233: Infrastructure, Trust, and the Future of Economic Development with Will Williams

In this episode of the Econ Dev Show Dane Carlson talks with Will Williams, president and CEO of the Western South Carolina Economic Development Partnership, about how economic development has changed over his career: from paper RFIs and long project timelines to massive capital investments, compressed decisions, and new infrastructure demands. They dig into Western South Carolina’s effort to develop a 1,900-acre industrial park, the growing constraint of electrical capacity, and the heated debate surrounding data centers. Will argues that communities should evaluate data centers the same way they evaluate other industrial projects: by looking carefully at infrastructure, utilities, location, tax impact, jobs, and community compatibility rather than reacting to misinformation or fear. The conversation ultimately becomes one about trust, communication, zoning, AI, long-term community building, and the economic developer’s role as the “connective tissue”, or, as Will puts it, “community duct tape”, that holds people and institutions together. Like this show? Please leave us a review here — even one sentence helps! 10 Actionable Takeaways for Economic Developers Start planning electrical capacity earlier. Large projects increasingly require enormous amounts of generation and transmission capacity, making power availability a fundamental site-readiness issue rather than something to address after a prospect appears. Build sites for the next generation of projects, not the last one. Western South Carolina spent years assembling 1,900 acres because larger contiguous sites with strong interstate and workforce access can take years to create. Treat data centers like any other industrial prospect. Examine electricity, water, sewer, noise, location, jobs, taxes, and infrastructure requirements instead of automatically treating the industry as either uniquely good or uniquely bad. Put intensive uses where they belong. Good land-use planning and appropriate buffers can prevent many conflicts before a project is announced. Will specifically points to industrial locations and property-line noise standards as tools communities can use. Don't mistake the loudest voices for the entire community. Public meetings can amplify a small group of highly motivated opponents, so economic developers and elected officials should seek broader community understanding before assuming opposition is universal. Communicate before controversy forces you to. Economic development can no longer happen entirely “in the kitchen.” Practitioners need systems for explaining projects publicly while still respecting legitimate company confidentiality. Use your track record to build trust. When skepticism is high, point to previous projects, their actual outcomes, and the community's experience rather than relying only on promises about a new project. Recognize that automation changes jobs more often than it simply eliminates them. Will compares today's AI concerns with earlier fears around manufacturing automation, which increased the need for more skilled workers even as processes became more automated. Think in decades. Will expects the new industrial park to develop over roughly 25 years. Economic developers should be comfortable investing in infrastructure and assets whose full payoff may come long after their own tenure. Build a network far beyond the usual power players. Will's career advice is to “grow where you're planted” and know as many people as possible—not just utility executives and elected officials. Those relationships become sources of information, introductions, and problem-solving capacity. Special Guest: Will Williams.