WEDA Announces 2025 Community and Economic Development Award Finalists

CEDA Celebrates the Success of Economic Development Across Wisconsin

Finalists for the 2025 Community and Economic Development Awards (CEDA) were announced today by the Wisconsin Economic Development Association (WEDA). The CEDA Awards were established by WEDA to recognize and celebrate businesses, projects, organizations, and communities that are making significant contributions to Wisconsin’s economy.

“The WEDA Community and Economic Development Awards is the state’s leading awards program for the economic development community and was established to recognize innovative projects that are advancing economic growth in Wisconsin,” said WEDA President and CEO Melissa Hunt. “The importance and positive effect of economic development are often overlooked, and the CEDA awards provide a tremendous opportunity to celebrate the far-reaching impact of economic development and how it creates a powerful cycle of prosperity for communities across the state.”

Three economic development projects or programs 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 will be announced at the CEDA Awards ceremony luncheon, which will be held on Thursday, September 25, as part of WEDA’s Fall Best Practices Conference in Oshkosh, WI.

Listed below are the recently announced 2024 CEDA Award finalists in each category:

  • Business Retention and Expansion – This award recognizes a single economic development project in which a community successfully mobilized to retain and/or expand an existing business of great importance to the community. The project demonstrates extensive cross-community collaboration, innovation, and responsiveness to the business in bringing the project to fruition.
    • DeForest-Windsor Small Business Grant Program (Deforest, WI)
    • FUNDiversity (Ashland, WI)
    • WRNC Business Opportunity Fund (Fond du Lac County, WI)
  • Economic Development Initiative –This award recognizes innovation in community and economic development that promotes economic growth within communities and regions. Nominated projects demonstrated how a program, project or initiative met one of the following: 1.) Development and support of the community’s entrepreneurial ecosystem; 2.) Development or expansion of driver industry sector initiatives; 3.) Programs aimed at assisting businesses with adoption of technology, artificial intelligence, and business best practices; and 4.) Significant placemaking initiatives that drive the greater good of the community.
    • Food and Beverage (FAB) Innovation Campus (Jefferson County, WI)
    • Kenosha Innovation Center – Kenosha Innovation Neighborhood & Miron Construction (Kenosha, WI)
    • HATCH Idea Pitch Competition & BEAR Pitch Showcase (Chippewa County, WI)
  • Real Estate Redevelopment & Reuse – This award recognizes innovative real estate redevelopment or reuse projects that demonstrate measurable and quantitative impact on employment and tax base. Nominations should provide details as to why the project will/has served as a catalyst for economic and community development efforts. It should also demonstrate an innovative approach to development.
    • Collective on 4th (La Crosse, WI)
    • The Emree – F Street / City of West Bend (West Bend, WI)
    • The Collective Campus / Greater Watertown Community Health Foundation (Watertown, WI)
  • Talent Attraction, Development and Retention – This award recognizes initiatives or programs that document successful talent attraction, development, and retention outcomes. Nominated projects identified how the program or initiative provided a strategic and innovative approach to meet one or more of following goals: 1.) Strengthening the skills of the workforce; 2.) Talent attraction and retention; 3.) Integration and alignment of economic and workforce development activities; 4.) Diversity and inclusion; and 5.) Addressing barriers to employment such as childcare, housing, and transportation.
    • Fond du Lac R.O.C.K. – Retention, Opportunity, Community, Knowledge (Fond du Lac, WI)
    • Miron Construction Youth Apprenticeship Program (Neenah, WI)
    • West Allis Business Conference: Empowering Women Entrepreneurs (West Allis, WI)

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. Please CLICK HERE to review a full description of all nominated projects.

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.