This webinar was jointly hosted by the National Association of Development Organizations (NADO), through their Economic Development District Community of Practice, funded by the U.S. Economic Development Administration. UEDA and NADO were joined by Rani Bhattacharyya with the University of Minnesota Extension, Dan Anderson with the Headwaters Regional Development Commission, and finally Sean Ranum, with Northwest Regional Development Commission.
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- Rani Bhattacharyya, University of Minnesota Extension, Extension Professor, Community Economics
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- Daniel Anderson, Economic Development Specialist, Headwaters Regional Development Commission
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- Sean Ranum, Loan Fund Manager and Economic Development Director, Northwest Regional Development Commission
RECAP
An EDA-designated University Center (UC), the University of Minnesota Extension is a source of statewide economic development information, applied research, and education that enhances the effectiveness of economic development strategies at local, regional, and tribal levels. The Northwest Regional Development Commission and the Headwaters Regional Development Commission serve as regional planning and development organizations for counties in northwest Minnesota.
Rani began the presentation by discussing how the University of Minnesota has had partnerships with the Regional Development Commissions (RDOs) in Minnesota for a number of years to provide economic data and technical assistance as a basis for strategy development and implementation. This presentation focused on the partnership between Headwaters and Northwest.
The work began when Sean reached out the Minnesota Extension for assistance with completing the Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) to facilitate a four-year process and leverage the network of the Extension. This network covers both Northwest and Headwaters, which is how Dan became involved.
The statewide RDO association, MADO, has four cornerstones for development, which are incorporated into the CEDS and were key areas of focus with stakeholders:
- Economic Competitiveness
- Community Resources
- Human Capital
- Foundational Assets
The Q&A session covered a variety of topics:
- Tips for universities/higher education institutions and economic development districts to build stronger partnerships and collaboration
- Work being done regarding resiliency and equity, including collaborations with tribal nations
- Industry focuses included in the CEDS
All agreed that the key to collaboration was to get the conversation started; picking up the phone and initiating partnerships is important to create long-lasting impacts in communities.