Posted: 11/2/04
New head of economic development visits Houston County commissioners
By David Heiller
Argus News Editor
The new director of Southeast Minnesota Development Corporation (SEMDC) gave an update on this organization to Houston County commissioners on October 26.
Ron Zeigler talked to the board about SEMDC, which is based in Rushford.
ìWeíre here trying to make a difference in southeast Minnesota,î said Zeigler, who has been on the job for seven weeks after 10 years as Executive Director of the Lake City Economic Development Authority.
SEMDC is a quasi-governmental agency that promotes business growth. It has eight employees and serves 12 communities.
Zeigler described its four areas of funding:
ï Community support, which Joyce Iverson does in Houston County. This is 75 percent of the budget.
ï Satellite office of the Small Business Development Corporation in Rochester. This office assists clients with free services like business plans and cash flow analysis.
ï Grant administration like small cities development grants.
ï Fundraising, which Zeigler said allows SEMDC to keep its rates reasonable in the community support area.
In budget year 2006, Zeigler said he will be looking for ways to restructure, or get additional compensation for travel and training. Travel is a big expense, he said. ìI think there are ways that we can structure this and keep providing the services that we do.î
The county will probably see an increase from the current rate of $28 per hour to $29 per hour, he said.
Houston County, as well as the City of Caledonia, contract economic and community development services through the Southeastern Minnesota Development Corporation.
Commissioner Ann Thompson, who is a member of the SEMDC board of directors, said she thinks Ziegler will bring more aggressive leadership to the group. She also noted that he is working in the field on economic development projects.
Ziegler said the election, the economy, and the war in Iraq might be making business leaders a little skittish at this time.
He thinks the connections that Houston County is making will be very helpful. He mentioned the fact that Minnesota Department of Economic Development commissioner Matt Kramer had visited Caledonia recently.
County commissioner Kevin Kelleher said that communities can be like ìhookers on street cornersî in that they can entice people in and then not know what to do with them.
Ziegler agreed. ìIf it happens and comes to your community, be ready to respond,î he said, referring to a big new business. ìBut quite frankly whatís good for Caledonia is good for La Crescent and vice versa.î
If a company comes only because of the incentives that are offered, communities had better take a good hard look at the proposals, Zeigler added. He said that home-grown businesses are often better in the long run.
Other business
The board passed a resolution approving a snowmobile grant-in-aid for La Crescent Trail for $22,000.
ï The board passed a ìre-affirming resolutionî adopted by the Joint Board of Health of Houston and Fillmore Counties requesting an Environmental Impact Statement on proposed Heartland Tire burning facility in Preston. The Joint Board of Health initially passed the resolution in October of 2003.
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