WEDA Applauds 2025 Community and Economic Development Award Winners

WEDA Applauds 2025 Community and Economic Development Award Winners

Achievements in Economic Development Celebrated at 2025 CEDA Awards

The Wisconsin Economic Development Association (WEDA) congratulates all 2025 Community and Economic Development Award (CEDA) winners recognized at the annual CEDA Awards ceremony, which was held September 25, 2025, in Oshkosh, WI as part of WEDA’s Fall Best Practices Conference. The CEDA Awards were established by WEDA to recognize economic development projects and programs, as well as businesses and organizations that have made significant contributions to Wisconsin’s economy.

“While economic development is critical to driving growth and prosperity across Wisconsin, the hard work of economic development practitioners is often underappreciated or even unrecognized,” said WEDA President and CEO Melissa Hunt. “The CEDA Awards provides a much-needed opportunity to celebrate economic development and the accomplishments of so many hard-working industry professionals. I am thrilled to congratulate each CEDA finalist and winner.”

Three CEDA finalists were selected in each of the four following CEDA categories: Business Retention and Expansion; Economic Development Initiative; Real Estate Redevelopment and Reuse; and Talent Attraction, Development, and Retention. The winners in each category were announced and celebrated at the awards ceremony that was attended by over 200 economic development professionals from across the state. Please find a list of the winners below:

• Business Retention and Expansion category – This award recognizes a single economic development project in which a community successfully mobilized to retain or expand an existing business of great importance to the community.
  • Winner – FUNDiversity – Ashland, WI: Launched in 2023 by the Ashland Area Development Corporation, FUNDiversity is transforming economic opportunity in one of Wisconsin’s most rural and lowest-income counties. Designed to dismantle barriers faced by women, Native Americans, People of Color, LGBTQ+, and justice-involved entrepreneurs, FUNDiversity provides the tools needed to build lasting businesses. Supported by a $1.88 million Diverse Business Assistance grant from Wisconsin’s Department of Administration, the program offers business classes, one-on-one coaching, mentorship from diverse business owners, and targeted grants for down payments, legal, accounting, and marketing services. The impact has been significant: 165 entrepreneurs enrolled, more than 35 new businesses launched, 17 secured down payment grants, and 50 received professional service support. By pairing education with capital access, FUNDiversity has increased the viability, visibility, and sustainability of underserved entrepreneurs—proving that innovation and inclusion are key drivers of rural economic growth.
• Economic Development Initiative category – This award recognizes innovation in community and economic development that promotes economic growth within communities and regions.
  • Winner – Kenosha Innovation Center – Kenosha Innovation Neighborhood & Miron Construction – Kenosha, WI: The Kenosha Innovation Center is transforming a historic industrial site into a hub for entrepreneurship, technology, and workforce development. Opening in fall 2025, this 64,000-square-foot facility is the flagship project of the Kenosha Innovation Neighborhood, a $24 million investment designed to fuel inclusive economic growth. Led by the Kenosha Innovation Neighborhood in partnership with the City of Kenosha, Miron Construction, and educational, philanthropic, and industry leaders, the Center provides flexible office space, R&D labs, and collaborative environments. It will host workforce training programs, entrepreneurship accelerators, and innovation-driven tenants in life sciences, tech, and advanced industries. More than a building, the Kenosha Innovation Center represents a new economic engine for Southeastern Wisconsin – bridging Kenosha’s manufacturing legacy with its innovation-driven future. By fostering collaboration, preparing a future-ready workforce, and supporting startups and established companies alike, the Center exemplifies the vision of innovation, impact, and community transformation.

• Real Estate Redevelopment and Reuse category– This award recognizes innovative real estate redevelopment or reuse projects that demonstrate measurable and quantitative impact on employment and tax base.
  • Winner – The Collective Campus / Greater Watertown Community Health Foundation – Watertown, WI – The Collective Campus, led by the Greater Watertown Community Health Foundation, is a transformational redevelopment of the historic Bethesda Lutheran Home campus into a regional hub for health, housing, childcare, and community services. Backed by more than $100 million in public, private, and philanthropic investment, the project is breathing new life into a once-vacant institutional site while strengthening the City of Watertown’s tax base. The campus now features a YMCA, early education and childcare centers, affordable housing developments, a women’s shelter, mental and physical health services, nonprofit space, and an innovation coworking hub. Jefferson County’s Youth Crisis Stabilization Facility also opened on the site—one of only three in the state—bringing critical care closer to home. By turning a long-dormant property into a 21st-century community asset, The Collective Campus stands as a model for collaborative redevelopment, addressing urgent regional needs while fostering sustainable economic and community growth.

• Talent Attraction, Development, and Retention category– This award recognizes initiatives or programs that can document successful talent attraction, development, and retention outcomes.
  • Winner – Miron Construction Youth Apprenticeship Program – Neenah, WI – Miron Construction’s Youth Apprenticeship (YA) Program is building Wisconsin’s future workforce by giving high school students hands-on experience in the construction industry. Launched in 2023, the program provides meaningful on-the-job training, industry certifications, and mentorship from seasoned professionals, allowing students to apply classroom lessons in real-world settings—all while earning a paycheck. Guided by Miron’s dedicated educational engagement manager, apprentices receive individualized support, career exploration opportunities, and structured pathways into Registered Apprenticeships. The program engages schools, parents, and community partners to showcase the trades as rewarding, high-demand careers, while Construction Showcases and Career Signing Days celebrate student achievements and build pride in the profession. With apprentices placed on job sites, in virtual construction, IT, and yard operations, Miron is growing a diverse and skilled talent pipeline. By addressing workforce shortages and strengthening community economies, the program exemplifies innovation in talent development and retention across Wisconsin.

Nominated projects were screened and selected by an impartial panel of judges comprised of key WEDA members and partners. The independent panel reviewed many projects that were submitted for consideration, but the 12 finalists were ultimately selected based on the significant economic impact each project has on its respective community or region.

The 2025 CEDA Awards would not be possible without the support of WEDA’s generous partners and sponsors, including Alliant Energy; Dairyland Power Cooperative; US Bank; Xcel Energy; First Ring Industrial Redevelopment Enterprise (FIRE); and the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation.