Wisconsin Economic Development Association Names 2023 Community and Economic Development Award Finalists

Wednesday, August 30th, 2023 -- 8:00 AM

Finalists for the 2023 Community and Economic Development Awards (CEDA) were announced by the Wisconsin Economic Development Association (WEDA).

The CEDA Awards were established by WEDA to recognize and celebrate businesses, projects, and organizations that are making significant contributions to Wisconsin’s economy.

“The WEDA Community and Economic Development Awards is Wisconsin’s premier awards program for the economic development community and was established to recognize outstanding and innovative projects that are driving economic growth and prosperity across the state,” said WEDA President and CEO Mary Perry.

“WEDA is excited to hold the 2023 CEDA Awards program in beautiful downtown Wausau to celebrate economic development and the tremendous success of each finalist.”

Three to four economic development projects or programs were nominated as finalists in each of the four following CEDA categories: Business Retention and Expansion; Economic Development Initiative; Real Estate Redevelopment and Reuse; and Talent Attraction, Development, and Retention.

The winners in each category will be announced at the in-person awards ceremony luncheon, which will be held on Thursday, September 28, 2023, as part of WEDA’s Fall Best Practices Conference in Wausau, WI.

One of the finalists is Falls Meat Service in Pigeon Falls. The family-owned and operated Falls Meat Service has been a thriving small business in Pigeon Falls since 1974 and has a reputation for quality, safety, and integrity.

However, due to limited capacity and insufficient processing space, the company could not meet the growing demand for locally processed meats and the greater need by farmers in the region to access local processing plants.

Falls Meat Service needed to expand, and thanks in part to a $250,000 Community Development Investment Grant from WEDC and a $200,000 USDA grant, they were able to complete a $1.6 million expansion project.

The expansion will allow Falls Meat to grow from its current location and allow them to sell meat outside of Wisconsin through online sales.

The project, which retained 17 jobs and created 3 new full-time jobs, enjoyed tremendous support from the small, mostly residential Pigeon Falls community that historically has had limited opportunities for economic development and job growth.

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