Our View: St. Croix EDC works hard behind the scenes

Talk about it

It’s gratifying to see an organization dedicated to working hard on behalf of local and area businesses –- still the backbone of America

The St. Croix County Economic Development Corp. is a hard-working group in the Hudson area that performs a tremendous service that, in the long run, has a positive economic impact on everyone.

The organization, headed by Bill Rubin, deserves some praise and recognition. The mission of the St. Croix Economic Development Corp. is to encourage and assist economic development and capital investment, to enhance tax base, to create jobs and to assist businesses in expansion, retention and/or location within the economic development area.

The “St. Croix County” part of the title is a bit deceiving because the organization is funded by a number of sources. By imperfect measurements, the organization is funded roughly a third each by three entities: St. Croix County, various towns and cities in the county, and a long list of county businesses.

Formed in 1993, The SCEDC is a private, non-profit organization which operates exclusively for the economic development of St. Croix County and the respective cities, villages and towns therein. Its office is in the St. Croix County Government Center in Hudson.

Rubin and about 30 other area people interested in business traveled to Madison earlier this month. The trip was called “United St. Croix Valley Legislative Days” and was intended to make the concerns of northwest Wisconsin known to lawmakers in Madison.

The group’s agenda included reminding legislators from around Wisconsin that the St. Croix Valley is an important business, education and transportation center. The group also lobbies for legislation that will be friendly to the St. Croix Valley.

The agenda this year included issues relating to economic development, transportation and workforce/education, including the consolidation of the state’s tax credit programs, the expansion of Act 255 (tax credits to "angel investors" and certain equity funds), creating awareness for the St. Croix River Crossing project and improvements to U.S. Hwy. 8 and funding for a technical college initiative called Next Generation Workforce.

Twenty individuals from all areas of St. Croix County serve on the SCEDC board of directors. The board meets monthly to conduct regular business. The current board is headed by President Jeremy Price of Hudson. Other directors are Patti Robertson (first vice president) of Hudson; Thomas Schumacher (second vice president) of Baldwin; Dale Jorgenson (treasurer/secretary) of River Falls; Trudy Popenhagen (past president) of Hudson; Jerry Brown of Amery; Mark Casey of New Richmond; Noel Eggebraaten of Hudson; Marian Furlong of Hudson; Ann Hall of Hudson; George Hauser of Hudson; Steven Hermsen of Hudson; Frederick Horne of New Richmond; Roger Humphrey of Hudson; Gregg Knapp of Hudson; Ken Kolbe of Hudson; Willard Moeri of Roberts; Barbara Nemecek of River Falls; Ryan Sicard of Somerset; and Nicolas Vivian of New Richmond.

Late last week, the SCEDC had its annual Business of the Year awards program to select and recognize outstanding businesses in St. Croix County. It’s gratifying to see an organization dedicated to working hard on behalf of local and area businesses –- still the backbone of America.

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