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Meet our Board of Directors

Mar 11, 2021

 

The MEDP Board of Directors

 

Meet our Board of Directors. At MEDP our mission is to advance strategies that respond to the needs of McMinnville's traded-sector businesses. Read on to learn a bit more about  some of the faces behind the success of our organization.

 MEDP Board President John Dietz

John Dietz is the General Manager at McMinnville Water & Light, and he currently sits on several other boards and committees focused on community development and utility interests including the Public Power Council (PPC), Oregon Municipal Electric Utilities Association (OMEU), and the McMinnville Urban Renewal Advisory Committee (MURAC).

What drew you to serve on the MEDP Board? McMinnville Water & Light is an economic development driven company, and we are directly tied to the growth of McMinnville. We have a legacy of reliability at our company, and I want to do my part to help ensure the sustainable growth and success of our community.

Why is the work that MEDP does important? MEDP helps ensure the vitality of the community in making sure that McMinnville stays relevant. We want to be a unique, stand-alone community that is a place for businesses to thrive, and MEDP plays a huge role in that.

What is your favorite thing about our community? How easy it is to talk to people in town. Whether it is a part of the business community, the City, or anyone in between, there is a lot of respectful communication that happens here. I love that we have the feel of a small town even though we are a growing community, and I may be biased but I think we have an amazing staff, and that makes the work we do everyday even more rewarding.

 MEDP Board Member Teresa Smith

Teresa Smith is the Vice President and Commercial Loan Officer at Citizens Bank. She serves on the MEDP Board as the liaison between McMinnville Industrial Promotions and McMinnville Economic Development Partnership.  She was recently recognized by the Distinguished Service Awards as Woman of the Year for her civic engagement, leadership and community involvement.

Why is the work that MEDP does important?  MEDP brings individuals and opportunities together that creates jobs making McMinnville a place people want to live and raise their families.

What is your favorite thing about our community? I love the way that McMinnville is true community with people that are committed to making it a great place to live and work. 

 MEDP Board Member Heather Richards

Heather Richards is the Planning Director, for the City of McMinnville

What drew you to serve on the MEDP Board?  I started my career in economic development, and have always felt that supporting a healthy economy is a core service of City planning and community development.  Planning and economic development intersect all of the time, and in my role as a Planning Director, I feel that I can support MEDP’s efforts with the City’s programs and policies.    

Why is the work that MEDP does important?   MEDP provides the necessary support and services for businesses to thrive in McMinnville - whether they are a business just getting started, or a business growing to the next level or a large business looking to relocate – MEDP is available to help that business navigate to the next level of success.   Staff works personally with each business owner and their employees helping them to solve a problem, access resources and/or data, or figure out how they fit into the larger picture of future development. 

What is your favorite thing about our community? I always say that McMinnville is a city with the innovative services and programs of a growing city of 35,000 people that operates with the small-town charm and interpersonal relationships of a community of 15,000.  That blend of old and new, traditional and progressive, rooted and forward-thinking has created something special in McMinnville contributing to the magic of this very unique and cherished community.

 MEDP Board Member Kelly McDonald

Kelly McDonald is with Granary District Properties LLC,  and Windermere Pacific Crest Realty and serves on the MEDP board as the Small Business Liaison. 

What drew you to serve on the MEDP Board? I wanted to help form an organization that could respond to local business needs and respond to state and regional business location inquiries.    

Why is the work that MEDP does important?  Business owners and managers are busy running their daily operations,  the need for connections to resources for business growth such as employee recruitment and training,  facility expansion and process improvements and financing can be difficult to track.  MEDP assists in these critical connections to help our local businesses grow and help our community thrive.

What is your favorite thing about our community?  Our community’s willingness to work together for the betterment of all.  People in all aspects of our community,  whether it be city council,  city departments,  other business leaders or the public at large all work together to identify issues and implement changes to improve our community.

 MEDP Board Member Mike Morris

Mike Morris is the Incoming Chair for the McMinnville Area Chamber of Commerce and serves on our board as the Chamber Representative. He is also a very active community member, an owner at Morris Carpet Cleaning of Oregon and a broker with Miller Consulting Group.

What drew you to serve on the MEDP Board? The people involved and the mission of the organization.

Why is the work that MEDP does important? The foundation of a community is living wage jobs and that is what our goal is, the creation of those.

What is your favorite thing about our community? The passion the people have for making McMinnville better. We certainly don't always agree but most of the time it is about our community not ourselves.

 

Read more about our team here! 

 

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MEDP's monthly newsletter, The MEDP Spark, received a Silver Award from the International Economic Development Council in 2017.

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