WEDA Academy Update: Kathy Heady, Academy Manager

The WEDA Academy kicked off it’s 2022 programming on February 9 with the comprehensive program: Economic Development Project Analysis. We had a full house at the Hilton Madison Monona Terrace.  Course instructors – Kathryn Berger, JD, EDFP, HDFP, Business Development Manager, CG Schmidt, Inc.; Brad Elmer, CFA, Managing Director, Baker Tilly Municipal Advisors; Scott Harrington, AICP, Principal Planner, Vandewalle & Associates; and, Todd Kearney, CPA, SVP Senior Credit Officer, IncredibleBank – were outstanding and the course received very positive feedback from attendees.

On the afternoon of May 4, the Academy will be hosting a webinar: Exploring Opportunities in Freight Rail.  Are businesses in your community interested in accessing or expanding their use of freight rail to bring in production inputs or to move finished products?  Through this webinar, participants will expand their knowledge of the freight rail industry, learn about processes and important considerations when developing a freight rail project, and explore potential programs and resources for building freight rail industry spurs in Wisconsin. Examples of successful projects will be highlighted. This program will feature three speakers with a wealth of experience in the industry – Brian Buchanan, Sales Manager, Watco Companies LLC; Jeff Francis, Owner, Principal, and Railroad Engineer, TerraTec Engineering; and Rich Kedzior, Freight Rail Program Manager, Wisconsin Department of Transportation.  Program registration will be open soon. Stay tuned for more information.

The Academy is planning three additional programs for 2022, including the following two webinars: Placemaking: Creating Your Quality Place on August 3 and TIF Fundamentals on November 2. In addition, on September 28 we will hold an exciting  comprehensive program: Best Practices in Workforce Attraction September 28.

I hope that you will be able to join us for one or more of these exciting and affordable educational opportunities. As a reminder, be sure to look for approved credits/points for continuing education/recertification on the course registration information.

Please reach out to me at kheady@weda.org if you have any program ideas, topic suggestions or if you are interested in serving as an instructor.