Focus Area’s Building Use Updates Form
Focus Area’s Building Use Updates Form
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Administrative Manager
Amanda McDaniel supports Hometown Consulting’s internal operations, administrative systems, financial coordination, and client service processes. Her role helps ensure that projects, contracts, billing, documentation, scheduling, and day-to-day business functions are organized and reliable.
Amanda provides the behind-the-scenes structure that allows the consulting team to remain responsive to client communities. Her work supports consistent communication, accurate records, financial organization, and the administrative follow-through needed to serve municipalities professionally.
For rural communities and public-sector clients, this operational support matters. Amanda helps strengthen the firm’s ability to deliver clear, timely, and organized service across multiple projects, meetings, reports, and client priorities.
Business Administration from Bluefield State College - Bluefield, West Virginia
Set the Vision. Build the Roadmap. Inspire Action.
We create actionable Comprehensive Plans rooted in community input and realistic strategies, not just shelf documents. We also lead visioning workshops and planning sessions to develop Strategic Action Plans.
Flexible Expertise. Focused Results.
Whether your community has no full-time economic development staff or simply needs added capacity and expertise, we provide strategic outreach, technical assistance, business support, and incentive development on a flexible basis.
From Concept to Completion—Focused on Results.
We manage the details of your redevelopment programs and incentive initiatives, ensuring that projects stay on track, funds are well-utilized, and goals are achieved.
Support Existing Businesses. Attract Investment. Build Momentum.
We create marketing tools and strategies that position your community as a vibrant place to do business, invest, and visit—backed by data, insights, and a compelling message.
Digitize Existing Information. Visualize Opportunities. Drive Smart Decisions.
We help communities bring their data to life through publicly accessible interactive GIS mapping and digital tools that enhance decision-making, promote transparency, and support business attraction.
Expert Guidance Without Full-Time Overhead.
We bring additional capacity and strategic insight to your municipal operations, offering hands-on assistance with budgeting, grant management, development negotiations, and more. We like to call this “Fractional City Administration”.
Design & Operations Director
Amanda Sampson brings a unique combination of design, communication, municipal operations, and community development experience to Hometown Consulting. Her work helps communities present information clearly, engage the public effectively, and turn complex plans, programs, and projects into materials that are professional, understandable, and actionable.
Amanda’s background includes graphic design, publication design, marketing, website management, photography, public education, tourism promotion, municipal administration, finance, planning, zoning, and Tax Increment Financing support. She has helped develop community marketing materials, public-facing reports, exhibits, websites, educational resources, event materials, and visual tools that strengthen communication between local governments, residents, businesses, and development partners.
For rural communities that often operate with limited staff and limited communications capacity, Amanda provides the design, organization, and operational support needed to make local initiatives look professional, feel accessible, and move forward efficiently.
Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design - Illinois Institute of Art, Schaumburg
President & Principal Consultant
Cole McDaniel leads Hometown Consulting with a focus on municipal administration, economic development, redevelopment strategy, and project implementation. His work centers on helping rural and small-town communities strengthen local capacity, attract investment, support existing businesses, and move priority projects from concept to completion.
Cole has extensive experience working directly with municipalities on business attraction and retention, downtown revitalization, grant strategy, Tax Increment Financing, Business Development Districts, Enterprise Zones, revolving loan funds, and other local development tools. He has helped communities structure incentive programs, secure funding, advance redevelopment projects, and communicate complex initiatives in a way that is practical, transparent, and board-ready.
His strength is combining big-picture strategy with day-to-day implementation. For communities that need additional administrative capacity, economic development leadership, or project management support, Cole brings a hands-on approach focused on results, accountability, and long-term community impact.
Bachelor of Business Administration – Lincoln College
Peoria Magazine - Forty Leaders Under 40 - 2022 Award Recipient
Vice - President & Principal Consultant
Matt Fick brings extensive experience in municipal administration, planning, zoning, economic development, and redevelopment implementation. His background gives Hometown Consulting clients a strong technical resource for land use decisions, development review, incentive districts, site planning, and community growth strategies.
Matt has worked on a wide range of municipal and economic development initiatives, including Tax Increment Financing, Enterprise Zone programming, Business Development District implementation, commercial development planning, site selection, redevelopment negotiations, and public-private partnerships. His experience helps communities evaluate opportunities realistically, align development with local goals, and create strategies that can be implemented within the capacity of small and rural governments.
Matt’s combination of planning expertise, administrative experience, and business-minded problem solving makes him especially valuable to communities working through growth, redevelopment, zoning modernization, downtown investment, and long-term land use decisions.
Master of Business Administration – Illinois State University
Bachelor of Science in Community and Regional Planning – Iowa State University
AICP Designation – American Institute of Certified Planners