ST. CROIX COUNTY – St. Croix Economic Development Corporation (SCEDC) held its annual meeting Wednesday, May 14 where the 2025–2026 officers were elected, and five new members were welcomed to the Board of Directors. The organization also updated the board on plans to release a comprehensive, county-wide housing study focused on helping raise awareness of the current marketplace and how this is projected to change. 

“Our organization is informed and very much energized by the amazing people who volunteer their time to help lead the work we collectively to do support development across the county,” said Melissa Meschke, Executive Director of St. Croix EDC. “We are thankful for the contributions exiting board members have made and are excited to bring in new energy and expertise. We are also getting closer to completing work on the housing study and our plan to share it across St. Croix County.  This is an important time for our region and our organization.” 

Board leadership 

Tom Loonan, Attorney at Eckberg Lammers, was elected President. Loonan practices municipal civil law and business law at the firm. 

Brian Hinz, co-owner of Studio EA, was elected Vice President. 

Neil Kline, Executive Director of Family Friendly Workplaces, was elected Second Vice President. 

Scott Morrissette of First National Bank of River Falls was elected Secretary-Treasurer. 

SCEDC also welcomed five new directors: Holly Bloom, Managing Partner at Cannaday Bloom; Chris Kost, Executive Director of the Hudson YMCA; Mike Zipko, co-founder and principal of Velocity Public Affairs; Maren Valentine, founder and owner of Oso Clean Janitorial Service and business consultant at the River Falls Small Business Development Center, UW–River Falls; and Liz Pizzi, Associate Dean of Workforce and Community Development at Northwood Technical College.  

The board also bid farewell to five long-standing directors whose terms concluded in May 2025: Susan Yohnk Lockwood, Northwood Technical College (May 2019–May 2025); Marina Onken, Innovative Clarity Group (May 2019–May 2025); Steve Gossel, Baldwin LightStream (May 2019–May 2025); Kim Rock (October 2017–May 2025) and Aaron Sundeen, Derrick Building Solutions (May 2019–May 2025). 

Additionally, the board recognized Yohnk Lockwood for her service as Board President during the 2024–2025 term. 

The board also accepted the 2024 financial review, presented by Jason Zahradka, CPA with Guinn, Vinopal & Zahradka, LLP.  

Housing study 

In July and August, the SCEDC will be releasing and sharing results from what is believed to be the first-ever, county-wide housing study. The goal is to use this to create and share the information about housing that impacts communities, economic development, and the area’s economy. 

The SCEDC hired the West Central Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission, a multi-county planning agency, to conduct the survey. The commission works on planning for the physical, social and economic development in Barron, Chippewa, Clark, Dunn, Eau Claire, Polk, and St. Croix counties. The State of Wisconsin has projected St. Croix County’s population will increase by approximately 10% from 2020 to 2050, yet household sizes are expected to decrease. 

“With so much change happening here, from population changes and an evolving regional economy, we think having updated baseline facts about housing is incredibly important,” Meschke said. “Our goal is to help to help our communities and potential investors make sure the decisions they make are connected to data that helps us all move forward together.” 

Find more information about the housing study visit: stcroixedc.com/housing-study 

Submitted by St. Croix EDC