CEDA

CEDA Welcomes New Intern, Tom Monson

December 6, 2013 ·

Tom Monson, is the newest addition to the CEDA team through its internship program. Growing up in Cannon Falls, MN he had previously worked for the Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation researching regional competitiveness in southern Minnesota. Tom is a senior at Bethel University in St. Paul, MN and will graduate in December 2013; majoring in political science and rhetorical communication studies. His interests include international and domestic politics, regional economic development, Minnesota sports teams, weightlifting, and immigration resource development.

Welcome Tom!

Iowa Governor Breaks Ground at $7 Million Facility in Howard County

December 6, 2013 ·

Article by: Spiff Slifka

Construction is underway! With over 150 dignitaries in attendance including Governor Terry Branstad, Lt. Governor Kim Reynolds, and Iowa Economic Development Authority Director Debi Durham, shovels were put to use and black dirt was turned over in honor of Lime Springs Beef, LLC. Branstad acknowledged, “As big a deal as Facebook and Google are in other parts of the state of Iowa, Lime Springs Beef is a big deal in this area.”

Jesse Stevens, Lime Springs Beef President said his story is “about an Iowa farm boy who after a long and rewarding business career was given the opportunity to return home and be part of a project that will turn the plight of a region and possibly the plight of the beef industry.”

This $7 million project, expecting to bring 50 new jobs to Howard County, is located along US Hwy 63 at the unique epicenter of locally raised highest-quality beef. This technologically cutting edge slaughter house will feature certified beef producers and the entire process from farm to fork will allow consumers to track their cut of beef full circle.

This innovative business is a true partnership from Board of Directors, Howard County Business & Tourism, the State of Iowa, and now our local FFA organization from Crestwood High School. Earlier in 2013 Governor Branstad and Lt Gov Reynolds were keynote speakers at the HCBT Banquet and signed into law House File #533. This law, written and sponsored by local House Representative Josh Byrnes, now allows entrepreneurial education funds to be invested in private business. Crestwood FFA bought a share of Lime Springs Beef and is now a stakeholder in this pioneering business.

CEDA Vice President of Iowa operations Jason Passmore and Community and Business Development Specialist Spiff Slifka through their work with Howard County Business and Tourism assisted the project by securing a Revitalize Iowa’s Sound Economy (RISE) grant in the amount of $418,197 and a High Quality Jobs Program (HQJP) grant in the amount of $234,090.

CEDA Secures Over $3.2 Million in Grant Funding During 2013

December 6, 2013 ·

During 2013 CEDA team members had 26 individual grant applications funded, securing over $3.2 million in funding for a number of projects in communities served. “Our agency was founded on grant writing and administration when we started about 27 years ago,” CEDA President/CEO Ron Zeigler said. “While we have grown tremendously and expanded the scope of services we provide over the years, successfully leveraging funds for our communities via grant opportunities is still a major focus for our organization and a point of pride for us. Not only do we write the applications but we also are able to administer the grant program throughout the entire process.”

This year’s successes cover a wide variety of projects:

$11,600 from AgStar Financial for community projects in Eyota and Spring Valley.
$10,000 from the Southeastern Minnesota Arts Council for a community sculpture project in Harmony.
$355,000 from MnDOT for a Safe Routes to School project in Eyota.
$539,750 from the Small Cities Development Block Grant and $77,000 from the Greater Minnesota Housing Finance Agency for a residential and rental rehabilitation project in Spring Valley.
$879,243 from the Minnesota Business Development Public Infrastructure program for industrial park & manufacturing expansions in Chatfield, Lyle, Grand Meadow, and Cannon Falls.
$76,500 from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources for a local trails connection project in Eyota.
$10,000 from the Minnesota Historical Society for a historic preservation project in Houston County.
$652,287 from the Revitalize Iowa’s Sound Economy and High Quality Jobs Program in conjunction with an agricultural processor expansion in Howard County.
$4,833 from various sources for marketing and tourism efforts in Howard County.
$233,611 from the Minnesota Redevelopment Grant program to assist with moving public infrastructure in conjunction with a retail development in Chatfield.
$408,000 from the Minnesota Investment Fund for a manufacturer expansion in Chatfield.
$17,525 from the USDA RBEG and REAP programs for businesses in Spring Valley.

DID YOU KNOW??? Director of Grants, Michelle Vrieze, has 20 years of grant writing experience with CEDA and is CEDA’s expert on writing and administering Small Cities Development Block Grant programs covering housing, commercial, rental, and public facilities projects? With the help of CEDA interns, Michelle also keeps track of current available grant programs for a wide variety of projects. Ask CEDA how we can help your community with its next project!

From Ron’s Desk

December 6, 2013 ·

An early Merry Christmas to everyone! I can’t believe how fast 2013 has gone by. It seems like we just had our Annual Meeting, after the big May blizzard. 2013 provided many opportunities for growth at CEDA. We added new members to the team, began relationships with new community partners across the region, and assisted with many projects and events.

