REJournals.com - Commercial Real Estate Property News for Chicago and the Midwest

Deanna Kuennen is the first economic development director in Rice County, Minn., and has been the head of the Rice County Economic Development Department since its inception a little more than three years ago. Kuennen recently spoke with Minnesota Real Estate Journal about the department’s efforts to sell Rice County to potential new businesses.

Minnesota Real Estate Journal: As the first economic development director in Rice County, what are your goals for the county?
Deanna Kuennen: My focus has been to improve the tax base and create quality jobs. My goal is work with communities to help them fulfill their economic development plans. We have a philosophy here that economic development can’t happen in a vacuum. It takes a team of players to make it happen.

MREJ: What are you doing now to attract new businesses to Rice County?
Kuennen: We are now starting to do a concerted overall marketing effort. We needed to get some things in place first before we said, ‘Hey, we’re open for business.’ Now the basics are in place, and we’re ready to start marketing. We are focusing on marketing the entirety of Rice County, not just the incorporated areas.

MREJ: What makes Rice County an attractive place for businesses?
Kuennen: We are very close to the Twin Cities. We are not part of the seven-county metropolitan area, but we are the very next tier over. People are pleasantly surprised when they find out how close we are to metropolitan Minneapolis/St. Paul. They are surprised when they find out how close we are to the airport. Our prices are far more affordable, though, than in the metro area. The land prices are more affordable than what businesses can find in the metro area. We also have a number of higher-education institutes in our county. That brings a certain level of talent to the area. These are a huge asset for our area.

MREJ: How are you marketing the area to make sure that businesses are aware of the opportunities in Rice County?
Kuennen: We are completing a marketing plan and a new brochure now. We need to get the word out that Rice County is open for business. There is a lot of untapped potential here. We need to make sure that the brokers know that we are here, that our communities have land available, that we have shovel-ready sites. They need to know that we are affordable, and that we have low taxes. We are still getting the word out a lot through word-of-mouth, but we are also attending conferences and attending events at which we have the opportunity to share our story. We are speaking at different events about the county. These are the basics, but the basics haven’t been done yet in Rice County.

MREJ: What’s it like to be the first economic development director in the county?
Kuennen: Prior to coming to Minnesota, I worked out of Ohio. I was the first economic development director for the community I worked with there, too. I enjoy the challenges of building something from the ground up. I enjoy having the opportunity to set the direction for an area. I don’t set the direction alone, of course. I have to answer to the county commissioners here. There are definitely challenges when you’re starting something new. But that’s what makes it interesting for me. I also like the opportunity to work with a variety of communities.

MREJ: Has anything about the position surprised you during the last three years?
Kuennen: I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the support we get from the county commissioners. You never now before you take a position how that is going to go. But they have embraced economic development in so many different ways. That has been encouraging. They have thought outside the box. By doing that, and being open to that, it has contributed to our success. I feel lucky to have such a supportive board.

© 2012 Real Estate Communications Group. Duplication or reproduction of this article not permitted without authorization from the Real Estate Publishing Group. For information on reprint or electronic pdf of this article contact Mark Menzies at 312-644-4610 or menzies@rejournals.com