Ryan Ledbetter reflects on his PWE with Stanly County Economic Development Commission

This post was written by current student Ryan Ledbetter.

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As my summer internship with the Stanly County Economic Development Commission comes to a close, I’ve had some time to reflect on everything I learned, experienced, and contributed over the past few months. Going into this internship, I was eager to see how local governments support economic growth and attract new investment. What I found was a fast-paced, relationship-driven field that blends strategic planning, marketing, data analysis, and collaboration across both the public and private sectors.

Throughout the summer, I had the opportunity to support a variety of initiatives. One of my primary responsibilities was helping the EDC create and maintain a master list of available sites and buildings in the county. This involved communicating with property owners, utility providers, and local officials to gather detailed information on zoning, infrastructure, and site conditions. It was a hands-on way to learn about the site selection process and the types of questions that prospective businesses often ask when considering a new location.

I also assisted in reviewing responses to Requests for Information (RFIs) from site selectors and state-level partners. Analyzing which sites might be a good fit for a given project helped me better understand how economic developers match local assets to the needs of companies. These RFIs often came with tight deadlines, and it became clear how important responsiveness and organization are in this field.

Toward the end of my internship, I worked on a project highlighting local manufacturers through a series of short feature articles for the EDC website. As part of this effort, I visited several facilities across the county, interviewed company leaders, and wrote about their operations, growth, and connections to the community. While writing is something I enjoy, this project pushed me to think about storytelling through an economic development lens.

This fall, I’ll be taking the Managing Economic Development course as part of the MPA program. I’m excited to bring the practical knowledge I gained this summer into the classroom. Having seen how local economic development operates on the ground, I expect to engage with the course material in a much deeper way. I am certain concepts like business recruitment, public-private partnerships, and incentive policy will now feel more grounded in reality rather than just theory.

Although I’m still deciding whether I want to pursue a career specifically in economic development, this internship confirmed that I want to work in a field where I can help communities grow and thrive. The skills I developed in research, stakeholder engagement, communication, and policy analysis are all transferable to a wide range of roles in local government.

I’m grateful to the Stanly County EDC for welcoming me to their team and giving me a meaningful role in their work. And I’m thankful to the UNC MPA program for encouraging hands-on learning opportunities like this one. I’m walking away from this summer with new insights, new skills, and a better understanding of the kind of public servant I hope to become.