Do the work that only you can do. We’ll handle the rest.
Econ Dev Ops matches chambers of commerce and economic development organizations with skilled operations specialists who hit the ground running — no training required, no long-term commitment.
What We Do
Economic development organizations are some of the leanest operations in the public sector. One or two staff members handling business outreach, board reporting, event planning, CRM management, newsletter production, and daily operations — simultaneously, indefinitely.
Something always slips. Usually something important.
Econ Dev Ops exists for that gap. We match your organization with a dedicated operations specialist who already has the skills you actually need — not a generalist who needs six months of hand-holding before they’re useful. You tell us what’s falling through the cracks. We find the person who can catch it.
Three support levels. Month-to-month. No contracts, no commitments, no drama.
How It Works
1. Tell us what’s breaking
We start with a conversation about your organization — what’s not getting done, what keeps piling up, and what would actually make your job easier. No intake forms the length of a grant application.
2. We match you with the right person.
Based on what you need, we identify an operations specialist from our roster who already has those specific skills. Need someone who knows GrowthZone? We find that person. Need someone who can take meeting notes and turn them into an actual task list? We find that person too. You’re not getting whoever’s available — you’re getting whoever fits.
3. You get reserved monthly capacity every single month.
Your specialist is dedicated to your organization for a set number of hours each month. They learn your systems, your rhythm, and your preferences. Over time, they need less direction from you — not more.
Operational Support Packages
Light Operations Support
$700/mo – Up to 20 hours
For organizations that need reliable administrative execution without adding headcount.
Common responsibilities:
- Social media drafting and scheduling
- Newsletter writing and distribution
- Event coordination support
- Website updates and content formatting
- Board packet preparation
- Basic CRM updates and contact entry
Core Operations Support
$1,400/mo – Up to 40 hours
For organizations that need structure, systems, and someone who actually follows through.
Common responsibilities :
- CRM management (GrowthZone or similar platforms)
- Business visit logging and follow-up tracking
- Meeting notes converted into task lists
- Monthly activity summaries for leadership
- Event execution coordination
- Internal process documentation
Operations Partner
$2,800/mo – Up to 80 hours
For organizations needing part-time operational leadership without the cost, benefits, and permanence of a full-time hire.
Common responsibilities:
- Ongoing CRM oversight and cleanup
- Pipeline tracking support
- Grant deadline tracking
- Leadership-ready reporting
- Workflow organization across staff
- Interim operations management support
All packages are month-to-month with no long-term commitment required.
Who This Is For & Who It’s Not For
Econ Dev Ops works best for:
- Chambers of Commerce managing member communications, events, and operations with small teams
- Local and regional EDOs drowning in administrative work that keeps pushing strategy to the back burner
- Lean organizations experiencing growth — more responsibility, same number of people
Econ Dev Ops is not the right fit if:
- You need a one-time project completed or a short-term freelancer
- Your budget for operational support isn’t confirmed yet
- You’re looking for someone to figure out your processes for you from scratch
We work best with organizations that know they have a recurring operational need and are ready to solve it consistently. If that’s you, let’s talk.
About Jamie
Meet Jamie Beasley
I started Econ DevOps because I’ve been on your side of the desk.
I’ve worked in economic development across multiple states — as a chamber director in small Oklahoma and Illinois communities, as director of an economic development district in rural Nevada, and currently as a Regional Development Specialist with the Oklahoma Department of Commerce, where I cover eleven counties in north-central Oklahoma. I also write a Substack newsletter called The Honest Economic Developer, where I spend a lot of time calling out ineffective practices in our field and making the case for approaches that actually work.
The pattern I kept seeing, everywhere I worked, was the same: talented people doing important community work while buried under administrative tasks that never got fully done. Not because they weren’t capable — but because there are only so many hours in a day and the operational load on small-shop EDOs is genuinely unreasonable.
I built Econ Dev Ops to fix that problem. Not with generic staffing solutions, but with a deliberate matching process that puts the right operations specialist with the right organization.
I don’t do bloated solutions. I don’t do long contracts. And I definitely don’t send you someone who’s going to need you to explain what a BRE visit is.
FAQ
Do I have to sign a long-term contract?
No. All packages are month-to-month. If it’s not working, you can cancel without penalty. We think that’s how it should be.
How do you find your operations specialists?
We maintain a roster of specialists with verified skills in specific areas — CRM platforms, event coordination, communications, reporting, and more. When you come to us with a need, we match you with someone who already has those skills. If the right person isn’t currently on our roster, we find them. You don’t get whoever’s available; you get whoever fits.
Is this a virtual assistant service?
Technically, yes — the specialists we match you with work remotely and handle administrative and operational tasks. But if you’ve searched for virtual assistants before and gotten generic results, this is different. We match specifically for the needs of chambers of commerce and economic development organizations, not general business admin. The work is the same category; the fit is much more deliberate.
What if the match isn’t a good fit?
We address it. This isn’t a “figure it out yourself” situation. If something isn’t working between you and your specialist, we get involved and make it right.
Do your operations specialists have economic development backgrounds?
Not necessarily — and we’re upfront about that. What they have is expertise in the specific tasks you need done. A specialist who is excellent at GrowthZone CRM management, newsletter production, or board reporting doesn’t need a master’s degree in economic development to do that work well. The field knowledge lives with you. The execution capacity lives with them.
How long does it take to get started?
Once we’ve had an intake conversation and confirmed the match, onboarding typically moves quickly. We’re not going to make you wait two months.
What platforms and tools do your specialists work with?
It depends on the match, but commonly: GrowthZone, Constant Contact, Mailchimp, Canva, Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, and various project management tools. Tell us what you’re using and we’ll make sure your specialist is already familiar with it.
Do you work with organizations outside Oklahoma?
Yes. We work with chambers of commerce and economic development organizations across the country. Our clients have included organizations in Oklahoma, Missouri, Minnesota, and beyond. If you’re a lean EDO or chamber team that needs operational support, location doesn’t matter — the work is remote.
TESTIMONIALS
Sol is wonderful!! I enjoy her personality and energy. She does not need a lot of direction either, which is nice.
~Tina Chace, Executive Director, Platte County Economic Development Council
Ready to get your operations under control?
Fill out the form below and we’ll be in touch. Tell us a little about your organization and what’s not getting done — the more context you give us, the more useful our first conversation will be.