River Falls Economic Development Corporation

Helping the City of River Falls promote local area growth 

The River Falls Economic Development Corporation (RFEDC) is a voluntary non-profit organization that collaborates with the City of River Falls, Pierce County Economic Development Corporation, St. Croix Economic Development Corporation, and the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation on economic development to increase employment opportunities through industrial development.

The Corporation

Established January 8, 1988 as a Wisconsin Non-Stock Corporation (later a 501(c)(6) corporation), the RFEDC was initially funded by the City of River Falls and intended to replace the City's Industrial Advisory Board. The RFEDC's charge was:

  • To create and maintain a listing of land and buildings available for sale to prospective employers.
  • To create an Industrial park that will be suitable for industrial employers.
  • To create an organization that will coordinate the marketing, financing, and ultimate sale of industrial properties to employers.
  • To create an incubator for the support and encouragement of ideas from inception through job creation.

Board of Directors

The current board may consist up to eleven directors. The City Administrator, Scot Simpson, serves as the Executive Director of the RFEDC.  The Executive Director of the St. Croix County EDC, Executive Director of the Pierce County EDC, Chief Executive Officer of the River Falls Chamber and Commerce and Tourism Bureau, and Director of the St. Croix Valley Business Innovation Center are ex-officio members. The RFEDC meets the second Monday of the month at noon at the St. Croix Valley Business Innovation Center. It coordinates a gathering of major industrial and corporate businesses annually, which is hosted at a business in one of the business parks. For more information see the following:

Strategic Plan

In January 2019, the RFEDC adopted their first Strategic Plan. The plan consists of six goals with numerous tasks for each goal.

Management Agreement

The EDC has a Management Agreement with the City of River Falls. This agreement was first approved in 1987 and has been revised twice, most recently in November 2009. The agreement identifies the City's role as buying and developing industrial/corporate parks and RFEDC's role as primary marketer of the parks on behalf of the City. The City typically owns property in the industrial/corporate parks and the EDC may negotiate development agreements on behalf of the City for land in those parks.

Building Developer

The RFEDC has developed several buildings for the purpose of encouraging job development in River Falls. For more information, see this piece on the role of the RFEDC as Building Developer.