CivEc was established in July of 2002 by veteran economic development consultants. Dan Houston is based in Austin.  Matt Cunningham is based in Chicago.

Matt Cunningham, based in Chicago, brings a wealth of specialized research tools and knowledge of best practices. Before establishing Civic Economics, Matt served a national technology-led economic development firm as Research Manager, performing economic impact studies for real estate projects and complete economic, demographic, and land use analyses for economic development projects.  In addition, he brings specialized software expertise in Geographic Information Systems (GIS), and the Regional Economic Model Inc. (REMI), and IMPLAN.

Matt formerly oversaw the Texas Business and Industry Data Center (BIDC) for the Texas Department of Economic Development, which focused on analysis and dissemination of economic data.  The BIDC served as the research hub of the state's economic development agency.  Clients were drawn from a wide variety of sources and included both public and private associations in addition to the Texas Legislature and media.

Formerly, as a GIS (Geographic Information Systems)/Database Analyst, Matt worked with Texas communities, businesses, Legislature, and media by creating, distributing, and analyzing data with the use of database and GIS software.

Matt earned a M.S. in Community and Regional Planning from the University of Texas at Austin and a B.A. in Political Science from Binghamton University in Binghamton, New York.

Contact Matt by E-Mail
or at 773.251.5926