Best Practices Presenters Wanted!!!

Dear Members:

The 2000 Winter Meeting will take place on Wednesday, January 26, 2000 through Saturday, January 29.

In lieu of an Economic Development Committee meeting, this time around a hands-on economic development workshop is scheduled for the first day. The workshop will run from 1:00p.m.-5:00p.m. on Wednesday, January 26, 2000.

Economic Development Committee Co-Chairs, Pam David ( San Francisco) and Roslyn Phillips (Jacksonville), have tentatively established the following agenda for the workshop: A brief 30-45 minute HUD briefing on various HUD economic development programs and the newly enacted America's Private Investment Corporations (APIC) program, and up to three "best practices presentations" selected from among the following topics: (a) microenterpise lending/small business incubators; (b) establishing a successful section 108 revolving loan fund; (c) good strategies for leveraging private and public dollars for brownfields clean-up and redevelopment; and (d) effectively partnering with a CDFI Fund organization.

We are actively seeking volunteer presenters who have had success in any of the program areas listed above, or even just good advice to offer about what not to do when trying to develop a program in any of the above areas. Even though we are characterizing this series of presentations as "best practices sessions," it is our sincere hope to make this workshop as practical and informative as possible. Which is to say, ideally, presenters will be able to explain to workshop attendees not only how and why their projects succeeded but also give frank assessments of any mistakes they made long the way or things they would do differently based on what they know now.

For more detailed information about volunteering to present during the Economic Development Workshop, please call Romulus Johnson at 202-887-5526. And thanks again for all your support in ensuring that we have an informative, successful workshop.

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