Welcome to Curated Morning. A compendium of news, information, and stories that economic development professionals, community development leaders and elected officials read every week to stay in touch with what is happening in our economy.

The Main Thing:

The one thing every economic developer wants is to attract new businesses to their community. Economic development professionals go to conferences and meetings to make this happen. Whether it's a site selector event, a fam tour, or another conference where they meet site selectors and decision-makers, economic development professionals spend thousands of dollars each year to make these investments happen.

But what does it really take to attract new companies to your community? Sure, you have the infrastructure. You have the site. You have the political will. And most importantly, you have the incentive structure in place to make these investments happen.

If that's all you need, why hasn't it occurred? What if your community isn't attractive to those site selectors? What if the existing industry is doing just okay? What if the buzz about your community isn't quite buzzing?

To attract a new business to your community, your community must be attractive. A critical component of that strategy is paying attention to your local businesses. And that requires more than the run-of-the-mill business retention and expansion program. It also requires a holistic approach that centers around infrastructure, taxes, and workforce.

In this week's blog post, I write about what it means to be attractive to site selectors. It requires a holistic approach and education. Give it a read and let me know if you agree or disagree.

Read the full post here.

Focus On Leadership

The $4.5 Trillion Hidden Economic Opportunity: Why Your Government's Procurement Office Might Be Your Secret Weapon

McKinsey research reveals that procurement transformation represents the single most powerful lever for state and local government savings, with documented cases showing municipalities capturing up to $350 million in annual recurring savings from strategic procurement overhauls. Real-world examples include a transportation authority realizing over $25 million in annual savings while simultaneously upskilling 200 employees, and a state identifying $230 million in long-term savings from a single employee benefits contract reprocurement. The article emphasizes that success requires partnership between agency leaders and procurement teams, combined with strategic use of AI tools to address the "four rights" of procurement: getting the right stuff at the right price at the right time in the right way.

Why This Matters: For economic development professionals, this research illuminates a critical but often overlooked dimension of community competitiveness. Your ability to attract and retain businesses increasingly depends on government efficiency and responsiveness - and procurement modernization directly impacts both. Companies evaluating locations scrutinize not just incentive packages but also government operating efficiency, project delivery speed, and fiscal health. Moreover, the AI-enabled procurement capabilities described here mirror the technological sophistication that companies themselves are deploying, making your community's adoption of these practices a tangible demonstration of business readiness.

The substantial savings documented, often representing 5-15% of total procurement spending, can be redirected toward economic development priorities without requiring tax increases or budget cuts to visible services.

Take Action: Schedule a briefing with your government's chief procurement officer to understand current practices and identify potential modernization opportunities, positioning this as an economic competitiveness initiative rather than simply a cost-cutting exercise. Develop a business case for procurement modernization that explicitly links efficiency improvements to economic development goals, such as faster project delivery times or increased capacity for strategic initiatives. Investigate AI-enabled contract management and spend analysis tools specifically designed for government use, focusing on solutions that enhance compliance and transparency while capturing savings.

Position your economic development messaging to highlight government operational excellence and fiscal stewardship as competitive differentiators, using procurement modernization as concrete evidence of your community's business-like approach to public administration.

Read Procurement efficiency: A modern strategy for state and local leaders by McKinsey and Company

The $4.5 Billion Talent Retention Secret Hidden in Plain Sight

Stanford economist Nick Bloom and workplace strategists Brian Elliott and Raj Choudhury deliver a research-backed dismantling of return-to-office mandates, with data showing the real problem isn't hybrid work but leadership capability gaps. Their analysis of 8,500 U.S. companies reveals a striking disconnect: while policy mandates for in-office work increased by 12% since early 2024, actual attendance rose only 1-3%, with companies that demand three office days typically getting only two.

The authors present peer-reviewed research demolishing the five-day office model: Bloom's Nature study showed hybrid work reduced attrition by 33% while maintaining productivity, saving millions in turnover costs, while Choudhury's Patent Office research revealed 4.4% output increases when workers chose their location. Most tellingly, teams collaborating 23-40% of the time performed best across all dimensions.

