Economic Development and Developers in the News #82

Econ dev news from 135 economic development executives and organizations in 28 states, and Canada.

19 Oct 2022 — 8 min read

Alabama

Southeast Gas announces the selection of Vincent Perez as Director of Economic Development. Perez will lead economic development throughout southeast Alabama as part of the Southeast Gas team.

The Clanton City Council unanimously approved a full-time director of economic development position.

California

Opinion: What economic development looks like in the City of Davis and what it doesn't. (Sherri Metzker, Director, Community Development)

Canada

A group of 204 First Nations in B.C. will soon have one central hub to look toward for support and advice on economic development. (Terry Teegee, Regional Chief; Murray Rankin, Federal Minister of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation)

Hamilton’s economic development team is hoping a pilot project with an artificial intelligence-powered search engine will make it easier for businesses to acquire funding they need to operate. The online tool Fundica has been plugged into the ED’s website, investinhamilton.ca, in an effort to help local businesses find grants for support and expansion. (Norm Schleehahn, Director of Economic Development, Hamilton Economic Development; Jennifer Patterson, Manager, Business Investment and Sector Development)

Federal Rural Economic Development Minister Gudie Hutchings has seen a fair bit of movement in her office since Hill Climbers last checked in, with both a new press secretary and a new director of operations on deck, among other changes.

The city of Cambridge’s economic development team, Invest Cambridge, has been named the recipient of a 2022 Economic Development Excellence Award for laying the groundwork for the revitalization of the city’s three core areas. (James Goodram, Director of Economic Development, City of Cambridge)

Wellington’s County’s Farmers’ Market Box Series, organized through the Taste Real initiative, was recognized with a silver award in the IEDC's Innovation Programmes and Initiatives category. (Nathan Ohle, President & CEO, IEDC; Crystal Ellis, Director of Economic Development, County of Wellington)

Connecticut

The West Hartford Chamber of Commerce hosted the town’s Economic Development Update Tuesday at a luncheon at the Pond House Café. (Kristen Gorski, Economic Development Coordinator, West Hartford)

In eastern CT, Electric Boat military contracts launch an economic boom. The company projects hiring for this round of contracts will peak in 2033 with an estimated 21,000 employees in Connecticut alone.

Florida

Charlotte County Economic Development Office has launched a post-Hurricane Ian outreach effort to contact business owners to determine their needs. (Dave Gammon, Director, Charlotte County Economic Development)

Georgia

The City of Centerville is moving forward on plans for a new town center. In late September, the city council approved a moratorium on new construction and land disturbance permits in the designated town center area for the next six months. (Shannon Bryant, Economic Development Director, Centerville)

Hyundai Motor Group is pushing past its issues with the U.S.’s new electric vehicle tax credits and announced plans Wednesday for a ceremonial groundbreaking later this month for its $5.5 billion factory near Savannah. (Hugh "Trip" Tollison, President and CEO, Savannah EDA)

Idaho

Keynote speaker Kent Stock discussed the question “how do you want to be remembered?” at 2022’s Southeast Idaho Economic Development Summit. (MiaCate Kennedy I, CEO, Bannock Development Corporation)

Indiana

Gov. Eric Holcomb primarily focused on issues of economic development Wednesday at a luncheon presented by One Southern Indiana but also responded to questions about multiple hot button issues.

The Indiana Economic Development Corporation’s handling of an attempt to create a massive high-tech park in Boone County leaves a lot to be desired. (Erin Sweitzer, Spokeswoman, Indiana Economic Development Corporation; Jim Love, Boone County Preservation Group; Molly Whitehead, Executive Director, Boone Co. EDC)

Claire Johnson is the new economic development director for the City of New Albany. She is taking the place of Josh Staten, who left the position in June to work as director of business development for River Ridge Development Authority.

Iowa

Carrie Kruse is returning to the city of Des Moines’ economic department after spending the past five months as the Greater Des Moines Partnership’s vice president of downtown development. (Jay Byers, President & CEO, Greater Des Moines Partnership)

Iowa Economic Development Authority awarded $3.3 Million to nine communities for water infrastructure projects. (Debi Durham, IEDA and Iowa Finance Authority Director)

Kansas

The outlook for the economy in the Salina community is relatively good, and with the help of more housing, it can look even better. (Jeremy Hill, Director, Center for Economic Development and Business Research at Wichita State University; Renee Duxler, Director of Economic and Workforce Development, Salina Area Chamber of Commerce; Stan Longhofer, Chair of Real Estate and Finance at Wichita State University)

Kentucky

Building on its historic year for investment and job growth in 2021, Kentucky’s economy continues to build momentum thanks to the state’s key industries experiencing unprecedented growth. One sector serving as a cornerstone of that success is the state’s manufacturing industry.

Maryland

About 90% of the Sykesville's Main Street businesses are owned by women. (Julie Della-Maria, Executive Director, Downtown Sykesville Connection)

Massachusetts

The Latino Economic Development Council wants to transform employees into employers. (Andrew Melendez, Director of Operations, Latino EDC; Adriano Vaccaro, CEO, Culture Redesigned)

The Clinton Area Chamber of Commerce, in conjunction with the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce and the Town of Clinton, hosted an economic development conference to highlight the progress the town has made to date and additional opportunities for further growth and investment in the town. (Phil Duffy, Director of Community and Economic Development, Town of Clinton; Jodi Breidel, Regional Director, WHEAT Community Connections; Timothy P. Murray, President & CEO, Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce; Dan Rivera, President & CEO, MassDevelopment; Craig L. Blais, President , Worcester Business Development Corporation; Peter Milano, Director of Strategy & Business Development, Massachusetts Office of Business Development)

The Town of Ludlow was recently awarded two Best Practices grants from the Community Compact Cabinet.

