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WHY is what you do important? We do economic development for the Brooks Newell Region! That includes the City of Brooks, County of Newell, Town of Bassano and Villages of Rosemary and Duchess. We support existing businesses through our programming, encourage growth, attract new businesses/investors, promote shopping locally (through our Newell Proud program), provide entrepreneur education, promote tourism, and so. much. more. Traditional economic development activities include exploring processes and policies to improve the economic, political, and social well-being of a community and its people. While this work is being done, we in the Brooks Newell Region take our approach further. We want to build relationships, share our success, lift each other up, and open our doors to new opportunities. Essentially, we want to help. We want to help industry, businesses, and people to realize that they can be better in the Brooks Newell Region.
What are the CHALLENGES in economic development? We're a small but passionate team - we really only have one full-time employee that focuses on this huge portfolio, so we have to get creative! We work closely with other economic development stakeholders and organizations, we're strategic about our workplan, and we do our best. What MOTIVATES you on difficult days? This is such a fun and rewarding job - when we get a win, like seeing a new business open, or watching an entrepreneur succeed, or seeing a full room at our events, it's the best feeling. People have really rallied behind the Newell Proud campaign and it's taken on a life of its own, which is so rewarding. Every day is different, we get to meet tons of people and talk about new ideas and exciting ways we can work to improve life in our region.
What KNOWLEDGE have you developed that makes you an expert in your industry? We're do-ers, not talkers. We have ideas and we're creative, but we also know the value of TAKING ACTION. We follow through on ideas, and creative concepts end up on our workplan. We're approachable, we're friendly, we've got decades of business and community development experience in this community, but above all else, we're helpful!
What ADVICE do you have? This is an amazing place to live, work and run a business. Our residents and business community are so supportive of each other and our municipal leaders are progressive and proactive. So if you have an idea, come talk to us! Attend one of our events, send us an email, or message us through social media. There's so much opportunity here.
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