State of the Association – WEDA President and CEO Mary Perry 

Hello Team Wisconsin! I hope your Labor Day weekend was filled with fun, enjoying friends and family! The kiddos are back in school, the weather is refreshing, and the anticipation for Fall is building. In fact, later this month, WEDA brings its Fall Best Practices Conference to Wausau and Rib Mountain! I encourage you to come for the conference and stay to experience the magnificent colors of autumn in central Wisconsin.

The Fall Best Practices Conference provides an opportunity to dive into economic development and how it is successfully applied in communities across the state. Economic development practitioners like you will have the opportunity to study best practices and take those ideas back home to grow your local economies. We’ll also spend some time talking about leadership and envisioning your community’s future prosperity. On that note, our Young Professional WEDA Green Team will convene to envision WEDA’s bold future. If you’re new to the industry, a young professional, or just enthusiastic to network with our younger members, look for signage about meeting up at the conference. With that in mind, if you haven’t done so, now is the time to register for the conference.

One of the most exciting Fall WEDA events has long been the Community & Economic Development Awards (CEDA) program – better known as Wisconsin’s Academy Awards of Economic Development!  Our dedicated CEDA Selection and Production Committee accomplished the unimaginable task of determining the top finalists in a huge pool of nominees.  The committee combed through numerous entries to find the most compelling projects and initiatives worthy of recognition and celebration. I personally read through the top 25 nominated projects from all corners of Wisconsin, and I wish we could literally honor and celebrate every single one of them. In short, the CEDA Awards luncheon will give us the opportunity to celebrate and honor the most exceptional contributions to our state’s prosperity and economic growth!

Speaking of conferences, WEDA is already planning the 2024 Governor’s Conference on Economic Development, which will be held next February at the Kalahari in the Wisconsin Dells. And since WEDA is member driven, we would very much appreciate your input on conference content.  Please submit your thoughts and ideas HERE.

All the best to you and your families as we close out summer and usher in Wisconsin’s glorious autumn.