Economic Developer Role Shifting from Deal-Making to Systems Stewardship
February 3, 2026
You're in a meeting about childcare.
Not business attraction, not incentives, not site selection. Childcare. Three employers told you the same thing last quarter: they can't fill the second shift because parents can't find care after 6:00 p.m. So now you're at a table with the United Way, a hospital HR director, two daycare operators, and a county commissioner, trying to solve a problem that wasn't in your job description five years ago.
This is one example of how the economic development field is shifting.
Click here to read the original article from Area Development.
