Welcome to the Great Lakes Economic Development Council member update.GLEDC members provide leadership in accelerating business investment in the Great Lakes region through advocacy, education and promotion efforts. Send story ideas, announcements or events to info@greatlakesedc.org
Last Day For Group Hotel Discount Great Lakes Rising Annual Conference In Milwaukee
Planning to join us in Milwaukee for the Great Lakes Economic Development Council’s Great Lakes Rising Annual Conference, Sept. 23–25? Don’t wait to book your hotel.
The conference hotel group rate expires TODAY Aug. 31.
Great Lakes Rising will bring together economic development leaders, site selection consultants, service providers and public officials from across the Great Lakes region for three days of ideas, connections and conversations about the region’s economic future.
Sessions will explore investment attraction, advanced industries, infrastructure, talent strategy, cross-border collaboration and other issues shaping growth across the Great Lakes states and provinces.
Milwaukee provides the perfect setting, with its strengths in advanced manufacturing, water technology and regional innovation — along with plenty of opportunities to experience the city while connecting with colleagues from across the region.
If Great Lakes Rising is on your calendar, now is the time to make it official. Reserve your hotel today to take advantage of the conference rate, and register to join us in Milwaukee.
Register and reserve your hotel.
Greater Niagara Chamber backs calls to treat arts and tourism as economic assets
The Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce (GNCC) is highlighting two new policy submissions calling on the federal and Ontario governments to recognize arts, culture, tourism and the creative industries as strategic economic assets.
The recommendations were submitted by the Ontario Chamber of Commerce (OCC) to federal and provincial ministers in July
The GNCC helped shape the submissions through its participation in the OCC’s Arts, Culture and Tourism Working Group, bringing the perspective of Niagara’s businesses, destinations and regional economy to the discussion.
“Our business community knows that culture and tourism are important parts of our economic infrastructure,” said Mishka Balsom, CEO of the Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce. “They support businesses and jobs, attract visitors and investment, contribute to vibrant communities and help us share our stories with the world.” More here.
Welcome to Our Newest Members!
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Building the Bridge: Who Belongs in the Great Lakes EDC?
By Dean M. Prestegaard, Founder and Principal Economist of DMP Development Analytics & 2026 Chair, Great Lakes EDC Advisory Board
What exactly is the Great Lakes Economic Development Council? Since becoming the board chair last January, I have been getting this question a lot. While the organization is young and still finding its way, I want to share my vision for what it is and what it can be.
Initially, I focused on the idea of a big umbrella covering all aspects of community economic development across the Great Lakes region, but a bridge better illustrates our focus on connecting all the groups that make economic development happen.
The Great Lakes Economic Development Council brings together the people working to strengthen communities and grow prosperity across the Great Lakes region. Central to our mission is inclusivity; we welcome members from both sides of the border as well as from all professions and regions, not just those adjacent to the lakes – the economic region extends well beyond the shorelines and includes all aspects of economic development.
While economic development practitioners are clearly an important group in this illustration, they do not work alone. Communities compete and grow through the combined efforts of planners and engineers who design what gets built, administrators and elected officials who govern how it happens, bankers and site selectors who decide where capital lands, freight and logistics leaders who keep goods moving, and educators and workforce professionals who prepare the people behind all of it.
Regardless of whether you identify with the label “economic development,” if your profession appears on this bridge, we want you in the Great Lakes Economic Development Council. Together, we can build prosperous communities and foster sustainable growth, making a lasting impact for generations to come!
Register for This Thursday’s Be Greater Webinar:
The New Landscape of Talent Attraction
The competition for talent has changed.
Workforce shortages, remote and hybrid work, changing employee expectations and new quality-of-life priorities are influencing where people choose to live and work. For communities competing for residents and workers, traditional talent attraction strategies may no longer be enough.
Join the Great Lakes Economic Development Council for our next Be Greater! webinar: The New Landscape of Talent Attraction
Amanda Ellis, Editor in Chief of Livability.com, will share the latest research and trends influencing talent attraction and retention — and what economic developers, chambers and community leaders need to know to stay competitive.
We’ll explore changing relocation patterns, effective place marketing strategies and how communities can better communicate the advantages that make them attractive places to live and work.
Register today and join us for this timely Be Greater! conversation.
On the Move – Job Announcements & Leadership Changes |
Trevor Lane was selected to succeed Jim Plump as Executive Director at the Jackson County Industrial Development Corp., in Seymour, IN. Lane and will begin his new position in early September. His 26-year economic development career includes 21 years with IEDC, where he most recently directed business attraction across southern Indiana. Katelyn Zeits, MPA started a new position as City Manager at City of Fremont, Michigan. Carl Teichman started a new position as Economic Development Coordinator at Town of Normal, IL Jay Monture started a new position as Senior Regional Economic Development Officer at Mushkegowuk Council. Audrey Tappenden EDFP started a new position as Economic Development Coordinator II at City of Grand Rapids Economic Development. Melissa Farley has been selected as the City of Midland, Michigan’s new community affairs director, succeeding Selina Harris when Harris retires in September. Bruce Seymore II becomes CEO of the Economic Development Alliance of St. Clair County, Michigan, effective Sept. 1, succeeding retiring CEO Dan Casey. Seymore has spent 16 years with the EDA and currently serves as vice president of business development. |
Great Jobs in the Great Lakes – OpeningsThis Week |
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