Organizations excelling at flexible work share four capabilities that have nothing to do with attendance policies: strategic clarity about talent advantages, outcomes-based measurement systems, team-centered collaboration patterns, and sustained investments in infrastructure, resources, and skills.

Why This Matters: Economic developers face a talent retention crisis hiding in plain sight - and most communities are making it worse by not understanding what high-performing companies have figured out. The research here reveals something critical: companies with sophisticated hybrid work capabilities are demonstrating advanced leadership, outcome-focused cultures, and competitive advantages that translate directly into business performance. When Amazon, JPMorgan, and others mandate full office returns while competitors quietly build distributed team capabilities, they're losing talent ans organizational muscle to adapt to whatever disruption comes next.

The companies you want to attract and retain, those with high productivity, low turnover, diverse talent pools, and adaptive cultures, are increasingly those that have mastered flexible work as a capability rather than treating it as a policy problem. Communities where major employers, anchor institutions, and local governments demonstrate outcome-based management and distributed team effectiveness signal something far more valuable than tax incentives: they signal leadership sophistication and cultural alignment with how modern high-performing organizations actually operate.

Take Action: Conduct a talent retention audit across your major employers focusing specifically on their hybrid work capabilities, not just policies, to identify which organizations have outcome-based performance systems versus those still measuring attendance. The former are your retention strengths, while the latter represent flight risks. Create a CEO roundtable specifically addressing the four capabilities framework from this research - strategic talent advantages, results measurement, team-centered flexibility, and capability investments - positioning economic development as the convener helping local leaders avoid the compliance trap their peers are falling into. Position workforce flexibility as infrastructure just like broadband and highways. Communities investing in the organizational capabilities that enable distributed team success are building competitive advantages as tangible as any industrial park, but far more difficult for competitors to replicate.

Read Hybrid Work Is Not the Problem — Poor Leadership Is by Brian Elliott, Nicholas (Nick) Bloom, and Prithwiraj (Raj) Choudhury

What Sergeants Know About Leadership That Your Companies Need to Hear

Army Sergeant Major Riley Seau delivers an unexpectedly practical leadership framework grounded in a principle that economic developers should recognize: the word "sergeant" literally derives from the French word for "servant," and the most effective leaders prioritize their teams' needs above their own. Drawing on military leadership doctrine and examples from Gen. Colin Powell to Southwest Airlines, Seau argues that effective leadership requires three interconnected capabilities: embracing servant leadership principles that put followers first, paying meticulous attention to seemingly small details that build trust and morale, and leading yourself well through self-discipline and resilience before attempting to lead others. Most tellingly, Seau argues that "leading well is a choice," manifested through daily habits rather than occasional grand gestures, and that research shows that when people feel genuinely cared for through attention to details that matter to them, they develop a greater capacity to serve others and the organization's mission.

Why This Matters: Economic development professionals often focus on infrastructure, incentives, and site characteristics while overlooking the leadership quality of organizations already in your community, yet research consistently shows that poor leadership drives both employee turnover and business relocation more powerfully than any factor you typically measure. Companies don't leave regions because of tax rates; they leave because they can't attract or retain talent, and they can't keep talent largely because of leadership failures that create toxic cultures, ignore employee needs, and prioritize compliance over genuine care. The servant leadership framework here offers something rare: a practical, proven approach that translates directly from military effectiveness to business performance. For economic developers, this creates both opportunity and obligation.

You're uniquely positioned to convene leadership development conversations among existing employers, recognizing that improving local leadership quality is as important to retention as any incentive package. Moreover, when recruiting companies, leadership culture serves as a reliable proxy for organizational health - companies where executives practice servant leadership principles demonstrate the kind of people-first cultures that succeed in tight labor markets and weather economic disruptions.

