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Administrator/Engineer's Report <br /> Economic Development Authority <br /> April 17 2019 <br /> ADMINISTRATION <br /> Rebranding <br /> The Rebranding Committee held a kick-off meeting on Tuesday, March 26 and had a <br /> follow-up meeting on April 2. The committee consists of Mayor Paar(CC), Jim <br /> Weatherhead(EDA) and Nick Twohy (P&Z). Mr. Twohy has a background in marketing <br /> and has been a part of over a dozen rebranding exercises. He was able to lead the group <br /> through the initial stages of that process, which culminated with a worksheet that conveys <br /> all of the elements of our brand. The committee is seeking final input on this document <br /> from other stakeholders. Then, we will work with a graphic designer to take those <br /> attributes and values and put them into a logo and tag line. Finally, the committee will <br /> outline how and where the brand is to be used. <br /> ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT <br /> Anoka County Regional Economic Development(ACRED) Marketing Committee <br /> I attended a Marketing Committee meeting recently and got up to speed on the <br /> committee's initiatives. We will be working on creating some promotional videos, <br /> expanding on our Broker Event and developing a Business Retention and Expansion <br /> strategy. <br /> Minnesota Technology Corridor <br /> The MN Tech Corridor group met again, this time to talk transportation needs. County <br /> Engineers from both Anoka and Washington Counties got together along with the cities <br /> in the corridor. The meeting was very productive, and should lead to some synergy <br /> between transportation plans from the two counties and all the cities. Good conversation <br /> was had, as well, about the future of interstate access points along both 35E and 35W. A <br /> summary of the transportation issues discussed is attached to your City Council packet. <br /> Loan/Grant Program <br /> City staff is set to meet with MidWestOne Bank on Monday, April 15 to discuss their <br /> involvement with the program. If they are interested and capable, we would add them to <br /> the short list of banks eligible to administer the loans. Staff hopes to have the other <br /> elements of the plan ironed out before getting a final document together for the next EDA <br /> meeting. Once the EDA is satisfied with the parameters of the program and the <br /> participating banks, we will plan an open house for businesses to be introduced to the <br /> program. <br /> 8 <br />