Preparing for the rollout of its regional five-year plan, Rochester Area Economic Development Inc. has hired Heather Holmes to fill a new marketing position.
RAEDI announced the hiring of Holmes as vice president of marketing this week. Holmes, a long-time Rochester marketing professional, will start the new job on Sept. 15.
RAEDI President Gary Smith explained that his board decided to create the new marketing position to help with the introduction of the Journey To Growth economic plan that RAEDI and the Rochester Area Chamber of Commerce have been working on for the past year.
A steering committee of 26 business leaders from Olmsted, Dodge and Wabasha counties has been working on the $150,000 project. The plan, which reaches beyond Mayo Clinic's Destination Medical Center intitiative into the region beyond Rochester, focuses on three major themes: expanding and diversifying the economy, optimizing the regional talent base and developing a more cohesive and connected region.
Smith anticipates that the plan should be completed in the next few months, and said that Holmes will help introduce it to the area when it's ready.
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"For the past couple of months, we've been doing a national and local search to fill this job," he said. "Heather's a good choice, because she knows who we are and believes in what we're doing."
Holmes comes to RAEDI from the Rochester software firm, Metafile . She also worked in marketing for KAAL-ABC 6 and Corporate Web Services.
"It is an exciting time for our great city, and I'm thrilled to have a front row seat. I can't wait to get started," Holmes said about her new role.
