08-19-2014 EDC Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

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Brainerd Dispatch Labor Day Story August 2014 (Not published yet) Drafted by Geoff Gorvin on behalf of BLAEDC For most of Crow Wing County,the Great Recession of 2008-09 is in the rearview mirror.Commercial activity is on the rise. Businesses are expanding and starting up. The first half of 2014 ended with very promising signs that a full recovery may not be that far away. That is good news for local businesses and residents, and the Brainerd Lakes Area Economic Development Corporation (BLAEDC) is proceeding with cautious optimism.All signs are pointing in the right direction -unemployment is falling, foreclosures are way down and construction is increasing-although nobody's ready to declare a full recovery yet. The Brainerd Lakes Area is celebrating improvements to the local economy,which includes a more diverse mix of businesses and some major changes to BLAEDC.The new economy has set BLAEDC on a new path,with a new location and new energy from the success of initiatives it launched during the last several years to aide in the economy's recovery. One example of that is the Executive Initiative,which has proven to be a tremendous program for Crow Wing County. It taps into an invaluable asset to this area: retired and active business executives who live here and possess a wealth of expertise and knowledge. More than 30 active"EXECs"volunteer their time to mentor business owners,recruit new businesses,lead public business forums, help BLAEDC with special projects and serve on Rent-A-Boards,which are advisory boards that provide strategic guidance to a specific company. Currently, BLAEDC has three Rent- A-Boards in place. The technology and manufacturing sectors also have been BLAEDC's focus in recent years,as the organization has promoted the area's infrastructure,workforce, real estate availability, location and quality of life to attract companies in those sectors. The technology sector continues to grow rapidly throughout the country and is attractive to communities because the workforce is usually well paid and tech companies attract other tech companies.The Brainerd Lakes Area's fiber optic expansion,vacant office space and workforce coming out of new IT certificates and degrees at Central Lakes College (CLC) are among the carrots that BLAEDC is dangling in front of tech companies looking to start, locate or expand. Crow Wing County has 120 manufacturing companies and BLAEDC is aggressively promoting the area for more because of the number and types of jobs. Local industrial parks, available warehouse space and a trained workforce coming out of