Take Action: Launch a leadership development series specifically for existing employers' middle managers and supervisors, recognizing that sergeant-level leaders (not executives) most directly influence workforce retention and that most companies dramatically underinvest in this critical layer. Conduct a culture audit of your own economic development organization using these servant leadership principles, recognizing that if your team doesn't practice attention to detail, express gratitude regularly, or demonstrate resilience, you're modeling the wrong behaviors for the business community you're trying to influence.

Build relationships with HR directors and talent development leaders at major employers to understand their leadership development gaps, then position economic development as the convener bringing resources and best practices to address these needs. Incorporate questions about leadership development programs and servant leadership practices into your existing employer retention visits, signaling that you understand workforce stability depends on management quality as much as compensation.

Read Leading Well Through Servant Leadership by Sgt. Maj. Riley S. Seau Sr. in NCO Journal

Hometown Consulting is a professional community and economic development consulting group specializing in municipal administration, strategic planning, and revitalization.

We help municipalities and organizations overcome challenges, enhance growth, and foster vibrant communities through strategic planning, effective marketing, and cutting-edge technology. This evidence of success underscores our expertise and inspires confidence in our ability to drive meaningful results for future clients.

You can reach me for an initial consultation at mvanags@hometownconsultants.com

Something You Should Read:

The Electrotech Revolution

Forget everything you think you know about the "energy transition." Ember Energy has just unveiled a framework that flips the script entirely, with massive implications for which regions win and lose in the coming decade.

They're calling it the "electrotech revolution," and it's not just about swapping coal for solar panels. Three technology groups are converging to fundamentally rewrite energy economics: renewable supply from solar and wind, electricity demand from EVs and heat pumps, and connections from batteries and digitalization. Think of it as the IT revolution's sequel, except this time it's disrupting energy instead of information.

As the marginal cost of electricity falls towards zero, energy abundance will unleash new waves of growth, industrial competitiveness, and digital innovation, and emerging markets stand to benefit most. In contrast, new "electrostates" will emerge. The regions that build electrotech manufacturing capacity and deploy it fastest are securing energy independence, and they're positioning themselves as the industrial powerhouses of the 2030s.

The analysis suggests we're already seeing this play out. The question for your community: are you still recruiting old-economy fossil fuel businesses, or are you positioning yourself to attract the companies that will dominate the electrotech economy?

Read the full analysis here.

Overheard:

“You kids better like what mommy got you for Christmas because she had to do unspeakable things on Black Friday to get it.”

Anonymous Mom

The Rabbit Hole:

Mariah Carey Wrote One Song in 1994 and Solved Retirement Forever

Every December, while the rest of us are calculating how much extra cash we need to pull out to buy Christmas gifts, Mariah Carey is watching roughly $2.5 to $6 million roll into her bank account. Automatically. Without lifting a finger. She doesn't need to clock in, answer emails, or even be awake. The money just... arrives like some kind of capitalist Christmas miracle.

This is what happens when you write "All I Want for Christmas Is You" at age 24 and it becomes the most-streamed holiday song of all time. Since 1994, that single track has generated somewhere between $100 million and $172 million (estimates vary, but either way, it's "retire your entire extended family" money). Mariah earns royalties from streaming, downloads, album sales, radio play, and every single time it plays in a coffee shop, grocery store, or mall. She essentially installed a money printer in every retail establishment on Earth that runs from November through December.

Those millions are just royalties. She also tours every Christmas, has merchandise lines, licenses the song for commercials and movies, partnered with McDonald's for a "Mariah Menu," and created multiple Christmas specials. Conservative estimates put her total December income at around $16 million annually. That’s just a little more than a crappy relief pitcher the Major Leagues (and they have to work nine months of the year).

That's more than most people make in their entire careers. Every. Single. Year. For a song she wrote over 30 years ago.

When asked about the song's success, Mariah told Billboard she had "no idea" it would become this massive. She was just a young artist making Christmas music early in her career. Now she's the undisputed Queen of Christmas with a net worth of $320-340 million, and a financial strategy that basically amounts to "write one perfect song, wait for December, repeat forever."

