In this interview with Matt Erskine, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development in the US Department of Commerce, International Roving Host Bruce Levine unearths information that surprised him concerning the role and activities of EDA and which is likely to surprise and impress our listeners as well. 

Erskine, a veteran of both the public and private sectors, leads a bureau that is responsible for the national economic development agenda and which is required to interact with numerous other agencies at the federal level in addition to its partners at the local and regional levels.

EDA’ s mission is to support local economic development initiatives around critical infrastructure,planning, and technical assistance. Through its headquarters and six regional offices, EDA has an impact all over the country, from Kansas and Oklahoma to New Bedford,MA, and it also has international reach working with the OECD and with Latin American leaders.  Erskine describes the balanced portfolio of resources and services EDA brings to bear on local efforts, and he stresses that localities have to be able and willing to put “skin in the game” in order to secure EDA help, whether in the form of strategic long-term seed capital or another resource.  Manufacturing is the one business sector that receives targeted assistance from EDA and Erskine provides examples of how the bureau is contributing to the perceived renaissance in US manufacturing.  Erskine explains how EDA is getting heavily involved in workforce initiatives and also talks about the symbiotic relationship EDA has with IEDC, with the latter helping to ensure that the federal government stays on the cutting edge of ideas in the field.

Matt S. Erskine 

U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development and Chief Operating Officer for the Economic Development Administration

Matt S. Erskine was appointed by President Obama to serve as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development and Chief Operating Officer of the Economic Development Administration in September 2011.

Mr. Erskine brings more than 20 years of leadership and management experience in business, public sector, and public-private partnerships. Prior to joining the Obama Administration and the Department of Commerce, he led the private-public partnership driving economic development and foreign direct investment for the 5th largest metropolitan region in the U.S. and worked in senior roles at global business consulting firms.