Job Description

Vice President of Economic Development

Vice President of Economic Development Job Opportunity
The Kenosha Area Business Alliance (KABA) is seeking a Vice President of Economic Development to serve in a high-profile leadership role within the organization and community. This individual will have the opportunity to work with a robust pipeline of corporate attraction prospects and assist existing businesses with their expansions. Additionally, the Vice President of Economic Development will be influential in driving catalytic community and economic development initiatives and programs across the county.

Community Profile
Located in the heart of the Chicago–Milwaukee corridor along Interstate 94, Kenosha County, Wisconsin benefits from its proximity to both metro areas while staking its claim as an economic hub with a close-knit community. Kenosha County is home to legacy companies including Jockey and Snap-On. Businesses with recent major investments include Haribo, ULINE, Lilly, Smurfit Westrock, Heartland Produce, and Kroger Ocado. Kenosha County continues to experience unprecedented industrial growth and currently accounts for about 30% of the new industrial construction underway in southeastern Wisconsin.

Kenosha County is perfectly centered. It has 3.5 million people within a 45-minute commuting distance. Perfectly centered also means businesses, residents, and visitors can have more open space, less congestion, and a real sense of community while still being able to spend a day in the city or access its major airports, transportation networks, and other amenities. Kenosha County is within the Chicago Metropolitan Statistical Area because it is so close – but it’s hard to forget that it is still in the great state of Wisconsin.

Organizational Profile
At its core, the Kenosha Area Business Alliance (KABA) fosters economic development by helping companies in Kenosha County innovate, expand, and thrive. KABA also leads corporate attraction efforts and assists businesses through the site selection process, with full-service support including real estate searches, permit and incentive navigation, talent pipeline development, and business retention aftercare. KABA has a unique tool called the Kenosha County High Impact Fund, which is used to help close the deal for competitive projects with significant job creation and capital investment.

KABA has more than $50 million in assets across a robust real estate and revolving loan fund portfolio that the organization deploys for catalytic economic and community development across the county. Recent projects include construction of a new building for LakeView Technology Academy and a major renovation of the Stella Hotel. LakeView Technology Academy is a STEM school that was recently ranked the #2 public high school in Wisconsin. The Stella Hotel is a historic building in downtown Kenosha that was rehabilitated to provide a high-quality destination for visitors and locals to dine, host weddings and events, and spend the night.

Duties & Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary point of contact for corporate attraction RFPs and ensure a seamless project management process that includes prospect outreach and communications, responding to RFPs, developing and making presentations, planning and hosting community tours, structuring and closing deals, and providing intentional aftercare.
• Work closely with county, regional, and state partners including Kenosha County, the Milwaukee 7, Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission, We Energies, and the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation.
• Develop strong relationships with site selectors, brokers, and real estate professionals and develop a thorough understanding of sites and buildings available throughout the county.
• Develop a high level of familiarity of local, regional, state, and federal programs to support community and economic development and pursue these programs where appropriate.
• Engage in KABA’s business retention and expansion (BRE) program by coordinating and participating in business visits, ensuring thorough follow-up after each visit, and collecting business intelligence.
• Establish a meaningful presence in the community by attending events, speaking with community groups, and serving on boards and committees where appropriate.
• Cultivate and foster relationships with community stakeholders including business leaders, nonprofit executives, educational partners, and municipal leaders and staff.
• Identify and pursue catalytic community and economic development projects including real estate development and creation of new programs to address evolving community needs.
• Help lead efforts to develop initiatives and programs to address the housing shortage.
• Provide leadership and content expertise on the development of marketing collateral and strategies, the KABA website, and KABA’s talent attraction initiative Life Balanced Kenosha County.

Requirements & Qualifications

• Past success in a corporate attraction capacity in an economic development organization.
• Proven record of leadership in economic development initiatives.
• Experience understanding, addressing, and solving business needs.
• Demonstrated capacity to handle multiple project priorities and manage deadlines.
• An executive mind, capable of absorbing information quickly, thinking broadly, analyzing thoroughly, and acting decisively.
• Willingness to play a highly visible role in the community.
• History of unwavering personal and professional integrity.
• Superior communication and presentation skills, including extremely strong written and verbal skills with the capability to relate economic development ideas to diverse audiences.
• A minimum of a bachelor's degree in business, marketing, economics, public administration, real estate, or a related field is required. An advanced degree in business, public administration, urban planning, or a related field is a plus but not required.
• CEcD designation is a plus but not required.
• A minimum of 3-5 years of direct economic development experience is required.

Compensation
The salary range for this position is $100,000-$125,000, depending on qualifications and experience, plus the opportunity for a performance-based annual bonus. Benefits including paid vacation and sick time, health insurance, and a 401(k) will also be part of the compensation package for the selected individual. This is a full-time, 40-hour per week position.

Equality Statement
KABA firmly represents the principles and philosophy of equal opportunity for all individuals, regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, age, creed, disability, or national origin.

Application
Interested applicants should submit a resume and a cover letter detailing relevant qualifications and interest in the position to  careers@kaba.org .

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