On Thursday, August 15, CEDA hosted its 4th annual Regional Development Tour (RDT) in partnership with Journey to Growth (J2G).
Each year, the RDT brings together a cross section of development stakeholders from around the region for an informational tour of a few CEDA communities. This year’s tour stops included Minnesota communities of Preston and Harmony as well as Cresco, IA! Over 50 participants packed the bus for this year’s tour!
On the tour, CEDA team members and community representatives provided enlightening presentations on each of the featured cities. While attendees learned, they enjoyed sandwiches from The Sweet Stop & Sandwich Shoppe along with beverages provided by J2G. Because of its popularity last year, CEDA also continued a photo contest that gave participants the opportunity to win an exciting gift basket of items produced in CEDA communities for the best photos taken during the event posted with the hashtag “#RDT2019.” This year three gift baskets were given away for some impressive shots!
“This event really embodies what CEDA is about,” said CEDA Senior Vice President Cris Gastner. “Small communities are full of exciting opportunities. They are vibrant places with character, passion, and creativity. This tour is so much more than discussing acreage and infrastructure; it allows people to learn about what makes each of the cities special.”
We are grateful for our many sponsors that make the RDT possible and continue to support the tour!:
Title sponsors for this exciting event included: Rochester City Lines, Cresco Bank, Dairyland Power Cooperative, F & M Community Bank, First Southeast Bank, Hammel House & Company, Mississippi Welders Supply, MiEnergy Cooperative and Braun Intertec.
Supporting sponsor included: Olmsted National Bank, Rochester Area Builders, Northeast Iowa Community College and Steele Waseca Cooperative Electric