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Opportunities for Networking and Learning 


Engaging Events

The Great Lakes Economic Development Council plans a broad range of opportunities to collaborate, network, learn, and grow professionally. The GLEDC brings together economic development, business, governmental and academic leaders, speakers, and training instructors for engaging growth opportunities.

Be Greater! - Monthly digital learning series

Upcoming events

    • 21 Nov 2024
    • 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM
    • Zoom meeting - link to be shared
    • 80
    Register


    In this interactive and actionable webinar, economic development practitioners will explore strategies for engaging their communities in a sustainable and meaningful way, well beyond the scope of individual projects. The theme, "Engaging Your Community Beyond Projects," emphasizes the importance of cultivating long-term relationships that extend beyond transactional interactions.

    Participants will learn how to move from project-based involvement to deeper, ongoing community engagement. This session will provide insights into creating a culture of collaboration and trust, helping practitioners foster connections that last beyond specific initiatives and contribute to the community's overall well-being.

    Key takeaways will include:

    • Shifting from short-term, project-focused engagement to ongoing community collaboration.
    • Practical tools for building and maintaining relationships with stakeholders that encourage continued dialogue and support.
    • Strategies for embedding community engagement into the fabric of your organization’s culture, making it a core strength rather than a task.
    • Addressing and navigating challenges in engagement, ensuring sustained participation from community members and partners.
    • Developing processes that make it easier to engage continuously, improving the quality of interactions and reducing the stress of managing complex relationships.

    By the end of the webinar, participants will have a toolkit for fostering lasting engagement, helping them build resilient, cooperative communities that support long-term growth and success.

    Our Presenter:

    Denise Dahl, President and Owner of Epiphany Planning and Development (EPD), brings to market over twenty-five years of proven success and experience working in economic and workforce development.

    Ms. Dahl has worked with universities, community colleges, Fortune 100 companies like General Mills, entrepreneurs, manufacturers, and individuals preparing for or already navigating change.

    Additional to her decades of proven experience, Ms. Dahl is/has been a professor at three universities and has also created university curriculum on numerous topics.

    Past honors of note, Ms. Dahl has been appointed in the past by the Governor of Iowa to the State's Community Development & Tourism Commission, sat on IEDC's Public Policy Advisory Committee and Higher Education Committee, been an executive committee member on the NORED board as well as many other boards. Additionally, she has traveled as a volunteer for IEDC helping distressed communities, written U.S. Senate Sub-Committee testimony related to community development and economies and appeared on WBGU's The Journal multiple times.

    In this interactive and actionable webinar, economic development practitioners will explore strategies for engaging their communities in a sustainable and meaningful way, well beyond the scope of individual projects. The theme, "Engaging Your Community Beyond Projects," emphasizes the importance of cultivating long-term relationships that extend beyond transactional interactions.

    Participants will learn how to move from project-based involvement to deeper, ongoing community engagement. This session will provide insights into creating a culture of collaboration and trust, helping practitioners foster connections that last beyond specific initiatives and contribute to the community's overall well-being.

    Key takeaways will include:

    • Shifting from short-term, project-focused engagement to ongoing community collaboration.
    • Practical tools for building and maintaining relationships with stakeholders that encourage continued dialogue and support.
    • Strategies for embedding community engagement into the fabric of your organization’s culture, making it a core strength rather than a task.
    • Addressing and navigating challenges in engagement, ensuring sustained participation from community members and partners.
    • Developing processes that make it easier to engage continuously, improving the quality of interactions and reducing the stress of managing complex relationships.

    By the end of the webinar, participants will have a toolkit for fostering lasting engagement, helping them build resilient, cooperative communities that support long-term growth and success.

    In this interactive and actionable webinar, economic development practitioners will explore strategies for engaging their communities in a sustainable and meaningful way, well beyond the scope of individual projects. The theme, "Engaging Your Community Beyond Projects," emphasizes the importance of cultivating long-term relationships that extend beyond transactional interactions.
    • 19 Dec 2024
    • 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM
    • Zoom meeting - link to be shared
    • 99
    Register


    With the election past us, there is a new focus on the economic outlook for 2025. As 2024 winds down, Dennis Burnside (www.vestian.com) and Jim Robey (www.robeyanalytics.com) will provide insights into the trends of the current year along with what the future may look like for 2025. Dennis will focus on the commercial real estate trends and conditions while Jim will focus on the economic trends and conditions. The focus will be both on the national conditions as well as those of the Great Lakes region. After looking at the data, Dennis and Jim will conclude the webinar with thoughts on headwinds, tailwinds, and what to watch in 2025.

    Our Presenters:

    Jim Robey is Principal of Robey Analytics, LLC, a firm specializing in economic development, workforce development, and site selection services. Jim is an applied economist, economic developer, and site selection consultant, with more than 30 years’ experience . He has worked with corporate, nonprofit, units of government, economic development and workforce development organizations in problem solving, strategy, and policy decision making from the local to the national levels. His expertise includes industry studies, occupational analysis, economic impact analysis and modeling, economic and workforce development research and analysis, and site selection assistance. Prior experience includes positions in directing regional research initiatives, economic development, and site selection at both nonprofit and for-profit entities. Jim earned his PhD in Urban Studies, with an emphasis in Economic Development, and his master’s degree in Public Administration from Cleveland State University’s Levin College of Urban Affairs.


    Dennis Burnside has a 30-plus year resume of serving large and small corporate organizations, the economic development community, and the commercial real estate service and investment industry. His experience and commitment to excellence enable him to deliver a superior level of service to his clients. Dennis specializes in site consultancy, real estate advisory, transactions and portfolio management services. His client list reflects a diverse range of industries and client size with local, regional and international presence. Dennis’ Economic Development expertise includes business attraction programs, industry cluster and economic impact studies, and community positioning, as well as acting as ad hoc director and advisor for all aspects of the economic development process. Prior to joining Vestian, Dennis was the president of Juniper Solutions, which provided site selection and economic development consultancy. Before founding Juniper, he was a partner with Mohr Partners Inc. overseeing the Cleveland office for five plus years.

Past events

29 Mar 2021 GLEDC Annual Conference
11 Sep 2019 Fall Conference
31 Jul 2019 Annual General Meeting
Annual Events
GLEDC
Leadership Camp
The GLEDC Leadership Camp focuses on issues  impacting organizational performance, innovation and growth. It helps staff leaders be better managers, leaders and communicators.
Conference attendance is anticipated to be 150+
Targeted Attendees: Senior and mid-level economic development staff, and Certified Economic Developers (CEcDs, Ec.D.s) 
Annual
Conference
The Annual Conference is the premier GLEDC event covering the latest trends in economic development and including educational tours, networking events, and an exhibitor area.

Anticipated Annual Conference attendance is 250+ 

Targeted Attendees: Senior and mid-level economic development staff, and Certified Economic Developers (CEcDs, Ec.D.s), government employees, service providers, chambers of commerce, tourism officials, and other economic development intermediaries.  


Great Lakes Rising
An Economic Summit

The Summit is a forward-looking conference that explores public policy and other issues needed to grow, attract, retain, and expand companies to the Great Lakes.
Summit attendance is anticipated to be 250+ 
Targeted Attendees: Federal, state, provincial, and elected officials, corporate real estate executives and C-suite leaders, site selection consultants, state/provincial/local managers, economic developers, Chambers of commerce, and other economic development intermediaries.  

Chapter/regional luncheons are held across the Great Lakes to provide members small in-person networking opportunities. Anticipated attendance is 25 at each event