Lake County's Office of Economic Development and Tourism hosted their first-ever Economic Development Summit at the Mission Inn Resort & Club located in Howey-in-the-Hills on Monday, November 14. Attended by over 250 business and community leaders, the day-long event featured nationally renowned speakers who presented best practices in workforce development, economic development, site selection and strategic planning.
While much of the day focused on the economic realities facing the region, nation and world right now, Scott Blakenship, director of Lake County's Office of Economic Development, emphasized that increased collaboration and partnership is the key to successful economic recovery.
Dr. Charles Mojock, president of Lake-Sumter Community College and EDC board member, served as the master of ceremonies for the event designed to lead Lake County into a successful 2012. Speakers included: EDC President and CEO Rick Weddle; Jay A. Garner, Garner Economics, LLC; Debra Lyons, ACT; Sean Snaith, Ph.D., University of Central Florida; Ed Morrison, Center for Regional Development at Purdue University; and B. Thomas Mancuso, SIOR, Batavia Industrial Center and real estate professional.
