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…