New Energy Economic Opportunity Bootcamp

The New Energy Economic Opportunity Bootcamp is a 1.5-day, in-person training and convening designed to equip economic development practitioners with the tools, data, and insights needed to attract and scale advanced energy and manufacturing investment in their regions.

Hosted at the Forest History Society building in Durham, North Carolina on May 13 from 1pm -6:30pm and May 14 from 8am-4:30pm, the Bootcamp will bring together economic development organizations (EDOs), public sector leaders, and ecosystem partners for applied learning, peer exchange, and practical strategy development.

This program builds on a successful training series hosted by Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) in 2024 and 2025. The curriculum has been refreshed to reflect current market conditions, evolving federal and state policy, and the needs of practitioners working to attract next-generation industries.

Participants will explore how regions can position themselves to benefit from emerging opportunities across advanced energy, manufacturing, and data-driven industries—while managing infrastructure, workforce, and community impacts.

The Bootcamp combines expert-led sessions, interactive discussions, and networking opportunities, allowing participants to learn from national experts while connecting with peers tackling similar challenges.

Participants will gain practical insights into how to:

• Understand the current outlook for advanced energy and manufacturing markets
• Evaluate regional competitive advantages and target industries
• Navigate federal and state policy incentives shaping investment decisions
• Speed utility-scale clean energy deployment to streamline economic development
• Manage the economic and infrastructure impacts of data centers and large energy loads
• Build workforce pipelines for emerging energy industries
• Support and attract innovative energy startups

This Bootcamp is designed for:

• State, regional and local economic development practitioners
• State and local government officials
• Workforce development practitioners
• Utility and infrastructure planners
• Industry ecosystem partners
• Community and regional planning leaders

The Bootcamp will take place over 1.5 days and includes:

• Expert-led presentations
• Interactive learning modules
• Peer discussion
• Networking opportunities
• A hosted reception

Participants will leave with new tools, frameworks, and strategies that can be applied directly in their regional economic development work.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Forest History Society, 2925 Academy Road, Durham, United States

Concerts, fests, parties, meetups - all the happenings, one place.

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