ABSTRACT
Economic development professionals must have thick skins and patience. Far more deals are either lost or just never happen than can possibly be won. Small communities, particularly those in rural areas, have had varied experiences in who actually implements the economic development strategic plan. The individuals who have been assigned this function in some of the communities whose leaders were interviewed for prior research had no previous experience in the field. As they were then placed in competition to win prospective employers for their cities or towns, they were at a disadvantage. The realization soon came in many of those case studies that, while such individuals indeed had "the makings" of a good economic developer, and could ultimately pick up the details of the work, the community was at a disadvantage when regularly competing with a trained, experienced economic development professional.
