Gov Business Review: Specials Magazine

Alex Philips is an experienced economic development professional with a relationship-driven approach to business and community growth. With deep expertise in operational planning and strategic initiatives, he creates sustainable local growth and strong community engagement. In an interview with Government Business Review, Philips discussed relationship-driven economic development and workforce alignment through targeted training initiatives. He also highlighted the importance of infrastructure readiness in sustaining long-term community and business growth. Managing Economic Development across Business and Community At the City of Burleson, I oversee a three-member team focused on economic development initiatives. Together, we oversee new business recruitment across retail, master-planned development, residential, commercial and industrial sectors while also supporting businesses already operating in our community. Our work involves helping businesses connect for cross-promotion and providing insight into their markets, including where customers are coming from and how they engage. We support our Old Town district, driving tourism and organizing events that sustain community activity. Burleson’s identity resonates most with businesses that value a family-friendly environment, strong schools and a community built on shared values. Over time, we have seen a number of family-owned businesses become part of our local economy. The annual Project U Leadership Conference provides low-cost professional development for community leaders, giving them practical tools that support long-term growth and success. Supporting Businesses through Relationship-Driven Insights We rely on relationships with site selectors, industry leaders outside our market and key stakeholders to understand what businesses are looking for before turning to data. Data plays an important role, but understanding business needs through those relationships always comes first.

Buddy Rizer is a strategic economic development leader known for driving Loudoun County’s growth into a global data center hub. With expertise in business expansion, technology infrastructure and public policy, he has played a major role in attracting billion-dollar investments and strengthening regional economic development. As Executive Director of Economic Development for Loudoun County, my role is to position the county for long-term economic success while aligning growth with the priorities of residents and the Board of Supervisors. That work includes business recruitment, business retention, international business development, entrepreneurship, workforce initiatives, and rural economic development. The objective is to maintain a comprehensive strategy that balances economic opportunity with stewardship. Over the past two decades, Loudoun County has seen more than USD 65 billion in commercial investment and 60,000 announced jobs. During that period, we focused on diversifying the economy across aerospace, cybersecurity, life sciences, advanced manufacturing, logistics, and digital infrastructure. Alongside large-scale business recruitment, we created Launch Loudoun to support small businesses as they start, scale and soar, ensuring that economic growth benefits the broader community. In that time, we increased the commercial tax base from roughly 19 percent to more than 50 percent of the county’s total tax base. That growth reduced the tax burden on residents while supporting investments in public infrastructure and community programming. Growth, Transparency and Long-Term Competitiveness My approach to economic development has always focused on long-term competitiveness rather than short-term wins. Loudoun County’s growth has been built through policy consistency, infrastructure investment, and public-private collaboration over

Benigno Sandoval didn’t initially aspire to city leadership. He began in the trenches, working directly with small businesses and learning their operational realities firsthand. After earning a degree in business administration and a public relations minor from California State University, Dominguez Hills, he spent 13 years at the Southeast Los Angeles County Workforce Development Board, engaging with 50,000 businesses across every sector. That frontline experience reinforced his determination to advocate for small enterprises navigating indifferent systems. Empathy as Economic Policy When I arrived in Hemet, first as economic development manager and later as director, I found a historically overlooked rural city where 98 percent of the businesses are small. The common assumption that these enterprises generate substantial income is misleading. In reality, the average small business here earns about USD 46,000 a year. That statistic defines my approach. It instilled in me a deep empathy for owners struggling to stay afloat. I speak their language, move at the speed of business, reduce friction and deliver realistic solutions, while maintaining the checks and balances that protect the wider community. Cities do not create businesses. They create the conditions that convince businesses to invest, grow and stay. My job is to build, strengthen and constantly improve those conditions. From Passive Positioning to Active Market Creation For 50 years, California cities could rely on geography and freeway access to attract investment. In Hemet, we shifted from passive positioning to active pursuit. We now operate like headhunters, proactively identifying opportunities, courting businesses and removing obstacles so they can succeed here. My portfolio spans new and existing development, management of more than 50 city-owned properties, community events and hands-on support for local operators. Whether it is zoning, incentives, grants or day-to-day challenges, we hel

