for in a community when evaluating where to take on a project like this. Resources Mentioned: Livability's Top 100 Best Places to Live Highland Resources Website Magnolia Landing Website ____ 00:00 Overview of Magnolia Landing: A relief valve for Charleston's historic district 06:10 Why they're not building to maximum density 08:10 The remediation process and what it took 11:04 The trip wall and flood zone reclassification 14:58 Housing mix and affordability 17:02 Restoring a neighboring African American cemetery 21:49 Community engagement and managing concerns 24:53 How Magnolia Landing supports Charleston's livability legacy 27:01 Advice for EDOs looking to attract this type of development 28:11 Fun closing question ____ At Livability, we highlight the nation's most vibrant small and mid-sized cities as a trusted voice for communities across America. We help places attract talent and reach target companies through digital content and print magazine programs. Be sure to subscribe so you're alerted when we release new episodes. Learn more about us at LivabilityMedia.com and follow us on LinkedIn , Facebook , Instagram and YouTube . Have an idea for an upcoming episode? Email host Amanda Ellis at aellis@livability.com . Inside America's Best Cities is produced by SpeakEasy Productions .

April 28, 2026Episode 524 min

Revitalizing Existing Office Space: A New Incentive Approach

When you have less than 4% of land left, you stop thinking about what to build and start thinking about what to fix. That's exactly what Sugar Land, Texas did with their brand new Office Readiness Program. In this episode, Jennifer Alexander, Business Development Manager for the City of Sugar Land, shares the details on a first-of-its-kind initiative in the region that offers up to 50% reimbursement on eligible improvements for both tenants and property owners, tied to real performance benchmarks. We also discuss how hybrid work is reshaping what tenants actually want, why Sugar Land retired its headquarters retention program in favor of this approach, and what other communities should consider if they want to design something similar. Resources Mentioned: Sugar Land's Office Readiness Program Livability's Top 100 Best Places to Live (#3 - Sugar Land) At Livability, we highlight the nation's most vibrant small and mid-sized cities as a trusted voice for communities across America. We help places attract talent and reach target companies through digital content and print magazine programs. Be sure to subscribe so you're alerted when we release new episodes. Learn more about us at LivabilityMedia.com and follow us on LinkedIn , Facebook , Instagram and YouTube . Have an idea for an upcoming episode? Email host Amanda Ellis at aellis@livability.com . Inside America's Best Cities is produced by SpeakEasy Productions .

April 7, 2026Episode 426 min

Balancing Expansion and Community Character: Nashville's Growth Blueprint

When jobs, population, and opportunity surge, so do affordability pressures, housing shortages, and the risk of losing the very character that made your community attractive in the first place. In this episode, Stephanie Coleman, President & CEO of the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce , shares how one of the country's fastest-growing regions is approaching that balance with 35 years of intentional regional planning, deep cross-sector collaboration, and a renewed focus on making sure growth works for everyone, not just newcomers. She also reflects on how the Chamber's role has evolved from convener to active problem-solver, and what that shift means for other communities navigating their next chapter. 00:00 Introduction 01:43 Managing unprecedented growth without losing community character 04:36 Partnership 2030: How Nashville's regional plan has evolved 08:39 Workforce and talent: biggest challenges and how Nashville compares 12:53 Maintaining collaboration as new players enter the market 14:59 Balancing the needs of urban, suburban, and rural communities 18:38 How Chambers have evolved over the past few decades 22:35 Stephanie Coleman's advice for others 24:15 Fun closing question At Livability, we highlight the nation's most vibrant small and mid-sized cities as a trusted voice for communities across America. We help places attract talent and reach target companies through digital content and print magazine programs. Be sure to subscribe so you're alerted when we release new episodes. Learn more about us at LivabilityMedia.com and follow us on LinkedIn , Facebook , Instagram and YouTube . Have an idea for an upcoming episode? Email host Amanda Ellis at aellis@livability.com . Inside America's Best Cities is produced by SpeakEasy Productions .