and climb mountains. So, Lewis County is really a perfect fit for that because I can just jaunt off to do those things or I can do a lot of those things right outside my back door by myself if I need to. Jenna Kraeger: I was born and raised in southern Lewis County, went away for college, and gradu - ated with a degree in Business Management and a minor in Marketing from Cazenovia College. After college I worked for a startup distillery on St. Lawrence River doing events and marketing for about four years. I then moved to Rochester to start a new journey and found myself in the con - struction and technology industries doing associ - ation management work, which really inspired my love for economic development and workforce development. I am very grateful that I found my way back to Lewis County. My time away really gave me a new perspective on what assets are here and what opportunities are here - not only for people living here, but for businesses as well. “I am very grateful that I found my way back to Lewis County. My time away really gave me a new perspective on what assets are here and what opportunities are here - not only for people living here, but for businesses as well.” Spotlight on Business: What is the responsi- bility of the Lewis County Economic Develop- ment team? Cheyenne Steria: At the end of 2019, our former executive director got elected to county trea - surer and advised that he would be leaving the organization. At that time, Brittany and I were the only other full-time employees, so we, along with our board, went through a kind of reorganization project, which saw Brittany take over the role of executive director. Brittany is perfectly aligned to be the face of the organization as she is excel - lent with people and great at communicating our message.
As for me, I am less ‘peoplely’, so as director of finance and incentives, I’m happy to control our finances, make sure everything behind the scenes is working properly, read the fine print on pilots and other incentives that we offer, and to make sure everything is in line here. Which is a role that suits me well. In early spring of 2020, Brittany and I went through kind of a comprehensive hiring process. Brittany and I took assessments to see how we were together, to understand why we work together so well, and built our finding into our search for another team member to take on the Economic Development Specialist role. The successful can - didate would take on many of the marketing ini - tiatives that Brittany was doing before she was promoted to executive director, but also expand the role to include programming. We had, and still have, big visions for what we want our office to do. We went through the hiring process, and we’re so lucky to find Jenna, and that she was available and wanted to come back to Lewis County. She has been like the missing piece of the puzzle that fits perfectly. We were so happy to bring her on board, and it’s been an amazing journey ever since. Brittany Davis: Our 3-person team and 7-person board is responsible for the overall growth of Lewis County, making it an ideal place where people want to live, work, build business and play. We are responsible for creating partner - ships, connecting available resources, promoting Lewis County, and engaging in strategic funding development that both benefits the organization and our communities. We create programs, ini - tiatives, and policies to seek and lead new and existing development in Lewis County. “We are responsible for creating partnerships, con- necting available resources, promoting Lewis County, and engaging in strategic funding development that both benefits the organization and our communities.”
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NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021 • SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE
SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE • NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021
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