The Economic Development Commissions of Suffield and East Granby co-hosted a municipal training titled “Fundamentals of Economic Development” at the Suffield Country Club’s Sunset Tavern on September 27. The presentation was well-attended by over 50 people from both towns, including boards of selectmen and finance, zoning, planning, conservation departments and commissions, local real estate professionals, developers and land-owners. Sponsored by First National Bank of Suffield, the presentation was given by the Connecticut Economic Resource Center (CERC) and covered three topics: each town’s economic indicators in a regional and state context; what is economic development and why it is important; and the roles and responsibilities of a town’s economic development team.
“I thought it was great,” Melissa M. Mack, First Selectman of Suffield, said. “It offered relevant and timely information for this audience, who are the ambassadors of our town, to get out there and share what makes Suffield so special.”
The Towns of Suffield and East Granby have jointly-secured, through CERC, an economic development consultant part-time to work onsite in the municipalities on a range of projects, including business retention and expansion, new business development and grant writing.
Planned next was a free Manufacturing & Workforce Development/Education workshop on November 1, 9:30 a.m.to noon at the New England Air Museum. To RSVP please contact Hawkins at bhawkins@Suffieldct.gov or Kevin Bielmeier at kbielmeier@cerc.com.