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Eagle Lake’s city administrator and the executive director of Region Nine Development Commission were among the Greater Minnesota leaders who received recognition during a July 25 conference in Bemidji.

City Administrator Jennifer Bromeland was presented with the Coalition of Greater Minnesota Cities’ annual Excellence in Service Award.

The annual award is given by the nonprofit, nonpartisan advocacy organization to city leaders who demonstrate knowledge, leadership and active participation in CGMC program.

Bromeland has been active in seeking solutions to the child care shortage in rural communities.

Region Nine’s Nicole Griensewic Mickleson is the recipient of a Friend of the CGMC award, in recognition of her efforts to help advance the coalition’s priorities and her contributions to Greater Minnesota.

For the past two years, Griensewic Mickleson has served as president of the Greater Minnesota Partnership, CGMC’s economic development-focused sister organization.

State Rep. Jeff Brand, of St. Peter, was presented the coalition’s First-Term Legislator of the Year Award.

View the Free Press article.

Region Nine Development Commission Executive Director Nicole Griensewic Mickelson received the “Friend of the CGMC” Award from the Coalition of Greater Minnesota Cities (CGMC) July 25 during the Coalition’s three-day summer conference in Bemidji. The Friend of the CGMC Award recognizes individuals and organizations that have helped advance the interests of Greater Minnesota.

In addition to her role in helping to foster business and job growth in southern Minnesota through Region Nine, for the past two years Griensewic Mickelson has served as president of the Greater Minnesota Partnership (GMNP), the CGMC’s economic development-focused sister organization. She has proven to be a strong and effective leader on many issues that impact Greater Minnesota, including broadband expansion, workforce development and seeking out solutions to the child care crisis.

During the 2019 legislative session, she visited the State Capitol on numerous occasions to meet with legislators and testify at committee hearings on several issues, most notably in support of legislation aimed at obtaining state funding to help provide business training and assistance to child care providers in Greater Minnesota. Her efforts helped secure $1.5 million for child care initiatives this session.

“Nicole is a dedicated and savvy champion for Greater Minnesota economic development,” said Ron Johnson, a member of the Bemidji City Council and president of the CGMC. “She knows the ins and outs of the Legislature and works tremendously hard to garner support for initiatives that aim to bring job growth and economic opportunities to rural communities.”

CGMC is a nonprofit, nonpartisan advocacy organization representing 97 cities outside of the Twin Cities metropolitan area. The Coalition educates legislators about issues important to Greater Minnesota.

View the St. Peter Herald article.

SLEEPY EYE — An initiative aimed at promoting inclusivity in rural communities will expand into Sleepy Eye this year.

The Rural Equity Learning Community — a partnership between nonprofit Region Nine Area Inc., Greater Mankato Diversity Council and the University of Minnesota Extension Center for Community Vitality — received a $200,000 grant this week from the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Foundation of Minnesota for the project.

The groups will work with Sleepy Eye stakeholders for one year before turning the focus to another community the following year.

Corree Stamschror, Region Nine communications specialist, said the expansion adds to the work the group did with five other communities in recent years. Sleepy Eye Public Schools and the city’s economic development administration will help shape the project to its needs this time around.

“The program is designed in a way that Sleepy Eye will choose their initiative and pilot it over the next year,” she said.

Continue reading the FreePress article.

Region Nine Development Commission (RNDC) presented at the National CEDS Forum that was held June 18-20, 2019 in Columbus, Ohio. The National CEDS Forum is organized by the National Association of Development Organizations (NADO) with support from the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA).   

 

The National CEDS Forum gathered local, regional, and federal partners to share best practices and resources to support effective CEDS. The forum organized as part of the NADO Research Foundation’s Stronger Regions program, was funded through a grant from the EDA.

As part of the first ever forum, Shawn Schloesser, community and business development specialist for RNDC, presented on CEDS in Action and the importance of bringing the right people to the table instead of the usual suspects to create a diverse voice. The forum provided fresh ideas and inspiring examples to guide RNDC’s planning, design, and implementation efforts to make the CEDS process one that is more inclusive, engaging, and supportive of local efforts to foster a resilient and prosperous region. 

The CEDS continues to be an important opportunity to engage with EDA and other federal partners to receive infrastructure and technical assistance grants.  However, it is much more than a static document developed to access certain types of federal funding.  It has real potential to be a road map that brings together many voices from RNDC’s nine-county area to form a common vision for economic prosperity and resilience.

What is the CEDS?

The CEDS is a locally-based, regionally-driven economic development planning process and document.  An effective CEDS allows a region to maximize its economic development potential, as well as engage with the EDA and other federal partners to receive infrastructure and technical assistance grants.

An effective CEDS planning process identifies locally-grown strategies that guide regional economic development, encourage partnerships and collaboration, and improves economic outcomes and overall quality of life in a region.  The resultant document is updated at least every five years and includes:

• Summary Background
• Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) Analysis
• Strategic Direction/Action Plan
• Evaluation Framework

In addition, the concept of economic resilience is incorporated into the plan to strengthen the ability to avoid, withstand, and recover from events such as economic shifts, natural disasters, and impacts of climate change.