State of the Association – WEDA President and CEO Mary Perry

Hello WEDA Family! It was wonderful to see so many of you at the Governor’s Conference. We are so pleased to get positive feedback from attendees who really appreciated the diversity of topics, time to spend with others and the opportunity to expand their networks! Don’t take my word for it… Here are a few testimonials:

• • • • • “This was one of the very best conferences that I have attended in recent years. My thanks to all. I was able to spend quality time with many colleagues that I have not seen in person since before Covid. Location was great and the hotel layout with conference was great.”
        • “Just a great experience and I’m not a newcomer. Good job all! Good diversity of subject matter presented. Thanks for a great conference!”
        • “THANKS for putting this conference together. Was great to swap stories, tips and contact info with others throughout the state.”

A huge thank you goes out to our conference planning team—Calli Berg; Brad Elmer; Rebecca Gries; Melissa Hunt; David Kircher; Tracy Lube; Natanael Martinez; Seyoum Mengesha; Amber Miller; Erica Steele; Beth Wierick; and Heather Wessling Grosz. They gave time and talent to deliver yet another outstanding series of sessions featuring exceptional subject matter experts and distinguished guests.

We are now in process of convening our 2023 Fall WEDA Best Practices Conference, which will be held in Wausau September 27^th – 29th. Being member-driven, we invite you to contact us if you wish to play a role on the planning committee.  We also invite members to respond to our Call for Workshop Presentations RFP. CLICK HERE to respond to the RFP and share your topic ideas for the conference.

Speaking of WEDA conference content, Governor’s Conference attendees learned about key public funding sources for the projects that drive economic growth in our communities. WEDA Vice-Chair and Vierbicher Municipal Services Manager, Melissa Hunt, led a panel called “Show Me The Money!” and revealed so many sources of funding that may benefit your projects—municipal tools like TIF, others spanning Wisconsin agencies like DNR, DOT,  DOA, WHEFA, WHEDA and WEDC, and federal resources at USDA and EDA.

If you want to learn more about any of these resources, or other fundamental economic development concepts, you may want to register for the IEDC accredited WI Basic Economic Development Course.  It will be held this year on May 1-4 in Green Bay.  Along with Economic Development Finance, we will cover Ethics, Workforce Development, Small Business Development, Entrepreneurship, Marketing and Attraction, Business Retention and Expansion, Real Estate and Redevelopment, Managing an EDO, and Strategic Planning. Scholarships are available and members score a deep discount! So please do not hesitate to REGISTER TODAY.

Let’s say you are up to speed on resources and best practices in economic development, but some of your elected officials and citizens could have a better understanding. The ED 101 curriculum is designed as a three-hour training session specifically addressing the issues affecting your city or county.  If you would like your public officials, board members and residents to better understand and support economic development efforts, this is a program for you!  Contact mperry@weda.com to learn more.

Not a WEDA Member? Join Today!

If you’re not a WEDA member yet, why not? As the “Voice of Economic Development” in Wisconsin, WEDA provides members with valuable benefits that allow you to leverage key resources and training, build an extensive network of industry leaders and economic developers, influence statewide economic development polices, and connect financial resources for your community development projects. Joining is easy! Just CLICK HERE.