When Three Rival Cities Stopped Competing, and Started Collaborating

Peter Bishop spent years in commercial real estate before crossing over to run economic development for High Point, North Carolina, and it shows. In this conversation he explains how a vacant hosiery mill becomes market-rate apartments, why three rival cities agreed to stop competing against each other on incentives, and how one blended-wing aircraft startup is about to bring 14,500 jobs to a former textile town.

• How historic tax credits and a "local landmark" designation can cut a property's tax bill in half to make a stalled redevelopment pencil out
• Inside the Guilford County Economic Development Alliance, why Greensboro, High Point, and Winston-Salem agreed to never compete against each other on incentives
• The $30M downtown stadium bet that has already pulled in $400M of private investment and 1,500 new jobs
• What Jet Zero's blended-wing aircraft project means for the region, and the K-12-to-community-college pipeline built to staff it
• Why High Point's identity as the "home furnishings capital of the world" survived by shifting from manufacturing furniture to designing it
• The four-question decision-making persona test Peter takes live on air, and where he lands

If you've ever wondered what it actually takes to turn a legacy asset into tomorrow's economy, this one is required listening.