The Ribbon Cut

Data, Rural America & the Long Game: A Conversation with Carolyn Chrisman

Episode Summary

Rural economic development is less about landing one big win and more about making disciplined, data-backed decisions over time. Carolyn Chrisman of Chrisman Consulting joins Susan and Charles to discuss how data-driven strategy helps rural communities move past assumptions and build realistic paths forward. Drawing from decades of methodology rooted in the Ady Advantage legacy, Carolyn explains how communities identify what they’re actually competitive in and what to stop chasing.

Episode Notes

Rural economic development is less about landing one big win and more about making disciplined, data-backed decisions over time.

Carolyn Chrisman of Chrisman Consulting joins Susan and Charles to discuss how data-driven strategy helps rural communities move past assumptions and build realistic paths forward. Drawing from decades of methodology rooted in the Ady Advantage legacy, Carolyn explains how communities identify what they’re actually competitive in and what to stop chasing.

In this episode:

• Why assumptions hold rural regions back more than lack of resources.
• How target industry analysis separates opportunity from wishful thinking.
• What location quotients, growth projections, and industry clusters really reveal.
• The biggest workforce and housing constraints rural communities face today.
• How education and expectation-setting shape successful strategies.
• Why long-term planning beats chasing short-term deals.

For economic developers, utilities, and consultants working in rural markets, this episode offers a grounded framework for building strategies that are honest, defensible, and sustainable.