AI Prompts for Economic Developers
At our recent WEDN conference in February, we held a hands-on workshop with AI Literacy…
WEDN 2026 Round Up
(Check out the conference photos below.) WEDN Learn and Lead 2026 brought together economic developers…
The 2025 Creative Give Back Report – Mitchell County, NC, Recovery and Resilience Strategies
After Hurricane Helene devastated western North Carolina in September 2024, Mitchell County leaders began to…
Creative EDC Welcomes Ashley Mills to the Team
Creative Economic Development Consulting has recently added to its team! Ashley Mills has joined CEDC…
2025 Wrapped: Learnings from Our Most-Read Blog Posts
Reviewing the most-read posts on our blog in 2025 point to a clear conclusion: economic…
Retail Follows Rooftops: How Economic Developers Can Capitalize on Current Trends in Retail Growth
Whether it’s a new big box store, a supermarket, a downtown boutique, or a restaurant,…
Creative New Ways to Bridge the Childcare Gap
For many parents, finding good quality childcare is a major stressor in their lives. Across…
Economic Impact of Higher Education
Western Carolina University (WCU) is a catalyst for economic development in Western North Carolina and…
Best Practices for Generative AI in Economic Development
As economic development professionals, we see generative AI as a tremendous innovation for how we…
What We’re Reading This Summer: Stories That Stay With You
If you are planning for your summer getaway, or if you are already packing, don’t…
Compensation and Employment Trends in Economic Development in North Carolina and Virginia
Over the last couple of months, we published two Economic Development Salary Surveys in conjunction…
C-PACE: A Financing Tool Economic Developers Should Know About
Commercial Property Assessment Capital Expenditure (C-PACE) is a financing mechanism that allows commercial property owners…
Analyzing the 2024 Mid-Year Industrial Announcements for NC, SC, and VA
Industrial development announcements are one way that economic development organizations track the results of business…
Updated Economic Development Handbook
The North Carolina Economic Development Association (NCEDA), in partnership with the UNC School of Government,…
It’s time for Creative EDC’s Summer Reading Roundup!
It’s full-on June now and we are easing into summer with more sunlight in the…
NC’s Southeast Launches Strategic Plan
North Carolina’s Southeast (NCSE) launched an updated three-year strategic plan in May 2024 to advance…
How Are You Using AI?
We’ve been asking economic developers for the last several months how they are using AI….
Burning Bright Rather Than Burning Out
Dr. Marin Burton facilitated an engaging workshop on how to burn bright rather than burning…
The 2023 Creative Give Back Project: Fueling Wilmington’s Entrepreneurial Growth
Empowering entrepreneurs isn’t just a goal—it’s a strategy for economic transformation. Developing a comprehensive toolkit…
How a Company’s Sustainability Goals Impact Location Decisions
By Evan Day, Intern, Creative Economic Development Consulting, Ashely Cagle, Assistant Executive Director, Wake County…