Wisconsin Economic Development Academy Update: Kathy Heady, Academy Manager

The 2021 WEDA Academy is off to a great start. On February 3, the Academy hosted its first webinar of the year, Fundamentals of Business Retention. This course provided an understanding of the value of business retention and expansion (BRE) programs and helped to build knowledge essential for launching or improving a program.

On March 24, the Academy held a virtual comprehensive program – The Evolving Commercial Real Estate Market: Challenges and Opportunities for Communities. This course provided a comprehensive review of short- and long-term trends underway in the commercial real estate market, focusing on the retail, office, and industrial segments.  Participants gained an understanding of key trends that may impact development/redevelopment and the speakers provided insights into how communities can be prepared for these trends to maximize opportunities, address challenges, and build resiliency. A big thank you again to our instructors and participants!

On May 26, from 1:30-3:00 p.m., the Academy will be holding our next webinar – Business Attraction: Selling Your Community Assets (Please note that this is a date change from the original schedule).  This program is a fundamentals course and will provide an introduction to business attraction.  Topics for the Business Attraction course will include business attraction from the perspective of the site selection consultant, how your community can be prepared for business attraction, and responding to Request for Proposals (RFP).  Best practices will be included.  Instructors for the program include Ken Maly, CEcD, Senior Managing Director, Global Strategy; Kim L. Moore, CEcD, EDFP, EDMP, Senior Managing Director, Consulting with NEWMARK; and Coleman J. Peiffer, AICP, Senior Business Attraction Manager, Alliant Energy. We encourage you to invite your Board Members and local officials to attend this program. Registration will be open on weda.org within the next few weeks.

The Academy will be hosting two additional webinars in 2021, Managing Economic Development Organizations on August 11 and Placemaking: Creating Your Quality Place on November 10.  A comprehensive program, Workforce Development: Overcoming Barriers – Building Opportunities, will be held on September 29 just prior to the WEDA Fall Conference.

I hope that you will be able to join us for one or more of these exciting and affordable educational opportunities.  As a reminder, be sure to look for approved credits/points for continuing education/recertification on the course registration information. Please reach out to me at kheady@weda.org if you have any program ideas or recommendations or if you are interested in serving as an instructor.