Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS)

Jon has focused on the role of innovation and technology in economic development since the 1980s. Upon joining TIP as a principal and managing partner in 2000, Jon helped transition the company from its Texas-based site selection practice to a national strategy firm. His recent book, The Cost of Cool (Texas A&M University Press), examines Austin’s tech growth and offers lessons for communities navigating change. As managing partner, Jon plays an instrumental role in strategic goalsetting. He has also amassed an impressive portfolio that includes planning work from New York to California, with significant regional projects in the Mississippi Delta, Seattle’s Puget Sound, and the Great Lakes area. Prior to joining the firm, Jon was the director of business development first for the State of Washington and then, under Governor Ann Richards, for the State of Texas. During the transition to Governor Bush’s tenure, he helped restructure the state’s economic development organization and then co-authored the new strategic plan for the State of Texas. Jon also has deep ties to the state of Oregon. He was vice-president with the Oregon Technology Fund and lead investor for the Hood River Brewing Company (Full Sail), managed two start-up technology companies (Fiberlite Composites and LifePort Inc.), and founded a mountain bike company in Portland, Oregon (Fat Tire Farm). He received a BA in philosophy and MA in political philosophy from the University of Hawaii and did post-graduate work towards his PhD at the University of Oregon. Born and raised in Germany, Jon now resides in Austin and spends his summers in Bend, Oregon.

Alex has over 30 years of experience that includes economic development, management consulting, higher education, and legislative affairs. Since joining TIP in 1997, he has managed economic strategy projects for local, regional, state, and federal clients extending from Alaska to the US Virgin Islands. Alex began his career at TIP running the Invest in Texas Alliance, an international marketing consortium that generated dozens of foreign direct investment leads for Texas communities and utilities. Today, as a senior vice president of consulting services, Alex is responsible for both client engagement and managing TIP’s team of consultants. Alex’s areas of expertise include facilitating public-private partnerships for economic development, preparing economic development organizational plans, and tracking the aerospace and defense sector. He is a member of the Association of Defense Communities and has worked at the local and state levels on defense-related economic development projects. His other professional experience includes working as a public-sector management consultant with MGT of America and as Director of Research and Grants for the International Business Education Program at Texas Tech University’s Rawls College of Business. Alex holds a Master of Public Affairs from the LBJ School of Public Affairs at University of Texas at Austin and a Bachelor of Arts from Texas Tech University. Alex lives in Austin with his son and dog, where he enjoys playing pickleball, hiking the city’s trails, and smoking BBQ.

Ashton Allison is a Project Consultant with TIP Strategies, bringing more than 20 years of experience in economic development, community investment, and regional strategy across the Pacific Northwest and Texas. Ashton has led major competitiveness initiatives, business retention and expansion programs, and cross‑sector coalitions for metropolitan governments, chambers of commerce, and high‑growth communities. His career includes directing economic development for the King County Executive for over five years, leading business retention and expansion at the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, and advising communities nationwide as a consultant with TIP. Ashton’s expertise includes synthesizing complex intelligence into actionable strategies, facilitating multi‑jurisdictional partnerships, and advancing economic mobility. A Certified Economic Developer (CEcD), Ashton earned his Executive MPA at the University of Washington Evans School and holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from Baylor University.