Gillon elected to head EDCO

Geoff Gillon, regional economic development manager of the Rainy River Future Development Corp., recently was elected president of the Economic Developer Council of Ontario for the next one-year term.
“I’m looking forward to it. It’ll be exciting working with people from across the province,” Gillon enthused, though noting the new position certainly will add to his workload.
“But it’s quite an honour to be president of a provincial organization,” he added.
Gillon said he’s been a member of the EDCO for many years and, after sitting on the board of directors for the last five and previously holding the title of second vice-president, being elected as president didn’t come as a surprise to him.
“It’s something I’ve been working towards for the last while with my participation on EDCO,” he indicated. “Part of it is because I’m very interested in the professional development for economic development practitioners across the province.”
That’s what the EDCO, a provincial association with more than 600 members, does. Gillon said it strives to provide economic development practitioners with vital professional development and information services.
“We run seminars, do projects, have round tables—many different kinds of activities to improve professionalism of economic development practitioners,” he noted.
“I’m excited about it, and it’s great to be representing the Rainy River District and Fort Frances on the provincial board.”
Gillon also said the position will allow him access to senior civil servants. There are seven different ministries represented on the board, such as the Ministry of Tourism and the Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs.
“Those people attend the meetings and they keep us current on what the government is doing in certain areas,” he explained. “It just gives you a leg up on what’s coming at you.
“So it might help us, as a region, to know what’s happening a little earlier,” he reasoned.
Gillon assumed his duties at the 2008 EDCO conference in Toronto, where he had the opportunity to meet with various government ministry staff.