E25 – The Art and Science of Economic Development, with Heather Gramm, CEcD

EDO Breakthrough

What happens when you shift from serving one community to supporting dozens?

In this episode, Heather Gramm, CEcD, reflects on her transition from the public to the private sector. She shares the learning curves, the surprises, and how she’s applying both the art and the science of economic development in fresh, meaningful ways.

Key Takeaways:

• How Heather’s sons helped her see workforce development through a new lens
• The biggest surprises Heather encountered after leaving the public sector
• How ongoing learning and mentorship—from organizations like MEDA—shaped Heather’s career evolution
• Why staying connected across local, state, and national networks makes your work more impactful

About the Guest:

Heather Gramm is a certified economic developer and the VP of Strategy at PPR Strategies. With over 20 years of expertise across municipal, county, and state economic development, she brings a deep understanding of what it takes to transform communities through strategic economic development to the PPR Strategies team. Learn more about her on our website (pprstrategies.com/about-us/heather-gramm).

The EDO Breakthrough podcast is brought to you by PPR Strategies. PPR Strategies is a strategic consulting firm working specifically with EDOs and other place-based organizations. We share the unique stories of communities through communications, strategic planning, marketing, media relations, and more.

Visit us at pprstrategies.com/edobreakthrough to learn more and to submit a question for a future episode.

Produced and edited by SpeakEasy Productions.