A statement from Ian Corder on the internship
My internship with Ramsey County Community and Economic Development has provided me with a unique and informative professional development experience. Over the past several months I have had the honor of working with a newly formed yet highly skilled and ambitious team to help shape the County’s role in economic development. Working on the county level allowed me to work with and learn from professionals in various jurisdictions and organizations affiliated with Ramsey County giving me insight on the various functions of government.
Through this internship, I worked on a variety of projects ranging from GIS mapping and site analysis to organizing stakeholder panels for contract selection and assisting with the development of a request for proposal. This has given me the opportunity to apply what I’ve learned in school in a real world, professional setting.
Working with Ramsey County Community and Economic Development has been an extremely valuable experience as a student and as a professional. I am ending the summer inspired to move forward with a career in economic development and a wide range of skills and knowledge to help me do so.
A statement from Josh Olson (Deputy Director, Community & Economic Development) on the internship
I would like to extend our sincere gratitude to the Minnesota Economic Development Foundation for your contribution to Ramsey County Community and Economic Development Department’s (CED) internship program. Your generous contribution allowed CED to hire Ian Corder.
We hired Ian Corder in April of this year. Over the course of the summer, CED exposed Ian to a myriad of tasks and projects (See below). Ian was a wonderful addition to the CED team. He demonstrated an ability to take on a multitude of unfamiliar tasks and eagerness to learn and adapt. The work produced was of the highest quality and has already paid dividends in laying the groundwork for future work of CED.
The work of Ian was so well received that we have extended his internship through the 2019/20 school year where he will given primary led role in updating the County’s 5-Year Consolidated Plan required by US Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Key Highlights – Internship 2019 (Ian Corder)
Countywide Economic Development Vision Plan
The Community and Economic Development Department is kickstarting efforts around the development of the County’s first economic development vision plan. Ian was vitally important to development and execution of several elements of the vision plan:
- Participation in the drafting of an RFQ/RFP for a third-party consultant
- Led the consultant selection process
- Assisted in promotional materials and logistics associated with quarterly economic development summits hosted by CED
Ramsey County Regional Economic Development Portal
Provided support to CED project managers in the development of an interactive regional economic development portal. This includes some initial mapping support (see redevelopment tracking map below) as well as research on available business and development incentives available by individual Ramsey County city.
GIS and technical support
Provided GIS and technical support to departmental efforts, most notably:
- Preforming a suitability analysis on the eligibility scenarios for the County’s new Corridor Revitalization Program
- Research best practices in evaluation criteria and procedures for economic development programs
- Providing base mapping for current and possible County-led redevelopment projects
- Continued development of a map displaying key redevelopment projects across the County
Redevelopment project team meetings
Ian attended bi-weekly meetings of regarding the County’s Riversedge Project with internal staff and developer representatives.