In this episode, I chat with Shawn Milne, Cache Valley Economic Development Director. Shawn is a friend and a graduate of Westminster College and one of the most interesting people I know. Shawn and I talk about his background as a small business owner and county commissioner and how those experiences inform his new role in Cache Valley. We also talk about the role of economic development directors, chambers of commerce, and higher ed. institutions in rural economic development. Shawn tells a story about election cycles and density and growth to illustrate the challenges of balancing urban and rural and young and old. Shawn shares what keeps him up at night and what gives him hope (hint: both have to do with the how successful Cache Valley has been). We end, as always, with the Road Trip Music Question.

If you want to find out more about me or the Rural Towns Project, please go to https://www.ruraltownsproject.com/

Podcast music: “A Happy Day” by codemusic, http://www.jamendo.com, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/