Sarah Swedburg of Kandiyohi County and Willmar EDC earns title of Emerging Young Professional of the Year

Jennifer Kotila, West Central Tribune, Willmar, Minn.
·4 min read

Jan. 29—WILLMAR

— Sarah Swedburg on Thursday evening was recognized statewide as the Emerging Young Professional of the Year by the Economic Development Association of Minnesota.

Swedburg has served the Kandiyohi County and City of Willmar Economic Development Commission as the business development manager since May 2021. She was nominated for the award by Michelle Marotzke, economic ceveloper for the Mid-Minnesota Development Commission.

"I always look forward to opportunities to work with Sarah on projects that impact Kandiyohi County and the city of Willmar," Marotzke said. "She is always looking for new ways to meet the needs of business owners, residents and visitors to the area and brings passion to every project. As a high-level economic development professional, Sarah is well-deserving of this award."

Swedburg said being selected for the award is a "tremendous honor," noting that the work she does for economic and community development cannot happen without extensive partnerships within the community, state and country.

"To be selected for an award like this is truly only the tip of the iceberg; there are so many people behind all of the work that I do and programs I help manage," Swedburg commented. "Receiving an award like this makes me take a step back and think about the community of Kandiyohi (County). You have allowed me to listen to how you would like to create a better community to live, work and play, and then given me the opportunity to think creatively and boldly about how we can achieve those goals."

Receiving a statewide award such as this helps to showcase the notable work and investment happening in Kandiyohi County, Swedburg said.

Acknowledging Marotzke's nomination, she added, "I'm also grateful to be able to work with colleagues committed to supporting and lifting each other up."

In the nomination letter, Marotzke wrote, "At every turn, Sarah has shown demonstrated professionalism, curiosity, and thoughtfulness. She has asked thought-provoking questions, found creative solutions, and freely given her respect to a wide variety of personalities."

She wrote about their collaboration to foster the development of new and existing businesses, particularly small businesses, including Swedburg's leadership in helping to develop the successful Elevate Business Academy.

The Academy recently celebrated the largest class of graduates yet. It was created with partnerships with Rising Tide Academy and the Southwest Initiative Foundation and provides business-focused coaching and support to new and existing entrepreneurs and small business owners, according to Marotzke.

"Sarah's recruitment of Elevate participants has been intentional," Marotzke wrote in the nomination letter. "She has diligently worked to ensure women and people of color, who may be less connected and not have other easy access to business development training, have opportunity to participate."

She noted that Swedburg is now helping Elevate graduates become trainers and mentors, as well as developing an Elevate Business Academy that accommodates Spanish speakers. Elevate Business Academy has also translated the materials used into Somali to allow the Somali population in Willmar to take the classes in their native language.

Marotzke also wrote about her and Swedburg's collaboration on several economic development issues, including shortages in broadband and child care. They have recently been successful in securing grants to help alleviate the problems faced by those shortages in the county.

Swedburg is the lead coordinator for the Kandiyohi County Broadband and Advanced Technology Committee, which actively pursues solutions to Kandiyohi County's rural broadband needs, wrote Marotzke.

Not only does Swedburg coordinate the monthly meetings and regularly engage with multiple broadband providers, she is providing public outreach and education related to the broadband topic, according to Marotzke.

She notes Swedburg's expertise on the complicated subject of broadband, her strong legislative advocacy for rural broadband funding, and being a highly capable grant writer.

In her work on the child care shortage, Swedburg collaborated with the Mid-Minnesota Development Commission and other local partners in April 2022 to reconvene the Kandiyohi County Rural Child Care Innovation Program, connecting partners from the child care industry and the broader community to facilitate discussions on local child care needs.

Marotzke noted their continued collaboration to create the child care slots needed by the area's workforce, specifically Swedburg's grant-writing to help providers address needs and her requests for local funding contributions from elected leaders and other officials to help launch new childcare-focus initiatives.

"Sarah's ability to join, listen and understand each employer's unique needs has given her credibility and the wherewithal to effectively support business retention and expansion throughout the Kandiyohi County and City of Willmar Economic Development Commission service area," Marotzke concluded. "She has worked to help employers establish connections and relationships with various other businesses and resource providers to achieve outcomes that benefit the community and business. Sarah is always learning and has become a highly-regarded economic developer and leader throughout Kandiyohi County."

Previous to becoming the business development manager of the EDC, Swedburg worked as the city planner for the city of Willmar. Prior to that, she spent two years in Kenya, designing and carrying out a research project dealing with the political geography of the colonial landscape near Kibwezi, according to her LinkedIn profile.