An Unusual Path to the Economic Development Profession
August 14, 2018 | By: daniel“Mommy, when I grow up I want to work in economic development.”
That’s not a phrase we hear too often. Most people in the profession started out somewhere else and found their way to economic development.
That’s certainly the case with Buddy Rizer. From the age of eight, Buddy Rizer wanted to be in radio. He landed his first job at the age of 15 and rose up through the ranks to actually owning his own radio station in his early 40s.
But like many other industries, radio changed. “Deregulation” not “video” killed the radio star (to amend the 1979 hit song by the Buggles). And it sent Buddy on a completely different path into the world of economic development – a profession that he has excelled over the past 11 years.
Today Buddy Rizer is the Executive Director of the Loudon County Economic Development Authority. His job is to create jobs and opportunities for the 400,000 residents of Loudon County, Virginia – a county about 50 miles west of Washington, DC.
Learn more about “Buddy’s Unusual Path: Radio Disc Jockey to Economic Developer” via the Second Act Stories podcast, hosted by DCI’s Chairman, Andy Levine.
Listen to the full podcast on iTunes here, or stream it directly from the Podcast Website.