BOB CASSELL (1918 – 2012)
A Pioneer in Modern Economic Development
Georgia Tech Enterprise Innovation Institute is pleased to continue the legacy of the Basic Economic Development Course in the honor of the late Bob Cassell, a pioneer in modern economic development.
Born in 1918, Bob earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Chattanooga in 1937 and, at 21 years of age, earned his master’s degree from Vanderbilt University in 1938. He then entered military service with the U.S. Army, serving our country in this manner during World War II.
In 1946, Bob’s work in the profession we now call economic development took root. First, he served as an Industrial Economist with the Tennessee State Planning Commission. His 15-year service in Tennessee continued with the Tennessee Industrial and Agricultural Development Commission as a Senior Industrial Economist and with the Tennessee Department of Conservation and Commerce as Director of Research.
Bob then moved southward to Georgia and joined Georgia Tech’s Economic Development Laboratory in 1960. Over the course of 21 years, he served in the roles of Senior Research Economist, Department Head for the Community Development Branch, and Principal Research Scientist. He authored numerous economic studies, edited the Georgia Development News for 15 years, and conducted more than 200 seminars and workshops on community development, industrial development, and evaluation procedures throughout Georgia, the Southeast, and the United States. Some of his publications included: Community Economic Development: A Handbook, Evaluating Economic Development Programs, Industrial Plant Financing, and Guide to Industrial Development.
It was in 1967 when Bob became the founder of the Georgia Tech Basic Industrial Development Course (now known as the Georgia Tech Basic Economic Development Course). He served as Course Director from 1967 to 1993 and then, as Director Emeritus, advised other Course Directors through the mid-2000s. The Basic Economic Development Course (BEDC) has since expanded beyond Georgia Tech over the years and today is administered by more than 25 institutions across the country. It has served as the first step in the career of thousands of economic development professionals and is an industry standard for entering the profession. Through Georgia Tech alone, nearly 3,000 economic development professionals have attended the course since its 1967 inception.
Bob also served as a founder for the Industrial Development Institute (now known as the Economic Development Institute, EDI) at the University of Oklahoma, and was a leading faculty member for EDI throughout his career. Founded in 1962, EDI celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2012 and has graduated more than 3,200 economic development professionals during its history.
In addition to helping individuals develop their economic development leadership capacity through programs he helped to create and his personal mentorship, Bob strongly believed in the importance of organizing the economic development profession and took active leadership roles in doing so. He became a founding member and lead voice in creating the Georgia Industrial Developers Association (now known as the Georgia Economic Developers Association, GEDA). In 1981, Bob was named an Honorary Life Member by GEDA, the second person to receive such honor. And in 1984, Bob received the Rip Wiley Award for Professional Excellence from GEDA. Because of his advocacy and devotion toward creating professional development opportunities for economic developers, GEDA awards three professional development grants for the Georgia Tech BEDC in Bob’s name each year.
Bob was also founding member of the Southern Industrial Development Council (now known as Southern Economic Development Council, SEDC) and served as the President for the Council’s Board of Directors in 1968. He became one of nine members selected as the organization’s first Honorary Life Members in 1978. Following his service with Georgia Tech, Bob became SEDC’s first full-time Executive Director, a position he held for many years.
At the national level, Bob served as President of the Board of Directors for the American Industrial Development Council (which was later renamed as the American Economic Development Council, an organization that eventually merged with the Council for Urban Economic Development to form the International Economic Development Council, IEDC). He earned his Certified Industrial Developer (now known as the Certified Economic Developer, CEcD) designation from the Council during the first examination given in May 1971, and became a leading advocate for helping other economic development professionals earn their certification in the decades to follow. In 1975, he received the Council’s Board of Regents’ Special Recognition for Dedicated Service to Education in Economic Development. He also became a Fellow Member of the Council and was designated as an Honorary Life Member in 1978.
There is no doubt that Bob left an indelible mark on the economic development profession and his impact is untold. For this reason, IEDC honored him with the Pioneer in Modern Economic Development award in 2011. "This award was created to honor Bob for his outstanding contributions to the field over the decades," said Denny Coleman, chairman of the IEDC Board of Directors at the time. IEDC board member Joy Wilkins presented Bob with the award at his home.
Whether through his service with the State of Tennessee, Georgia Tech, GEDA, SEDC, EDI, or IEDC – many have been and will continue to be impacted by the life and work of this legendary figure in economic development…