LAKE COUNTY
Economic development-focused Rickelman joins County administrative office
The County of Lake is excited to announce, Ben Rickelman has been appointed deputy county administrative officer, with a focus on economic development.
Rickelman will manage the creation of a countywide economic development strategic plan, support Lake County businesses, and work with partners throughout Lake County and the region to grow, diversify, and bring greater resiliency to the local economy.
Ben has a decade of economic development experience, including work with the City of San Antonio, Montgomery County, Maryland, and the NoMa Business Improvement District (BID) in Washington DC.
In San Antonio, Rickelman focused on several targeted industries, which encompassed recruitment, retention/expansion, and workforce development. He managed prospects and incentives for the City of San Antonio with successful projects including the Navistar manufacturing plant and technology center, Scorpion Biological Services’ manufacturing and research facility, and the DeLorean headquarters.
He collaborated frequently with local universities, research institutes, the military, and local public-private partnerships on capital attraction, business development, entrepreneurial support systems, Federal funding opportunities, strategic planning initiatives, and place-based economic development.
In Montgomery County, Maryland, Rickelman supported the assistant chief administrative officer, who was head of economic development for the County. He managed County relationships with industry and workforce development public-private partnerships, Opportunity Zones advocacy, and approval of an enterprise zone designed to drive private sector investment and entrepreneurship at a college campus.
At the NoMa BID, he supported neighborhood based strategic planning, marketing, infrastructure projects, and placemaking initiatives in an area transitioning rapidly from post-industrial to a mixed-use, 18 hour neighborhood. Rickelman holds a Master of Public Administration degree from the George Washington University and is a certified economic developer.
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HIDDEN VALLEY
Three charities vie for 100+ Women Strong in Lake County funds
The second meeting of 100+ Women Strong in Lake County for this year will take place at the brand NEW Greenview Restaurant Banquet Room in Hidden Valley on Thursday, May 11, 2023 from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. (doors opening at 5:30 p.m.) Come and enjoy all the excitement and see the new Greenview Restaurant and Banquet room. There will be mingling, networking, food and beverages, and, most importantly, at the end of the night, a local Lake County charity will be selected to receive a very generous donation that is made possible by women of Lake County.
Women who are interested in joining this amazing, giving organization are welcome to pre-register before May 1, 2023 to be able to vote in at the May meeting. If you don’t get your application in by May 1, 2023, no worries you’ll be able to vote at the next meeting in August 2023. Visit the www.100womenstronginlakecounty.com website to download the commitment form. You can also visit our Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/groups/100womenstronginlakecounty and find all the information on being a part of this special, amazing group of women making a huge impact on our communities and county.
Our Lake County chapter, created in 2017, is part of a worldwide coalition of similar organizations and was created as a community effort to fundraise for Lake County based non-profit organizations. The group consists of women in Lake County from all ages, walks of life and professions united by their commitment to donate $400 per year to different Lake County non-profit organizations.
The group meets once every three months and three local, pre-vetted, non-profit organizations are invited to give brief presentations in hopes of being selected by 100+ Women Strong, Lake County. One of the three non-profits is selected by a majority vote of the group after the presentation and receives $100 from each and every member of 100+ Women Strong, Lake County.
At the conclusion of the event, a winner is chosen and the winning non-profit will receive a generous donation, made possible by women of Lake County.
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