News + Announcements

CEDA has continued to experience growth the past few years and with that growth brings some changes.  CEDA President/CEO Ron Zeigler will be expanding opportunities for continued growth at the company and Community and Business Development Specialist Chris Giesen will be taking over Ron’s day-to-day responsibilities with the Chatfield EDA two days a week.  This move also prompted a new hire to fill in the Lewiston EDA’s one day per week CEDA contract.  CEDA welcomes Community and Business Development Specialist Brian Moehnke as he takes over Chris’ role in Lewiston.  In addition, Community and Business Development Specialist Andrew Barbes will be taking over Chris’ responsibilities with the Dodge County EDA, serving a one day per week contract.

The Stewartville Economic Development Authority continues to look forward and invest in the community.  “With FedEx Ground building a 60,000 square foot distribution center in the Schumann Business Park, Rochester Medical adding an additional 50,000 square foot building, and many other smaller but positive happenings in Stewartville over the last year the EDA wants to make sure the community is ready for continued growth.” said Community and Business Development Specialist and the Stewartville EDA’s CEDA representative.  “Right now the EDA is focusing on marketing the community.  They want to take advantage of all the positive press that’s being generated by recent FedEx and Rochester Medical expansion news.  The EDA is also looking at future residential needs that will result from the 100 or more new jobs in town over the next 18 months or so.”  Giesen continued.

To help spur additional private interest in city economic development properties, the EDA established a finder’s fee for licensed real estate brokers when they bring a client to the EDA that results in the sale of a city-owned economic development property.  Qualifying brokers can receive up to 5% of the final sale price of the land.

In addition to marketing, the Stewartville EDA also recently renegotiated its development agreement with Henry and Luella Schumann.  The agreement will continue the city’s unique development role in the Schumann Business Park for another four years.

Used with permission
Article by Mark Peterson, Editor
Stewartville Star, October 9, 2012
www.thinkstewartville.com

Thanks to Chris Giesen, the city of Stewartville will save a considerable amount of money beginning in 2013.

Giesen, a business development specialist for Community and Economic Development Associates (CEDA) of Chatfield, discovered a state statute that allows cities to exempt properties from real estate taxes if the city’s primary purpose is to sell the property for commercial development.  Barb Neubauer, city finance director, said that by taking advantage of the statute, the city of Stewartville will save $32,000 to $35,000 per year beginning next year.  That’s because the city will no longer have to pay real estate taxes on:

• five unsold lots in the Schumann Business Park.
• one and a half lots near First American Insurance Services on Main Street.
• land near the city’s north water tower near Southern Hills.

“It’s very good news,” Neubauer said.  “It’s not a well-known statute.  Thanks to Chris Giesen, we were able to do more research.”  After Neubauer heard the news from Giesen, she did a little research of her own, calling Mark Krupski, the head of the Olmsted County Assessor’s Department.  “He researched it and said that yes, we can now do that,” Neubauer said.  Giesen works with the city’s Economic Development Authority and city staff in an effort to attract more businesses to Stewartville.  He works one day per week in Stewartville.

Article by Chris Giesen

When the Harmony Park Board decided to upgrade out-of-date playground equipment at Selvig Park, the Harmony EDA stepped up to help assist with grant writing.  EDA staff led by CEDA helped the park board secure $5,000 from the Harmony Area Community Foundation, another $5,000 from the Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation, and $1,000 from the Wal-Mart Foundation for its $53,000 project.

Article by Chris Giesen

A unique program started in 2009 by the Harmony Economic Development Authority has more than doubled the city’s investment of $190,000.  “The program ends this December so the exact results of the program aren’t finalized yet, but we’re on track to have the total investment of all projects surpass $420,000 when it wraps-up.”  Reports CEDA Community and Business Development Specialist and economic development coordinator for the Harmony EDA Chris Giesen.

The program he is referring to is the Harmony Commercial Rehabilitation Program.  Started with surplus funds from a tax increment financing district started in the late 1980s, the city council allotted $150,000 to capitalize the fund.  Once the EDA developed guidelines and did some initial marketing, the program became so popular that the initial investment was used up before the program was slated to end in December 2012, so the city council and EDA allowed additional projects to apply on a case-by-case basis totaling an additional $40,000 (approximate).

The program guidelines were simple: the EDA would match, dollar for dollar, eligible expenses up to $10,000.  Dollars invested through this program were structured as 5 year forgivable loans, so that if the building that received funding wasn’t sold within 5 years the owners would not have to repay any of the funds they had received.  Eligible expenses included siding, roof work, windows, doors, signage, awnings, foundation work, exterior brick work, exterior energy efficiency improvements, accessibility issues, and exterior code violation corrections, among others.  The EDA also allowed non-eligible interior repairs such as HVAC, electrical, plumbing, and other major remodeling projects to be used towards applicant’s program match.

“This program was able to help many, many business owners in Harmony with much needed repairs and improvements,” said Giesen.  “It also helped a lot of business owners spruce up the exterior appearance of their building.”  He continued, “The most interesting part was that even though the EDA didn’t have a ‘buy local’ requirement in the program policy, about 90% of all funds spent [through this program] were spent with other Harmony businesses and businesses that support the Harmony community.”