Hello from Baylee!

Hi everyone, I am SO thrilled to have joined the team here at Hickey Global and wanted to give a proper introduction. I have a diversified background in State, Local, and Regional Economic Development.

While completing my degree in Agriculture Business Management at North Carolina State University, I began a position as an economic development intern at the Research Triangle Regional Partnership, focusing on marketing, public relations, and communications. During my 11 months there, I had a robust introduction to the world of economic development, gaining insight into the region's multi-county focus on business development and marketing while simultaneously interacting with Universities, Site Selectors, International Ambassadors, and the overall regional economic development complex.

During my senior year at NCSU, I took a job with the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina, working as a business development coordinator. I then switched gears to generate interest in North Carolina through extensive trade show travel, marketing campaigns, and international office collaboration. While there, I generated leads for the state, ranging from $250,000 to $2,000,000,000, focused on advanced manufacturing for the state’s key target industries. I also started my MBA program at Auburn University (War Eagle!) with a focus on Supply Chain Management.

After my time with the Economic Development Partnership, I moved into a business development manager role at Invest Greenville. In Greenville, I was focused on a plethora of local-level economic development, including business recruitment, business development, existing industry, and small business and entrepreneurship. There, I focused on both domestic and international clients, partnering with the economic development partnership and the BioPharma Crescent, a four-county region focused on life sciences manufacturing. During my time at Invest Greenville, I also completed my MBA and began focusing on my next step: my CeDC.

This now brings me to my new position with Hickey Global, where I am the new Business Development Consultant. Here, I will focus on working with State, Regional, and Local-level economic development groups to help them attract businesses and grow their communities. I am additionally a member of the SEDC Emerging Leaders Committee and the North Carolina Economic Development Association Emerging Executives Committee.

Outside of work, I enjoy traveling (working on all 50 states!), hiking state and national parks, and red drum fishing on the Outer Banks. If you ever need recommendations on a state park in the Southeast, let me know, and I can probably point you in the right direction!

I can’t wait to meet you all and thank you for welcoming me warmly to the Hickey Global Family!