– Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist to Speak on Diversity & Inclusion in Econ. Dev. Panel
2020 Annual Meeting
Onsite Conference: October 18 – 21
Virtual Conference: October 20 – 21
|
|
Corporate Sponsors
|
|
|
|
||
|
|
|
 |
 |
|
|
||
|
|
About the Annual Meeting
|
|
|
|
||
|
MEDA’s biggest education and networking event of the year is its Annual Meeting. This conference includes educational sessions covering the most important economic development topics and issues of the time as well as several networking opportunities.
The onsite conference will be held Sunday, October 18 – Wednesday, October 21, 2020, at the Grand Traverse Resort and Spa in Acme, MI – just minutes away from Traverse City!
A virtual conference will be available for those that are not comfortable attending in person due to the pandemic with educational sessions running October 20 – 21.
In addition, we will record the educations sessions so attendees will have an extra week to watch them and provide the sessions that were supposed to be held as breakouts as bonus material.
Conference Website
For full information on the conference, including agenda, location, hotel reservations, award nominations, etc., visit www.medaweb.org/annualmeeting. Also, connect with us on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter.
***
60 Years Has Taught Us …
… that Michigan’s finest economic developers are dedicated to their work for our businesses, communities, and workforce, even in the most challenging of times. With that work, they also have an eye on the future and make plans.
This conference is designed to teach you the latest business, community, and workforce strategies so you can make big plans for driving economic development in the next decade while including strategies for overcoming the challenges that have been brought forward in 2020.
You will learn the latest about partnering with venture capital and angel investors, experience real examples of methods for making your community more human-centered, hear from partners that you may not know that you have, and wrap up the conference with insight on managing your economic development organization through hard times and moving it in the right direction.
And, yes, Traverse City is still as awesome as it was when we were here for our 50th Anniversary in 2010. We have things planned to get you into the Cherry Capital of Michigan!
|
||
| Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist to Speak on Diversity and Inclusion in Economic Development Panel | ||
Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist to Speak on Diversity and Inclusion in Economic Development Panel
MEDA is pleased to announce that, when our Annual Meeting Committee reached out to Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist to participate in the “The Influence of Diversity and Inclusion in Economic Development” panel at our Annual Meeting, he accepted.The panel (below) will take place on Wednesday, October 21. It is currently undetermined whether Lt. Governor Gilchrist will be able to participate in person or will be virtual, but we will keep you updated!
The Influence of Diversity and Inclusion in Economic Development
As economic developers look for opportunities to make their communities stand out from the crowd and attract businesses and people, it is important to consider the role of diversity and inclusion. What opportunities are there, what strategies are available, and how do communities overcome challenges to having an inclusive economy?
Moderator: Anne Partington, Business Development Manager, Ann Arbor SPARK
Panelists: Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist
Kevin Johnson, President and CEO, Detroit Economic Growth Corporation
Tifini McClyde, Associate Vice President Human Resources, Interlochen Center for the Arts
Khalfani Stephens, CEcD, EDFP, Economic Development Director, City of Flint
As economic developers look for opportunities to make their communities stand out from the crowd and attract businesses and people, it is important to consider the role of diversity and inclusion. What opportunities are there, what strategies are available, and how do communities overcome challenges to having an inclusive economy?
Moderator: Anne Partington, Business Development Manager, Ann Arbor SPARK
Panelists: Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist
Kevin Johnson, President and CEO, Detroit Economic Growth Corporation
Tifini McClyde, Associate Vice President Human Resources, Interlochen Center for the Arts
Khalfani Stephens, CEcD, EDFP, Economic Development Director, City of Flint
|
|
||
|
|
COVID-19 Safety Precautions
|
|
|
|
||
|
|
|
Measures to Protect Attendees
Due to the current COVID-19 pandemic, MEDA has decided to move the October Annual Meeting to a hybrid event, including both in-person and online sessions via Zoom. This decision was made to ensure the safety of all attendees, while still continuing to hold the Annual Meeting. MEDA has and will continue to ensure the safety of guests by:
MEDA will continue to change any protocols/guidelines needed to follow CDC and government recommendations to keep the attendees/sponsors/speakers health as their top priority.
