WEDA Applauds 2024 Community and Economic Development Award Winners

Achievements in Economic Development Recognized at 2024 CEDA Awards

The Wisconsin Economic Development Association (WEDA) congratulates all 2024 Community and Economic Development Award (CEDA) winners recognized at the annual CEDA Awards ceremony, which was held September 26, 2024, in Eau Claire, 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.

“Economic development drives growth and prosperity throughout Wisconsin, attracting capital investment, creating new jobs, and providing an improved quality of life for residents. However, the hard work of economic development professionals is usually underappreciated and often unrecognized,” said WEDA Interim President and CEO Kathryn Berger. “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; Community Impact; Real Estate Redevelopment and Reuse; and Talent Attraction, Development, and Retention. The winners in each category were announced and celebrated at the awards ceremony 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 – Encompass Early Education and Care (Oconto Falls, WI) – Encompass Early Education and Care is leading a transformative project in Oconto Falls to address the critical shortage of childcare in collaboration with the Tourism and Economic Development Corporation for the Oconto Region (TEDCOR) and Oconto County Public Health. Their new childcare center, which opened in June 2024, provides 140 childcare slots and employs 18 teachers and aides. The center is more than just a building; it serves as a lifeline for working families. Over half of Oconto County’s labor force leaves the area daily due to childcare constraints. Encompass’s holistic family care approach ensures that parents can work confidently, knowing their children are in capable hands. This project exemplifies the power of vision and collaboration. Encompass’s legacy extends beyond bricks and mortar, standing as a testament to community resilience and commitment.

Community Impact Category – This award recognizes innovation in community development that promotes and advances health and economic prosperity in Wisconsin communities. Finalist projects in this category demonstrated at least one of the following: Development or expansion of the community’s entrepreneurial ecosystem; development of quality placemaking or place keeping initiatives; redevelopment of blighted buildings into a project that has revitalized the community; or development of downtown or main street workforce housing.

Winner – Green County Home Construction Cooperative (Green County, WI) – The Green County Development Corporation (GCDC) Home Construction Cooperative was created to address two critical issues in the Green County area – the shortage of skilled trades workers and the lack of affordable family housing. The program, kick-started through the donation of a vacant home from SSM Health Monroe, engaged 16 students from Monroe High School in the renovation of the donated home. Working together with local contractors in one-hour blocks three days per week, students gained trades skills experience that will last a lifetime, including exposure to general construction, plumbing, HVAC, electrical, masonry, and landscaping. The Home Construction Cooperative, which is boosting affordable housing stock and developing the next generation of skilled trades professionals one house at a time, is positioned to make an impact well into the future.

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, as well as sustainability measures, such as conservation of energy and water.

Due to a tie in scoring for the top initiative, this category has two CEDA Award Winners:

Brooke Street Lofts (Fond du Lac, WI) – Brooke Street Lofts is a historic adaptive reuse preservation of The Northern Casket Company building and Winnebago Cheese Factory in Fond du Lac. At one time the property hosted thriving casket and cheese businesses and supplied jobs to hundreds of Fond du Lac residents. Eventually the buildings were abandoned, continued to deteriorate, and became a rundown eyesore for the neighborhood. These three-story brick buildings have been converted into 62 affordable housing units. The Northern Casket Company property also houses a community room, business center, fitness room, onsite property management office, and outdoor playground. The project focused on preserving as much historic detail and integrity as possible in these National Historic Register buildings, and created much-needed, affordable homes for the community. The $19.9M project, which was completed in October 2023, was made possible through the successful efforts of the Wisconsin Partnership for Housing Development, the City of Fond du Lac, numerous funders and lenders, and Commonwealth Construction.

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The District (West Bend, WI) – Located on the corner of North Main Street and West Washington Street in West Bend, The District riverfront property was formerly the site of the West Bend Brewing Company, which operated from the late 1800s to the 1970s. For more than 50 years, the site was underutilized and deteriorated to a point of blight and disrepair. It served as an eyesore and deterrent in Downtown West Bend, rather than an economic development catalyst. Under the projects, HKS Holdings, LLC redeveloped a blighted 3-acre site in downtown West Bend into 177 market-rate apartment units and commercial space for 1840 Brewing Company’s new taproom – paying homage to the site’s legacy as a brewery. The District is comprised of seven townhouses and two, four-story buildings. It offers modern, spacious apartment units with beautiful views of the Milwaukee River and historic downtown, access to the Riverwalk, kayak landing, and more. This $42 million investment is expected to generate over $34 million in new tax base.

Talent Attraction, Development, and Retention– This award recognizes initiatives or programs that document successful talent attraction, development, and retention outcomes. Finalists in the category successfully illustrated how their talent initiative provided a strategic and innovative approach to meet specific workforce goals, including strengthening the skills of the workforce, talent attraction and retention, and addressing barriers to employment such as childcare, housing, and transportation.

Winner – The New North Talent Campaigns (Northeast Wisconsin) – Due to an aging population and a shrinking workforce, the New North, a regional economic development organization in Northeast Wisconsin, developed an innovative approach to attract more residents to fill open jobs across all industries in their 18-county footprint. Tapping into a WEDC Talent Marketing Co-op Grant and other private sector investment, New North implemented an extensive digital marketing campaign with multiple programs targeting specific demographic groups, including the “more YOU in NEW” campaign to attract millennials to the region, as well as the “Find your True North” program geared toward young professionals and outdoor enthusiasts using a targeted social media approach to promote the benefits of living in the New North. They also partnered with Mission Wisconsin on a digital campaign promoting the state’s veteran benefits that targets U.S. veterans living outside Wisconsin. The successful programs helped make the New North one of the fastest growing regions in the state, significantly boosting overall net migration and bringing 81 veterans and their families to Northeast Wisconsin.

CEDA finalists 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 and ultimately the winners were selected based on the significant economic impact each project has had on its respective community or region.

The 2024 CEDA Awards would not have been possible without the support of WEDA’s generous partners and sponsors, including the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation; Alliant Energy; Dairyland Power Cooperative; First Ring Industrial Redevelopment Enterprise; Madison Gas & Electric; US Bank; the Wisconsin Economic Development Institute; and Xcel Energy.