What is economic development?

What exactly is the role of Phillips County Economic Development?

When I first heard the job title of executive director for Phillips County Economic Development, I questioned, “What does that mean, and what kind of job is that?”

I remember taking an economics class and studying about the distribution of goods and services. Having a degree in family life and community service, I immediately think of growing and stages of life.

It doesn’t matter how many years have passed in serving our town, when I tell people I’m the executive director for Phillips County Economic Development, I still get asked, “And what do you actually do?” I even have to explain what I do to my own family. The good news is 90% of my job is who I know, not what I know.

PCED is a resource-driven catalyst, meaning I help bring important information and connections to our community. Since I had no education or background in economic development, I taught myself and helped make this position into what it is today. I see it as simply growing our community.

I describe my work like a pyramid. The basic work of a large urban economic development director is to bring in the newest and greatest big business to their community and city. Can you imagine me trying to bring in an Amazon distribution center into our county of just over 4,000 people? This wouldn’t happen without growing our community. My job is to build that pyramid so we can reach the very top to recruit new businesses and families to move to our small rural community.

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