Visit this page of the Annual Meeting website for updates leading up to the event.
What Will Our Distancing Plan Look Like?
Michigan Ballrooms A – D at Grand Traverse Resort and Spa normally fit 390, but we’re only seating for 70.
|
||
|
|
 |
|
|
|
||
 |
|
|
||
|
|
Agenda for Onsite and Virtual Conference
|
|
|
|
||
|
|
||
|
|
Bonus Sessions
|
|
|
|
||
|
About the Bonus Sessions
The 2020 Annual Meeting Committee planned some great breakout sessions for attendees before the pandemic hit and social distancing measures had to be implemented. We thought you should still have the material, so we will record the sessions and provide videos to all registered attendees of the onsite and virtual conference.
Bonus Sessions
Creating Human Scale Places
Our built environment is a major determinant of what makes a place attractive to companies and the workforce. Walkable towns, unique local businesses, and “third” places where people can meet and socialize are keys to successful business attraction and retention. This presentation will outline appropriate human-centered design principals that are applicable to any village, town, or city. Robert Gibbs, FASLA, AICP, President, Gibbs Planning Group Christopher Khorey, AICP, Senior Principal Planner and West Michigan Manager, MCKENNA Event-Driven Attraction
Communities are cranking up the creativity to get people to relocate to, or stay in, their region. Learn from experience how event ideas came about, procedures, challenges, and results. Rachel Bartels, Executive Director, Hello West Michigan James McBryde, President and CEO, Middle Michigan Development Corporation Making the Most of Opportunity Zones in Your Community
With Opportunity Zones still being a new evolution of investment in communities to spur economic development, there are still a lot of economic developers that are struggling to make the most of them. Hear the word straight from the top about how they are used on a national level, what to know, and who to know. Moderator: Kurt Brauer, Partner, Warner Norcross + Judd Panelists: Gary Heidel, Acting Executive Director, Michigan State Housing Development Authority William C. Lentine, Partner, Warner Norcross + Judd Making Your Community Livable for All
When it comes to location, sometimes millennials and baby boomers want the same thing. When it comes to housing costs, other factors than size matters. When it comes to working with developers, sometimes knowing how a program works instead of its existence can open the doorway to new possibilities. Knowing and balancing the needs and wants in your community, and the people that build it can help to assure that new housing meets the long-term needs, and income, of as many as possible. Ryan Kilpatrick, Director, Housing Next Talent Incentives; Not Business Incentives
For years, businesses have received incentives for hiring. The tides are turning as some organizations and communities are providing incentives directly to employees and students for staying in, or moving to, a community. How does it work? Is it working? What could turn this experiment in talent retention into permanent factors of economic development? Rob Cleveland, CEcD, President, Cornerstone Alliance Audrey Sochor, Scholarship Programs Officer, Community Foundation of St. Clair County
Von Washington, Executive Director, Community Relations, Kalamazoo Promise 8:30 a.m. The Role of Foundations and Fraternal Organizations in Economic Development
As awareness of economic development increases, as does a variety of organizations discovering how and when they have a role. Specific examples of the involvement of dynamic organizations helping to drive opportunities in their communities will help you recognize how you could work with organizations in your community or the potential for other new partners that you may not connect to your job yet. Becky Ewing, Executive Director, Rotary Charities
Jamie Schriner, Program Officer, W.K. Kellogg Foundation Untapped Resources for Workforce Needs
As companies work to fill positions after the unemployment caused by the pandemic, there are individuals who are waiting for companies to give them an opportunity that they might not initially consider: the formerly incarcerated, the disabled, and immigrants. Motivated organizations are implementing strategies to help these members of our economy find jobs. Leon EL-Alamin, Founder and Executive Director, MADE Institute Nancy Lindman, Director of Public Policy and Partnerships, Michigan Association of United Ways Representative, Corporation for a Skilled Workforce
|
|
|
||
|
|
Annual Meeting Sponsors
|
|
|
|
||
|
|
