1rst Vice President of National Rural Development Organization Elected

    HUMBOLDT, IA, December 11, 2015 /24-7PressRelease/ -- The National Rural Economic Developers Association (NREDA) has unanimously elected Jim Vermeer as 1rst Vice President during the organization's annual membership meeting held during the 2015 NREDA Annual Conference in Denver, CO for a one year term. He will assume the role on January 1st.

Prior to being promoted to Vice President, Business Development for Corn Belt Power Cooperative in May 2001, Jim Vermeer was the economic development director. The Business Development Department oversees economic development activities, key account management and technical support for commercial and industrial loads. Prior to joining Corn Belt Power in 1998, Vermeer was director of economic development and marketing for Iowa Lakes Electric Cooperative, a member cooperative in the Corn Belt Power system.

During the nineteen years at Iowa Lakes Electric, Vermeer was a director on the Spencer Industries Foundation and the Iowa Great Lakes Industrial Development. In addition, Vermeer was a founding board member of the Iowa Great Lakes Corridor of Opportunities. Vermeer is the Past-President of Mid Iowa Growth Partnership and currently serves as a director, served on the Hwy 20 Association, serves on the Humboldt County Development Association board, serves on the City of Humboldt's city council and Past-President of the Humboldt Area Arts Council.

"All NREDA activities are designed to help members succeed in meeting the diverse economic development objectives and challenges faced by local, regional and statewide economic developers and the rural communities they serve," said NREDA President Rand Fisher. "The Association supports its members and their economic development allies with networking and educational publications, a comprehensive annual conference, and advanced economic development education workshops and webinars." Fisher continues, "We are very pleased to have Jim Vermeer join the Board of Directors to serve the members around strategic issues.

About NREDA
NREDA is an organization of 280 economic development professionals focused upon the issues and opportunities of rural America. It is dedicated to meeting the unique needs of its membership through ongoing education and networking programs, while serving as an information source and conduit for developers, site selectors and existing/prospective businesses to NREDA members and the areas they serve. For more information about NREDA visit http://www.nreda.org or contact NREDA headquarters at (515) 284-1421.

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