A Note From Our President/CEO, Ron Zeigler:
Oh behalf of the CEDA Board of Directors and team members, I want to extend a very deep, heartfelt thank you to Michelle Vrieze. Michelle will be retiring from full-time CEDA work at the end of February. Michelle will stay on with CEDA into the early Fall for one day per week to finish a project – that speaks volumes to who Michelle is.
Michelle started with CEDA on February 14, 1994. In our profession, three years in a position seems to be the going average of tenure nowadays. 25 years is a rarity! Over these years, Michelle has authored numerous grant applications which have resulted in many individual projects in many of the communities in Southeast Minnesota. As an example, just over the past handful of years, Michelle has authored grant applications that have been approved that have provided for renovation/improvements for 77 commercial projects, 170 housing projects and two waste water treatment plants. The impact that she has had on Rural America is phenomenal and we thank her for that.
Through these projects, Michelle has created a very impressive reputation across the state as an expert in the field. The relationship that she has created with the DEED staff is very good. We will miss this base of knowledge.
For the past six months, Michelle has been working with Allison Wagner to become the Small Cities Development Block Grant expert for CEDA and it is a definite help that Michelle will be with us in a limited capacity for a few more months.
We are so thankful for Michelle Vrieze for a job well done. She has made a huge difference in so many lives in our Region! We wish you the best in your well-deserved retirement!
To honor Michelle, we would like you to join us for a reception in her honor on Friday, April 12, 2019 from 1 to 4 p.m. at II Luigi Restaurant at 100 West Jessie Street, Rushford, Minnesota.