BREI 2018 Award Recipients and New Officers

Business Retention and Expansion International (BREI) recently held it’s annual Awards Program, and deserving applicants were announced Applications for these awards are accepted throughout the year, and judging takes place each spring through a professional awards committee. The 2018 Award Recipients include:

The State/Province/Territory Award was granted to Newfoundland and Labrador Organization of Women Entrepreneurs (NLOWE) for its work on the Women’s Economic Forum Drivers of Growth project.

The Outstanding Single Community with a Population Under 20,000 Award was granted to Athens Economic Development Corporation for its work on the Freeport Tax Exemption project.

The Outstanding Multi Community with a Population Over 50,000 Award was granted to the Municipality of the District of Digby for work on the Investment Readiness Project.

And finally the organization’s largest award of the year for creating significant change, the IMPACT Award, was granted for to the Athens Economic Development Corporation for the work on the Freeport Tax Exemption project.

BREI 2018 Officers

BREI welcomes several new officers to its board of directors for the 2018-19 year.

Teresa Evans BREP, moves into the lead role as president of BREI, replacing John Bennette, BREC. John will move into the Past-President role. Teresa is the Economic Development Coordinator at City of Blue Springs and has a specialty in Nonprofit Organization Management. Teresa has been a long-time member of BREI and holds an impressive list of experiences in the Business Retention and Expansion field.

Angela Groenveld, BREC, a Business Coach & Consultant in Alberta Canada, will be moving into the position of President Elect. With certifications including BREC, BIA and CED, Angela retains years of experience and practice within the realm of business including, but not limited to, the title of business owner for over twenty-five years.

David Bossemeyer, BREP will be coming back onto the board as a member at large. David is an Economic Development Director at the West Plains Economic Development Council with more than 30 years of experience in the business retention and expansion. Bossemeyer is a graduate of the University of Oklahoma’s Economic Development Institute in Norman, Oklahoma, and Fort Hays State University in Hays, Kansas.

Kelly Kinsey Overby will also be ascending into the role of board member at large. Kelly earned a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management from LeTourneau University and a Master’s degree in Public Administration from the University of Texas at Tyler. She is also a graduate of the University of Oklahoma’s Economic Development Institute. Kelly serves as a Business Retention & Expansion Director for the Longview Economic Development Corporation.