As a growing private non-profit company, we do not rely on any outside foundation or government support for funding. Our budget is funded completely through the services we provide and the generous support of our investors. This independence from outside funding sources provides us tremendous amounts of flexibility in the scope of services that we are able to provide and where/how we provide them. We are a results-driven organization that does not ask for long term commitments from our clients; CEDA either gets our clients results or they can separate their ties with us – the way it should be.

New communities added to the CEDA family (or where we were asked to provide additional service) this year include the cities of Elgin, Claremont, Fairfax, Goodview, Oronoco, and Wabasha in Minnesota, Houston County and People’s Energy Cooperative in Minnesota and Boscobel Developers in Boscobel, Wisconsin. We also completed individual projects in the cities of Cannon Falls, La Crescent, Lyle, and Mantorville in Minnesota. We are not limited by geographical boundaries and are continually looking for ways to expand our model.

In addition to adding our newest full-time team member Rick Howden, we also started an internship program; I’m very happy to have Tom Monson on the team as our current intern. I hope that his experience has been beneficial and that he is enjoying it!

In 2013, the CEDA team also successfully authored grants that funded over $3.2 million in multiple local projects.

One last thought that I would like to share with all of you is the importance of supporting our local businesses. We are very fortunate to have a very diverse business community in our region but as we shop this holiday season, take a moment to think about how our spending habits affect our local economies. Spending our dollars with local business supports local families, our neighbors, our schools, and makes our communities strong and vibrant.

On behalf of the CEDA Board of Directors, CEDA team members, and myself, thank you for your continued support and confidence in our organization.

Ron Zeigler
President/CEO

Summer 2013 Newsletter

July 16, 2013 ·

Excerpts from CEDA’s most recent newsletter:

The agency has taken on several new projects and communities since our last newsletter. In April the Houston County EDA initiated a contract with CEDA for economic development staffing. CEDA is now administering the Red Wing HRA’s Small Cities Development Program grant for commercial rehab. The City of Boscobel, Wisconsin hired CEDA to complete its Comprehensive Plan. The agency also began economic development services for the City of Oronoco and the City of Claremont on an as-needed basis. Last month, CEDA team members also attended and had a booth at the League of Minnesota Cities’ Annual Conference in St. Paul and the Economic Development Association of Minnesota’s Summer Conference in Duluth.

If you weren’t able to join us for the snowy May 3rd Annual Meeting, highlights are available at the CEDA website or view brief videos on YouTube–Part 1 and Part 2). We hope you’ll take a few moments to also scan below for news and updates from the communities that have utilized one or more of CEDA’s services.

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Spring Valley pilots Main Street project

Both public and private funds will contribute towards a new Main Street Revitalization Project in Spring Valley, MN. CEDA staff members Michelle Vrieze and Cathy Enerson worked together to author a Small Cities Development Program grant application to the MN Department of Employment & Economic Development. In early June the city was notified the $539,750 grant was approved. The SCDP funds will be used for the rehabilitation of 15 commercial buildings and 14 rental units above commercial spaces. Other funds for the commercial rehab will come from the local EDA and the property owners.

The rental rehab efforts will be advanced with a $77,000 grant from the Greater Minnesota Housing Fund (GMHF), a statewide non-profit agency that invests in affordable housing. GMHF chose Spring Valley as a pilot project to establish a revolving loan fund (RLF) that will assist property owners with revitalizing rental units above their commercial spaces. This GMHF and SCDP funds will be used in tandem. When commercial property owners participate with the SCDP project, they can access the two-percent interest GMHF RLF as down payment funding for the loan portion of the SCDP funding. There is a maximum RLF loan of $5,500 per apartment. Each qualifying rental unit can qualify for up to $18,000 in total assistance.

Chatfield awarded BDPI Grant

Under the lead of CEDA’s Chris Giesen, the City of Chatfield, MN authored and was awarded a $500,000 Greater MN Business Development Public Infrastructure Grant from the MN Department of Employment & Economic Development to install public infrastructure and build a 40-acre industrial park. The total project is about $4.5 million but the grant will help with the first phase which is expected to cost $1.7 million. Chatfield has very limited industrial lots because of its unique geography and the new industrial park will help by providing a place for existing or new businesses to grow. The CEDA team also pulled together on a very tight time frame to apply for the $500,000 federal EDA grant in early June.

Lyle receives grant with CEDA’s assistance

CEDA successfully completed its first-ever project with the City of Lyle, a rural city of 552 in Mower County, MN. Upon receiving word that funding remained for the Business Development Public Infrastructure Grant Program through the MN Department of Employment & Economic Development, CEDA staff was able to meet a tight deadline to submit an application on behalf of Lyle. The result was a $98,490 grant award to the city.

City Clerk Diana Witt said, “The City of Lyle is extremely happy and excited to announce the expansion of local business Agri-Steel, owned by Jeff Helle and Brian Helle. This business expansion means a local business is growing, which in itself is awesome, and it is the first business to be built in the city’s commercial district, and a few additional jobs will be created in our community.”

The grant will assist Agri-Steel with building a 19,000 square foot expansion and will allow for future industrial development by extending public utilities to the development area. The total cost for the infrastructure extension is $196,980.

Spring Valley introduces Karma Cash

“What goes around comes around!” Karma Cash is acollaborative project between Spring Valley’s Economic Development Authority and the Chamber of Commerce that resulted from the “Buy Local” campaign. The project will demonstrate how local spending impacts the economic layers within the City of Spring Valley. Ten businesses will recirculate Spring Valley money. Articles about each business will appear in the local paper. The cooperation of local business owners is key–via their spending the businesses will demonstrate to the public how important it is to reinvest in the community.

Harmony receives grant for public art

CEDA staff member Chris Giesen authored and was awarded a $10,000 Arts and Cultural Heritage grant from the Southeastern MN Arts Council for two life-sized wood-carved musician statues to be placed in public areas in town. The statues are the 2nd and 3rd installments in a 5-piece project called “Musicians of Harmony.” Stanley “Slim” Maroushek is the artist and has produced many similar carvings for the city to display as public art. He is also the proprietor of Slim’s Woodshed in Harmony, which is home to the largest wood carving museum in the United States. He has been featured in numerous publications including “Ripley’s Believe it or Not!” as well as featured reports by WCCO-TV and KSTP-TV.

Eyota seeks input on use of sales tax funds

The Eyota Economic Development Authority held a public meeting in June to gather input on potential uses for Eyota’s portion of Rochester’s sales tax revenue. In all, 17 projects were presented. Suggested projects included business incentives, a community center, a pool, a heath care facility, ball field lighting, a library, and a new ambulance building. Recently, the Rochester City Council approved the disbursement of funds, and Eyota will receive approximately $211,000 of the sales tax revenue. With that good news, the EDA will move ahead with vetting the list of projects identified through last month’s valuable community meeting.

Stewartville is “Shovel-Ready“

The State of Minnesota has certified the Stewartville EDA’s Schumann Business Park as “Shovel-Ready.” Eight lots are available starting at $3/square foot, which includes all assessments and most development fees.

The Stewartville EDA established a building rebate program where property owners can qualify for a $5,000 cash rebate after a building of at least $100,000 in value is built on an empty lot. Commercial and some multi-family buildings qualify for a $7,500 cash rebate. The EDA invested $200,000 in the program, which runs for 2 years, until the funds run out, or the city ends the program.

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Lewiston partners to restore prairies

The City of Lewiston, MN, and in particular its Economic Development Authority directed by CEDA’s Brian Moehnke, has been working closely with the Winona County Soil & Water Conservation District, the local Department of Natural Resources office, Trout Unlimited, Pheasants Forever and the Lewiston Sportsmen’s Club to enhance the city’s former lagoon site for recreational and educational uses. Recently, the local chapter of Pheasants Forever and the Winona County Soil & Water Conservation District approved funds towards prairie restoration activities at the site. These activities encompass the first phase of the project with the eventual goal of increasing access for visitors to view the area’s natural beauty and learn more about its plants and wildlife. The site has already become known for attracting a great variety of birds.

LewistonPond

The above photo of swans on the pond was taken in April 2013 by Mark Reisetter of Trout Unlimited who has also been an advisor to the pond and prairie restoration project.

Preston begins “Spare Change” Program

The Preston Economic Development Authority collaborated with the City of Preston’s Public Utility to create a Spare Change program. Utility customers choose to participate in this voluntary program by rounding up each month’s utility bill, with the additional cents considered a tax-deductible donation. The most a customer could contribute is $11.88 per year, but the average will be about $6.00 per year. If every customer were to participate, Spare Change could raise $4,500 each year, which will then be granted to local projects. The first project will be the city’s historical walking tour–a joint project between the EDA and the Historical Society that begins this month.

Dodge County companies continue growth

The Dodge County Economic Development Authority and County Board approved tax abatement to assist two companies with their expansion plans. Both Ellingson Companies and Hodgman Drainage Company will be building new facilities valued at over $1 million each.

The Dodge County EDA is also wrapping up the Food Hub Study and assisted in a Regional Economic Development Plan for the Destination Medical Center.

CEDA welcomes newest employee

Rick Howden became CEDA’s newest team member in April 2013. Rick is the Economic Development Coordinator for the Houston County Economic Development Authority, and he works with other communities on specific projects. Rick’s past experience includes working as a field representative for Congressman Tim Walz for more than three years. He was the Congressman’s liaison on business, industry and energy issues, including policy outreach and development, and he worked with federal agencies on behalf of residents and communities following the severe flooding in southeastern Minnesota. Rick’s areas of expertise are community outreach, public policy and coalition building. His education includes a BS in Business Administration with a minor in Political Science from Winona State University. CEDA now employs 16 professionals working in communities throughout the tri-state region.