EDAC is pleased to announce the return of a former affiliated consultant, Ted Wysocki.
Ted just completed 12 years as CEO of North Branch Works, previously known as LEED Council, which integrates economic and employment development in Chicago’s North River and Addison Industrial Corridors. During his previous 17-year tenure as CEO of the Chicago Association of Neighborhood Development Organizations (CANDO), he built the largest city-wide economic development coalition in the U.S. focusing on neighborhood retail, industrial corridors, small business lending and micro-finance. Ted began his 40-year community development career working over 11 years for Gale Cincotta, the “Mother of the Community Reinvestment Act.”
His consulting expertise advances sustainable community development, innovative job training, and small business financing. Recent ventures include:
- Securing an U.S. EPA Brownfields Area-wide Planning grant focused on redevelopment of the A. Finkl & Sons steel forging plant. This is particularly relevant given the recent federally-awarded Digital Advanced Manufacturing Lab to be located nearby on Goose Island, which LEED Council succeeded in having zoned as a Planned Manufacturing District in 1992.
- Deploying an Office of Community Service (OCS) grant as a revolving loan fund for tenants of the Green Exchange, a vacant factory redeveloped as a hub for the green economy, including the growing third-party logistics industry.
- Designing green-skills training and promoting green infrastructure including weatherization, energy auditing, solar installation and green carpentry/maintenance.
Ted has extensive proficiency with industrial retention, retail attraction, small business development, and job-training programs including the following:
- He was a co-founder of the Chicagoland Green Collar Jobs Initiative. He was past chairman and a long-serving director of the National Community Reinvestment Coalition.
- He continues to serve as a gubernatorial-appointee to the Illinois Small Business Environmental Assistance Program’s advisory panel.
- Besides successful grantsmanship with banks and foundations, Ted has also submitted winning applications to federal, state and local governments.
- He has completed several strategic plans and board development efforts.
Ted observes: “There are economic and employment strategies from my experiences that can be replicated to benefit other communities. The key is connecting industry and community so that business growth is leveraged for local jobs.”
Marcus S. Weiss, President of EDAC, welcomes this addition to our strategic planning and grantsmanship teams: