places I’ve worked.

and people saying nice things about me.

“Matt is truly a pleasure to work with. His professionalism, insight, and thoroughness were critical to our strategic planning; he meticulously managed our process. Matt continues to provide us support on operational plan implementation and fundraising. He is considered a trusted partner to me, members of our board and multiple community stakeholders.”

— Jenna Saucedo-Herrera, President & CEO, Greater:SATX

“Working with Matt has helped the Greater Dalton Chamber and Believe Greater Dalton think bigger about what is possible for our community. Matt takes the time to listen and understand the people and the place, while also challenging leaders to raise their expectations and vision. He operates less like a consultant and more like a committed member of the team who cares deeply about the results.”

— Jason Mock, President & CEO, Greater Dalton Chamber

“I have known Matt for several years and have had the opportunity to work with him on multiple projects. His knowledge of strategic planning, economic development trends, and best practices is among the best in the business. Matt helped us turn data and findings into a concise, informative, and easy-to-understand economic development strategy for the state.”

— Bill Murphy, Deputy Secretary, Kansas Department of Commerce (now President & CEO, Ardmore Chamber & Development Authority)

current clients.

Indianapolis is cool, just like this photo of Mass Ave.

“As a consultant, Matt brings a rare combination of strategic perspective and practical execution. Drawing on his deep experience in economic development, Matt helped us see both where we fit in a broader landscape and what would make our work distinctive. His belief in ‘strategic doing’ — adapting in real time as conditions evolve — was exactly the mindset we needed as we continue to build and grow the 16 Tech Innovation District.”

– Emily Krueger, President & CEO, 16 Tech Innovation District”

 
 

16 Tech Innovation District

I’m working with 16 Tech – Indy’s innovation district – to help update and implement the District’s Strategic Plan, which I helped develop in 2023. Guiding 16 Tech’s programs and services, the Plan support’s the district’s vision to be home to 3,000 new jobs, 3 million square feet of new commercial space, and 750 new housing units by 2030.

greater:SATX

Since facilitating the design of a new Regional Economic Development Strategy for the San Antonio Economic Development Foundation (now greater:SATX) in 2019, I’ve remained on contract to help staff and volunteers double the organization’s budget, advance a new regional service model, and implement new economic development tactics. A new five-year strategy was developed in 2025.

Indy Chamber & Indy Partnership

I’m working with the Indy Chamber and the Indy Partnership to support the implementation of the Accelerate Indy regional economic development strategy. I helped facilitate planning for Accelerate Indy in 2020 and 2025, and remain on contract to assist with fundraising and implementation.

“One of Matt’s great strengths is his ability to work across private, public and philanthropic sectors, as well as his years of experience bridging urban, suburban and rural communities. The Indy regional strategy is widely regarded as a success, thanks to Matt’s research, facilitation and consensus-building.”

— Michael Huber, President & CEO, Indy Chamber (now President, Indy Eleven)

“Matt has worked for us for years as an advisor and confidant to our CEO, Executive Committee, Accelerate Indy Council, and to me as Board Chair. His knowledge of economic development is unrivaled. He knows the data, is a master of current trends, and understands how to help cities. He is knowledgeable, practical, a great communicator, and at the top of his game. Our region is stronger because of Matt.” 

— Melissa Proffitt, Partner in Charge of Client Relations, Ice Miller (Chair, Indy Chamber)

recent clients.

Central Atlanta Progress

I worked with Central Atlanta Progress (CAP) and the Atlanta Downtown Improvement District (ADID) - now Downtown Atlanta, Inc. - to develop strategic priorities following the facilitation of a joint board retreat in 2025.

Kansas Department of Commerce

I worked with the Department of Commerce to help finalize the Kansas Framework for Growth, the state’s first economic development strategy since the 1980s. The work helped distill research findings and strategic opportunities identified by McKinsey and Brookings Institution into a cohesive set of recommendations to guide state investments in economic development across agencies.

Opportunity Austin

I served as a board advisor to the Greater Austin Economic Development Corporation (dba Opportunity Austin) as they navigated a period of organizational change, and worked with the team at EY Economic Development Advisory Services to update OA’s economic development strategy.

Greater Wichita Partnership

I worked with the Partnership, their staff, and the Regional Strategy Council to adjust the Partnership’s approaches and tactics in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The engagement resulted in an Addendum to the Partnership’s Regional Growth Plan that identified new opportunities in the areas of corporate recruitment, innovation, workforce development, and others. The Addendum also aligned regional leadership behind key priorities for pandemic-related state and federal funding.

Greater New Braunfels Chamber of Commerce

I recently worked with the Chamber, the New Braunfels Economic Development Foundation and the New Braunfels Economic Development Corporation to develop and implement a sensible roadmap for economic development in one of the nation’s fastest-growing communities.

Manhattan Area Chamber of Commerce

I worked with the Chamber, the City of Manhattan, and Kansas State University Innovation Partners to evaluate potential operating models for a proposed new entrepreneurial facility in Aggieville in 2021. The process convened stakeholders and business owners to evaluate gaps and needs in the community’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, study best practices, and identify the ideal operating model (programming and services, governance, etc.) for the facility. I worked with the Chamber again in 2024 to help develop a new Regional Growth Plan.

Evansville Regional Economic Partnership

I worked with the Evansville Regional Business Committee to provide strategic advice and guidance to three organizations (the Southwest Indiana Chamber, the Economic Development Coalition of Southwest Indiana, and the Growth Alliance of Greater Evansville) as they worked together to evaluate and advance a proposed merger resulting in the new Evansville Regional Economic Partnership (E-REP). I then helped E-REP develop a new strategy and revenue model supporting the organization’s influence and impact following the merger.

Believe Greater Dalton

I provided strategic planning services and retained advice to the Greater Dalton Chamber and their strategic initiative, Believe Greater Dalton in support of both community mvisioning and organizational planning.

Ardmore Chamber, Development Authority & Tourism Authority

I provided advice to the Ardmore Chamber, Development Authority, and Tourism Authority as they evaluated a variety of organizational opportunities while crafting a new Economic Vision Plan following the closure of a 1,400-employee Michelin facility.

Rome Floyd Chamber

I worked with the Rome Floyd Chamber to deploy and analyze a community survey evaluating resident vision and perceptions, and help align community conversations around shared priorities.

Greenwood Together

I helped Greenwood Together (an economic development cooperative in Greenwood, South Carolina) develop a collaborative new strategy and structure to advance the community’s economic growth and competitiveness.

Carroll Tomorrow

I worked with Carroll Tomorrow (a public-private partnership in Carroll County, Georgia) to complete a Community Assessment and develop of a new Economic Development Strategic Plan.

more nice things.

“Working with Matt is a pleasure. He quickly gets to know your community, facilitates creativity, and balances that with best practices and industry standards. Building public-private partnerships is tricky, and Matt is a steadfast partner.”

— Jonathan Packer, President & CEO,
New Braunfels Chamber of Commerce

“Matt’s strength was his ability to translate thirty-thousand-foot data to ground-level, tactical economic development work. We were able to peel back issues with our structure, program of work, and priorities at a much faster pace than expected and with unexpected insights he brought forward.”

— Andrew Nave, EVP, Economic Development, Greater Wichita Partnership

“Having worked with Matt Tarleton on two separate projects, I have found him to be an extremely professional and thorough economic development consultant. His ability to engage community stakeholders, take a multitude of ideas and suggestions, and then turn them into an aspirational, yet achievable strategy is tremendous.”

— Jason Smith, President & CEO,
Manhattan Area Chamber