60: Passionate Economic Development in Massachusetts with Paul DiGiuseppe

Paul DiGiuseppe still considers himself a newcomer to economic development, but Paul has an incredible, contagious, passion for the industry. Now the Director of Economic and Community Development at the Town of Middleborough, Massachusetts, he started in the industry four years ago, in a different small town, with no experience in economic development, but with 25 years of city planning in a variety of cities across the county. About a year and a half into his job, he realized that he didn't understand and know enough about econ dev. And then COVID hit. He was totally unprepared and wasn't ready to help his local businesses struggling to keep their doors open. While receiving COVID funding information from the state and feds, he had no good way of communicating with his businesses. This kept him up at night. Finally, with the help of many people both inside the town and out, as well as podcasts, websites, books, etc., he grew to better understand his role in economic development. As a result, today, he's more focused than ever. He spends his days connecting with his business community and doing business attraction. Like this show? Please leave us a review here — even one sentence helps! Special Guest: Paul DiGiuseppe.