Tri-State Practitioners Explore Workforce Landscape Data and Regional Collaboration Opportunities

On Thursday, July 18, 2024, Greater Dubuque Development hosted the quarterly meeting of the Tri-State Economic Development Practitioners, bringing together economic development professionals from across the region. This network, facilitated and organized by Greater Dubuque Development, serves as a collaborative platform for regional economic development professionals to exchange ideas, share best practices, and explore cooperative actions.

This quarter’s gathering featured an informative presentation by Nic Hockenberry, Director of Workforce Programming at Greater Dubuque Development. Nic provided an overview of recently released reports on the regional workforce landscape, including the 2023 Skills Gap Analysis, the 2024 Dubuque Laborshed Study, and year-end reporting from Opportunity Dubuque. He reviewed relevant data and key findings, which sparked discussions among the economic development practitioners present.

Following Nic's presentation, Andy Butler of Cottingham & Butler and Ali Fuller of Driftless Consulting discussed their work toward a regional initiative. They explained the initiative's purpose: “To ensure that our region and our cities are strong, diverse, and growing by setting the table for cross-sector collaboration and engaging and empowering people to take action.” They also invited feedback on the mission, vision, and areas of focus for the initiative.

Time was provided for all partners to share updates from their respective communities and to prioritize topics for future meetings. The next Tri-State Practitioners meeting is scheduled for Thursday, October 17, 2024.

For more information about the Tri-State Economic Development Practitioners, contact Jason White, Vice President of Business Services for Greater Dubuque Development, at 563-557-9049 or jasonw@greaterdubuque.org.