The League of Women Voters of the Brainerd Lakes Area will present a program on Brainerd lakes area economics and unemployment at noon on Jan. 12, at the Brainerd Public Library. Sheila Haverkamp and Nate Dorr will be the featured speakers.
Haverkamp, executive director of the Brainerd Lakes Area Economic Development Corp., has played a key role in economic development projects in the Brainerd Lakes Area for nearly 25 years, facilitating and leading the economic development vision for the Brainerd lakes area. Event organizers said she is connected to decision makers and is dedicated to seeing projects through to completion. She is a certified economic development specialist and is recognized by local, regional, and state leaders for her knowledge in community and economic development. Haverkamp has a bachelor of science degree in business administration with concentrations in finance, management and marketing from Minnesota State University, Moorhead.
She has assisted with many projects and played an integral role in seeing them though to success. A few highlights include:
Wausau Paper‘s $27 million investment in its Brainerd paper mill
Lexington Manufacturing’s decision to locate its new fire rated commercial door plant in Brainerd instead of the metropolitan area
Artspace’s $10 million investment for renovating a former junior high school into unique space for artists.
Dorr is a regional analyst with the Minnesota Department of Economic Development, serving 26 counties in northwest Minnesota. His experiences include research and data collection for the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service, Minnesota Community Action Association, the Center for Urban and Regional Affairs, and as a private consultant. Dorr graduated from the University of Minnesota with a bachelor’s degree in sociology in 2000, and a master’s degree from the Humphrey Institute in 2002.
The program is being presented by the League of Women Voters of the Brainerd Lakes Area and is open to the public. The League of Women Voters is a non-partisan political organization that encourages informed and active participation in government. The League of Women Voters believes that democratic government depends upon informed and active participation in government and requires that governmental bodies protect the citizen’s right to know by giving adequate notice of proposed actions, holding open meetings and making public records accessible. \For more information on the local League of Women Voters of the Brainerd Lakes Area visit its Facebook page or call President Sandy Reuther at (218) 562-4748.