Mississippi

Missouri

Missouri’s commodity groups are praising the passage of a six-year extension for agricultural tax credits. (Chris Chinn, Director, Missouri Department of Agriculture)

Callaway Chamber of Commerce executive director Tamara Tateosin visited Fulton Rotary to give an update on economic developments.

Rick McDowell, President & CEO, is retiring from Lee’s Summit Economic Development Council. (Stacey Button,
President, Columbia REDI; Ralph Boots, Director, Liberty Economic Development Council)

New Mexico

United Way Of Northern New Mexico hosted an Economic Development Summit with Governor Michelle Lujan-Grisham and local area leaders.

New York

NYC sees $100 million in economic activity from 2022 Yankees and Mets playoff games. (Andrew Kimball, President & CEO, New York City Economic Development Corporation; Lisa Sorin, President, Bronx Chamber of Commerce; Trey Jenkins, Executive Director, 161st Street BID)

Charles Shaw spent the summer after his graduation interning with the St. Lawrence Country Chamber of Commerce, where he had opportunities to better understand the region through the lens of small business and economic development. Charles' experience was made possible by the St. Lawrence University Public Interest Corp program, which provides funding and on-campus housing for students pursuing summer internships with local non-profits and organizations. (Ben Dixon, Executive Director, St. Lawrence Country Chamber of Commerce; Geoffrey Falen, Director of Career Connections, St. Lawrence University)

North Dakota

Medina Economic Development was started earlier this year to help bring life back into Medina. (Tiffany Dockter, Executive Administrator, Medina Economic Development; Connie Ova, CEO, Jamestown/Stutsman Development Corp.)

Williston Economic Development and the Small Business Development Center held their annual awards banquet on September 30. (Executive Director Shawn Wenko)

Ohio

The Southern Perry Incubation Center for Entrepreneurs, headquartered in New Straitsville, will receive a $96,100 USDA grant. (Kayla McGloin-Smith, Business Center Manager,; Larry Fisher, Executive Director, Appalachian Center for Economic Networks)

Tammy Eallonardo, Director of Greater Chillicothe & Ross County Development, was recently awarded the Ohio Certified Economic Developer credential by the Ohio Economic Development Association.

Honda officials announced Tuesday that the company will be investing $4.2 billion into electric vehicle production in Ohio, including a new EV battery plant. Officials announced a $700 million investment at three existing plants. The money will retool the plants for EV production and create just over 300 new jobs.

Pennsylvania

Jeannette's Elliott Group is touted as the economic development model for the state.

Gov. Wolf announced $6.9 million to support economic development opportunities in Pennsylvania’s coal-impacted communities. (Brandon McBride, Executive Director, Appalachian Regional Commission)

South Carolina

Dorchester County Economic Development hired Anna McSwain as its marketing and investor relations administrator.

So far this year, new companies have brought more than 3,000 jobs and around $1.4 billion in capital investment to South Carolina.

Tennessee

State Rep. Dan Howell was recently unanimously elected to serve as the next chairman of the Ocoee River Recreation and Economic Development Fund Board.

Texas

Georgetown hired Cameron Goodman as economic development director.

The Edinburg Economic Development Corporation announced Raudel Garza as its new executive director.

Port Arthur City Council on Tuesday approved the hiring of Terry Stokes as the new CEO for the Port Arthur Economic Development Corporation.

Fort Bend County has named a new director of economic opportunity and development. Carlos Guzman, the former director of the Pasadena Economic Development Corp., began his job in Fort Bend County on Oct. 4

Utah

Park City Economic Development Manager Jonathan Weidenhamer, who worked on numerous capital projects and special events during his 23-year tenure with the municipality, has stepped down from his position.

Washington

The City of Vancouver estimates there will be up to $4.5 million in Community Development Block Grant, HOME Investment Partnerships Program, HOME American Rescue Plan and Affordable Housing Fund dollars available for local projects in 2023. (Teresa Brum, Deputy Economic Development Director, City of Vancouver)

West Virginia

Last week Governor Youngkin announced the Community Business Launch awards, which provided $185,000 in funding for three projects in the state. Waynesboro was awarded $45,000 for funding its Grow Waynesboro program. (Greg Hitchin, Director of Economic Development and Tourism for the City of Waynesboro.)

Last month, the USDA awarded Greenbrier Valley Economic Development Corporation a Rural Business Development Grant to help the organization explore rural biobased economic development opportunities in the Greenbrier Valley. (Ruthana Beezley, Executive Director)

Wisconsin

Drew Pennington, who has served as interim Economic Development Director since July, has been appointed to the post permanently. He also is President/CEO of the Greater Beloit Economic Development Corporation.

The Thrive Economic Development organization is taking what it calls a “new strategic direction”. Those new tactics and initiatives include development of housing, business retention and expansion, a more activated workforce, and creation of trust and partnerships. (Interim President Deb Reinbold)

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