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Kelsey Bergen
Each year, Economic Development Week is celebrated from May 6-10th to recognize and honor the dedicated work of economic developers and their contributions to communities around the world. This will be my fourth year recognizing Economic Development Week in Aurora and I can say with certainty that the past year has generated the largest amount of growth for our community during my time here, and much of this growth came from the work of economic developers before me.
While there are several current projects that I could highlight in recognition of Economic Development Week, I think the best example of the dedication it takes to see an initiative through completion is the Mission Critical site south of Aurora.
The development of this site began long before my time at Aurora Development Corporation, when community leaders applied for and received a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) to help attract a data center around 2010. At that time the Department of Economic Development saw an opportunity in recruiting power parks to Nebraska, which was the reason for the program. With these funds, Aurora needed to buy ground, attract a data center, create 22 new jobs at the site where these funds were used and at least 51 percent of those jobs needed to be offered to LMI (Low and Moderate Income) individuals to meet the national objective.
Aurora was one of several communities in Nebraska that watched as the data center industry evolved and projects favored populated cities for development over rural areas. As a result, the parameters of the grant changed to allow for any type of development, but the job creation requirements stayed the same.
Mid-Nebraska Land Developers was the first business to locate at the Mission Critical site and created a modest number of jobs, which led to continued steady job growth for the company. Then, not much happened at Mission Critical until one year ago, during Economic Development Week, when Aurora Development Corporation was able to publicly announce that Specialty Ag Formulations would be building at the Mission Critical site helping meet grant requirements before the February 2024 deadline.
As if it was planned all along, this new development spurred the need for a master site plan, infrastructure development and ultimately led to the attraction of a small-scale data center bringing the initiative full circle after 14 years. In the end, 24 jobs have been created on the property, 71 percent of which were offered to LMI individuals, and it is anticipated that 20 more jobs will be added by the end of this calendar year, more than fulfilling the grant requirements.
While some communities in Nebraska had to pay back the same CDBG funds initially earmarked for a data center, Aurora’s ability to commit to a goal, stay true to projects that provide community benefit, and adapt to changing industries, turned into another successful economic development story.
This initiative also prepared Aurora for future success as the Mission Critical site is now poised for future growth faster, being turned from a greenfield site to shovel ready. By the fall of this year there will be nine shovel-ready lots ranging from 1.5-10 acres ready for development. Additionally, the plan is already in place to add another 14 lots ranging from 2.5-5 acres in the future, which will help us celebrate Economic Development Week for years to come.
The International Economic Development Council (IEDC) created Economic Development Week in 2016 to recognize the work that economic development organizations and professionals do in their communities. IEDC celebrates Economic Development Week every year, highlighting the programs, best practices and exceptional individuals that positively impact life in their communities. In just a few years the event has become one of the most widely recognized awareness weeks of its kind validating the often unheralded work of the economic development profession.
KELSEY BERGEN serves as executive director of the Aurora Development Corporation. She can be reached at kelsey@growaurora.com
