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History How We Started
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EDC History The ECCIDC provided leadership in forming the Gateway Industrial Park Corporation with the City of Eau Claire and Xcel Energy. The Eau Claire Area EDC served as the original manager of Gateway Industrial Corporation and coordinated large acquisitions of parcels, which now are part of the Gateway Industrial Park.

When Uniroyal (Michelin), the areas largest employer, announced that it would be shutting its tire plant down in the summer of 1991, the ECCIDC quickly reorganized with large boosts of financial support from the City and the County, taking its annual revenues from $105,500 to $295,000. The increase in budget allowed the ECCIDC to add an economic development assistant and increase its support staff time. Marketing was vital to replacing the lost jobs. Uniroyal (Michelin) employees were part of almost every family in the area.

The reorganization of the ECCIDC emphasized its lead role in providing leadership in developing a community consensus on industrial development priorities, with direct responsibilities for external marketing, attracting new industry, and coordinating community-wide industrial efforts. The Board of Directors was also reorganized to provide a strong partnership with the private sector, government and the education community.

The ECCIDC moved ahead and took a leadership role in diversifying the employment base in Eau Claire County and in November of 2001 the name of the corporation changed to the Eau Claire Area Economic Development Corporation (ECA-EDC) to better describe its scope and purpose and to better match its name with its peer organizations throughout the State.

The Economic Development Corporation works with the public and private sector to develop new programs that will benefit the business community and through its committee structure builds on its knowledge about what is working and the needs of the business community.

In January of 2007, the corporation adopted a new economic development model that incorporates the need to advance our area�s ability to attract and develop technology, innovation and critical talent.

Today, the Eau Claire Area Economic Development Corporation staff includes three full-time staff and a volunteer Board of Directors of 21.