Alora Wachholz serves as Director of Economic Development and Executive Director of the SEDC, where a deep commitment to public service guides her leadership. Shaped by her upbringing in a small town and firsthand experience with economic hardship, she believes economic development is ultimately about improving lives. By championing quality jobs, educational opportunities and businesses that value people, she works to strengthen families, build resilient communities and create lasting economic opportunities that benefit both individuals and the region. Growth That Belongs: Matching Opportunity to Community I’ve never believed that every business investment or development project belongs in every community and that’s okay. Every community is shaped by its own people, history, heritage and culture. Those qualities aren’t cookie-cutter and development shouldn’t be either. Growth comes to communities because of what makes them unique and the goal is to ensure that growth strengthens, rather than changes, that identity. Every community is also at a different stage of its growth, with its own goals and priorities. I’ve learned it’s important to consider that, lean into it and be proud of where that community is. Whether the focus is creating primary wage jobs, enhancing quality of life or preparing for the next phase of development, growth should match the community’s needs at that time. Putting people first and respecting where a community is in its market cycle is what makes development successful.

Stephen Prestesater is a seasoned government professional whose experience across federal, county, and municipal roles now informs his work to shape Milton’s economic future, from infrastructure and workforce needs to business development, long-term planning, and regional partnerships. Everything stems from relationships and communication, Stephen Prestesater recalls, reflecting on the lessons his career has taught him. His journey has taken him from managing programs for the U.S. Navy to coordinating large-scale events, developing government standards and leading public communications across city and county government. Despite the varying roles, Prestesater saw a common vision in how much progress depended on people working together. Today, as Economic Development Director for the City of Milton, Prestesater brings that perspective to a community in the midst of rapid growth. Prestesater’s career began with the Department of Defense as a recreation aide while attending San Diego State University. He progressed into program management, running large-scale events and rewriting program standards across the Navy. A series of moves followed as his wife advanced through the Navy. The family relocated to Pensacola, where Prestesater started in municipal government, joining the City of Milton in public relations and communications. The next move took them to Everett, Washington, where he worked as a public information officer for Snohomish County. When the Navy sent them back to Pensacola, a vacancy brought him back to Milton as Economic Development Director, a role he has now held for nearly three years. Building the Capacity to Support Growth At Milton, Prestesater is focused on ensuring the city can keep pace with the growth taking shape across the community. Santa Rosa County grew 10.5 percent between 2020 and 2024, bringing more residents and economic activity to the area. But it has also exposed a gap between what the community is gaining and what it can s

Adam Ruechel is an economic development professional who has long focused on how communities can grow without losing what makes them worth calling home, balancing responsible development, infrastructure planning, and long-term community character while working with residents, businesses, and leaders. Guiding Freedom’s Growth with LongTerm Vision Freedom has grown beyond its roots as a small farming community. With more than 6,300 residents, the town is seeing more interest in residential, commercial and industrial development. For Ruechel, the challenge is making room for that growth without losing the rural character residents value. His perspective began taking shape in the Village of Hobart, where he started his career as assistant administrator. Hobart was one of Wisconsin’s fastest-growing communities, giving Ruechel experience with residential subdivisions, multifamily apartments, commercial and industrial projects and tax increment financing districts. He saw development from both sides, understanding the limitations municipalities faced while hearing directly from developers about their challenges. That experience still guides his decisions. He listens to elected officials, residents, developers and businesses before deciding what makes sense for the community. Not every project is right simply because it brings development. The question is whether it fits Freedom’s priorities and can be supported over the long term. Aligning Development with Financial Responsibility That judgment matters when a project requires new infrastructure. For a small municipality, extending a road or bringing water and sewer to a site can require substantial investment before there is any guarantee of when development will follow. Ruechel looks closely at who takes on that risk and what it could mean for taxpayers. Freedom has moved many of its tax increment financing initiatives toward pay-as-you-go financing. Developers take on infrastructure costs while the taxes

Economic development often takes shape where business needs and community opportunities intersect. At Horsham Township, Larry Burns brings that perspective to his role after 30 years as a commercial banker. His connection to the township grew through community service, including 12 years on the police pension advisory board, 3 years on the township’s planning commission, and 7 years of service on the Horsham Township Authority for the NAS-JRB Willow Grove. That involvement included redevelopment planning surrounding the former 862-acre Naval Air Station – Joint Reserve Base Willow Grove, which closed in 2011. When Horsham adopted a new master plan for its business parks in 2016, the plan called for creating a Director of Community and Economic Development position at the township. The newly created role soon brought Burns into a conversation with the township manager over lunch. He hoped he was there to pitch the township’s banking, but the manager was there to pitch him a potential job, which ultimately opened the door to working for his community.