226: Economic Development Is a Relationship Game with Damian Denmark

In this episode of the Econ Dev Show Dane Carlson talks with Damian Denmark, economic development director for the City of Yukon, Oklahoma, about what it looks like to build an economic development department in a fast-growing suburban community northwest of Oklahoma City.

Damian shares how his move to Liberal, Kansas changed the way he thinks about community, belonging, and the people-first side of economic development.

The conversation moves from rural marketing and relationship-building to Yukon’s new incentive policy, the Miller Crossing project, TIFs, sports tourism, and the increasingly complicated question of data centers. For economic developers, this episode is a reminder that projects matter, but trust, policy, infrastructure, and community buy-in are what make growth work.

1. Build the relationship before you need the deal. Damian’s approach is clear: trust opens doors with property owners, developers, tenant reps, brokers, city departments, and regional partners.
2. Create policy before the pressure hits. Yukon’s work on incentive and economic development policies gave the city a framework for handling projects, negotiations, and community expectations.
3. Treat residents as part of the project equation. Especially in communities reliant on sales tax, residents need to see why a project matters and how it benefits the place they live, work, and raise families.
4. Use incentives to create community value, not just close deals. Yukon’s requirements around chamber membership, public art, city services, and community impact show how development agreements can ask more from projects.
5. Do the infrastructure homework early. For data centers and other major projects, water, power, utilities, noise, and capacity questions need to be understood before promises are made.
6. Do not reduce data centers to job counts. Damian notes that a data center may bring only 20 to 25 jobs, but the broader financial and infrastructure deal can still matter if negotiated well.
7. Know what your community can realistically support. Economic developers should understand market capacity, utility capacity, resident concerns, and policy constraints before pursuing major industrial or technology projects.
8. Move quickly, but do not confuse speed with sloppiness. Yukon’s Miller Crossing TIF moved in less than 60 days, but Damian also emphasized the stress, negotiation, and policy work behind that speed.
9. Let personal experience shape professional practice. Damian’s time in Liberal, Kansas changed how he thinks about belonging, service, and the human side of economic development.
10. Remember that buildings do not build communities by themselves. Projects, investment, and development matter, but the strongest communities are built through people, trust, participation, and shared pride.

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Special Guest: Damien Denmark.

Sponsored By:

• Sitehunt: Sitehunt helps economic developers understand their sites, match them to projects, and respond with confidence in minutes instead of scrambling for days.

Links:

• Damien Denmark | LinkedIn
• Yukon, OK | Official Website
• Rural Marketing for Chambers, EDOs & Cities