By Joshua Schuetz
CEDA hosted its annual training on May 14th at the 10 Talents Arts Center in Blue Earth, MN. This year’s training, led by experienced CEDA team members, offered practical tools and insights that could be directly applied to their work in rural communities across Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Iowa.
CEDA’s management team, led by President and CEO Ron Zeigler, along with Vice President of Development and Collaborative Services Courtney Bergey-Swanson and Vice President Chris Giesen, provided organizational updates to CEDA team members. These updates offered a comprehensive overview of CEDA’s current operational status and outlined its future plans.
Chris Hahn guided the team through a session on Vision, Mission, and Strategic Planning. This workshop encouraged members to develop high-level vision and mission statements for their communities. Hahn’s ensuing strategic planning exercise ensured that theoretical concepts were translated into actionable strategies, fostering a deeper understanding of effective planning techniques that can drive community development efforts.
Amy Schaefer facilitated an interactive activity focused on Business Retention and Expansion (BRE). She paired team members with case studies, prompting them to brainstorm solutions to common BRE problems. This exercise highlighted the challenges faced by rural businesses and encouraged collaborative problem-solving and innovation among the team. Schaefer also shared best practices for engaging with community businesses, emphasizing the importance of building strong relationships to ensure their long-term success.
Cathy Enerson‘s session on development processes focused on housing and industrial properties. She provided valuable insights into effective management and development strategies, using case studies and examples from her communities of Lanesboro, Preston, Eyota, and Wabasha. Enerson emphasized the importance of understanding local market conditions and leveraging available resources to drive growth.
CEDA’s annual training continues to provide CEDA team members with valuable knowledge and skills to enhance their work in economic development. By combining strategic planning exercises, interactive problem-solving activities, and insightful presentations, the training ensures that team members are well-prepared to support and grow their communities.