Economic Development Council prepares for one voice trip

Posted on January 12, 2017

*Economic Development Council CEO Kyle Ham says the group will go to Washington, D.C. to gain funding for projects. (WJBC File Photo)*

By Patrick Baron

BLOOMINGTON – The Bloomington-Normal Economic Development Council is preparing for its annual one voice trip to Washington, D.C.

Each year, the council travels to Washington to talk with legislative leaders about local projects that need funding. EDC CEO Kyle Ham explained the group meets with various leaders to make the case for project funding.

“We go out once a year with a group of about 40 to talk to our congressmen, our representatives, our senators,” said Ham. “We meet with a lot of folks from departments, whether it’s education or labor, and talk to them about projects we have going on.”

Ham explained projects concerning mental health generally receive funding easily, but projects in the fields of math, technology, and science are also popular. He said the council goes through a selection process to decide which projects are the most feasible.

“We want to go out there and make the best pitch possible, we don’t want to just say ‘well here’s a bunch of projects’, we want to make sure we narrow it down to projects we know can get done,” said Ham.

Ham also said the council has been going to Washington for about 12 years. The group leaves for Washington on March 22 and returns to the Twin Cities two days later. Information on the trip is available at www.bnbiz.org.

Patrick Baron can be reached at [email protected].

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