Read the full breakdown and try not to spiral into an existential crisis about your own career choices. I'm going to go re-evaluate my entire life now.

Turns Out Mariah Carey Has Been Accidentally Extending Her Life While Making Millions

As noted above, Mariah Carey makes upwards of $6 million every December by singing one song she wrote in 1994. I joked about spiraling into an existential crisis over my career choices, but there is actually another upside: while she's been raking in those millions, she's also been accidentally making herself healthier and potentially living longer than the rest of us. Because apparently, singing isn't just profitable—it's a miracle drug.

Research shows that singing releases endorphins (the same feel-good chemicals as sex and chocolate), boosts your immune system by increasing disease-fighting proteins, improves lung function, lowers blood pressure, reduces stress hormones, and even helps with pain management. One study found that choir singers had significantly higher levels of immunoglobulin A—an antibody that fights off illness—after just one 60-minute rehearsal. Another study showed singing can help stroke survivors recover speech better than traditional therapy. Singing literally exercises your cardiovascular system, strengthens respiratory muscles, and releases oxytocin (the bonding hormone).

So Mariah isn't just getting rich every holiday season—she's actively improving her cardiovascular health, strengthening her immune system, releasing pain-relieving endorphins, and probably adding years to her life. Meanwhile, the rest of us are stress-eating cookies at our desks, wondering why we're always tired and catching every cold that goes around. The irony is almost unbearable.

My prescription this winter: Sing. You don't have to be good at singing to get these benefits. Shower singers, car karaoke enthusiasts, and tone-deaf wannabes all reap the same rewards. Join a choir, belt out your favorites in the car, or just hum along to the radio. Your body doesn't care if you can carry a tune—it just wants you to make noise and reap the benefits.

Read more about the science of singing and health, and consider reconsidering your relationship with karaoke. I'm personally going to start singing "All I Want for Christmas Is You" every morning. If I can't make Mariah's money, at least I can steal her accidental longevity strategy.

My Annual Quest for the Perfect Glogg Recipe Might Finally Be Over (And Why That's Dangerous)

Every December, I become insufferable. I pull out my collection of glogg recipes; yes, I have a collection—and announce to anyone within earshot that "this year, I'm finally going to nail it." I've been perfecting my Swedish mulled wine for years, tweaking ratios, experimenting with different ports, and debating the merits of cognac versus aquavit. My family has learned to nod politely while I explain why cardamom pods must be crushed just so and why the rind-to-cinnamon ratio is critical.

I might have finally found the recipe that ends my search. Anders Erickson's scaled-down glogg formula uses a whole bottle of red wine, half a bottle of port, 6 ounces of cognac, demerara sugar, and a precisely calibrated spice bag that steeps for exactly 20 minutes. It's the Scandinavian equivalent of discovering the Holy Grail, except instead of eternal life, you get a warm beverage that makes you forget it's 15 degrees outside.

This Christmas will be dangerous as we will combine the singing with the Glogg.

We just established that singing improves your health, Mariah Carey is accidentally living longer while making millions, and now I'm about to consume a drink that historically fueled Vikings through brutal Nordic winters. Add enough glogg to my system, and I'll start believing I can write the next great Christmas hit. "All I Want for Christmas Is More Glogg" has a certain ring to it, doesn't it?

The recipe is forgiving (you can swap cognac for whiskey, rum, or traditional aquavit), requires a stainless steel pot (acid in the wine will react with other metals), and critically, must be heated but never boiled unless you want to cook off all the alcohol, which would completely defeat the purpose. You steep your spice bag for 20 minutes, add raisins, let it cool to room temperature, then reheat before serving. It's a process. It's a commitment. It's absolutely worth it.

Check out the full recipe and join me in my annual tradition of overthinking a holiday beverage. Fair warning: if I finally perfect this recipe, I might never stop talking about it. And if I drink enough of it, you might find me in the shower belting out Latvian folk songs I don't actually know. At least my immune system will thank me.

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