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.

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.

Place marketing isn't just marketing anymore. It's recruiting, community building, and storytelling all at once.

In this episode, destination storytelling expert Kristin Luna shares what's working in place marketing right now: why print still has a role, how AI is reshaping the way communities need to think about their online presence, and how public art can be one of the most accessible and cost-effective tools for building a community's identity.

Because the best marketing for your community works for tourists and future residents at the same time.

Resources Mentioned:

• 2026 Tennessee Vacation Guide: https://www.tnvacation.com/guide

• Kristin's Blog, Camels & Chocolate: https://www.camelsandchocolate.com/

• Kristin's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lunaticatlarge

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00:00 Introduction

01:39 Kristin's background in journalism and place marketing

2:54 Economic Development Marketing vs. Talent Attraction Marketing

06:49 The most important parts of a place marketing strategy

09:00 Where print fits in today's marketing landscape

12:43 How AI is reshaping place marketing

16:19 Anyone can be an ambassador?

21:27 How public art contributes to place branding

26:25 Maintaining community character through growth

31:24 Fun closing question

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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.

For many communities, the outdoor economy is still treated as a soft amenity rather than a serious economic lever, even though it generates over $650 billion in economic impact each year.

In this episode, Ross Berlin, Senior Consultant at Fourth Economy, makes the case for why that needs to change. We dig into how outdoor assets connect directly to talent attraction in the modern economic development equation, get practical about the challenges (seasonality, overcrowding, equity of access), and how communities can work through them to maximize the economic impact of what they already have.

00:00 Why outdoor recreation matters as an economic development topic

02:45 The data and impact

05:45 Defining the outdoor economy (it's bigger than you think)

08:33 Benefits of investing in outdoor recreation

11:38 Challenges economic developers face

14:31 Competition between communities

17:42 How outdoor rec fits into talent attraction campaigns

20:41 Preservation and "champagne problems"

24:58 Equity and inclusion in outdoor recreation

28:27 Final thoughts and fun closing question

Resources Mentioned:

• The Amenity Trap: https://headwaterseconomics.org/outdoor-recreation/amenity-trap/

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.

Short-term workforce training is only as strong as what happens after graduation.

In this episode, Kevin Golumbeck, Director of CareerEdge at the Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce, shares how the Bridges to Careers program has built an employer engagement model that looks different depending on the industry - from closed-door job fairs at the Chamber to contractors visiting classrooms directly.

He also explains what drives their consistently high completion rates and the wraparound supports that help participants get to the finish line.

If you're looking to build or replicate something similar, Kevin offers practical advice on building relationships before you need them, measuring outcomes beyond seat time, and using industry councils to keep employers engaged and informed.

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00:00 Introduction

01:51 Overview of the Bridges to Careers program

03:22 How often trainings run

06:03 How employers engage with the program

07:56 Job placement and student support

08:50 How the program is funded

10:27 Wraparound support for participants

11:23 Program growth and impact numbers

12:58 Who participates in the program

14:39 How the program is promoted and students are recruited

15:54 How Bridges to Careers fits alongside community college offerings

18:48 Kevin's background in education

21:20 Advice for communities who want to replicate this program

22:51 A success story

24:05 Fun closing question

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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.

John Launius of One Southern Indiana discusses the unique challenges and opportunities of economic development in a region crossing two states, including new infrastructure-focused regional brand, The Fouridor. Learn how the region leverages a bi-state talent pool, attracts big win projects like a Meta data center and keeps the momentum of their wins ongoing.

At Livability, we highlight the unsung awesomeness of small and mid-sized cities across the country. We also partner with communities to reach their target companies and potential residents 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.

Job training programs that are short, free and tailored to the needs of your employers could be key to maximizing your existing workforce. Tune in for a case study from Shannon Thiele, Ames Regional Economic Alliance, on the community's Story Country Retraining Program.

At Livability, we highlight the unsung awesomeness of small and mid-sized cities across the country. We also partner with communities to reach their target companies and potential residents 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.

New Mexico recently unveiled free child care for all New Mexico families. We sat down with Kendal Chavez, Deputy Secretary, New Mexico Early Childhood Education and Care Department, to hear how they're pulling off this game-changing initiative.

At Livability, we highlight the unsung awesomeness of small and mid-sized cities across the country. We also partner with communities to reach their target companies and potential residents 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.