County development group VP switching jobs

LIMA - Kristi Clouse has helped bring her share of jobs to the region, so it's fitting that the most recent job coming to town is hers.

Clouse, vice president of the Allen Economic Development Group, has taken a new post with the regional office of the Ohio Department of Development. As of Aug. 4, she will be the new regional workforce director, working out of the Governor's West Central Ohio Economic Development Office in Lima.

"This is just a regional opportunity. I'll still be working with the same network of businesses and with Marcel [Wagner] and AEDG. It's good opportunity," Clouse said.

Clouse has been with AEDG for eight years, working in research, marketing and the retail attraction program. She was promoted to vice president last year when Jerry Good left the office to become regional economic development director.

That makes Clouse the second AEDG employee to move to the state in two years. For Executive Director Wagner, that's not necessarily a bad thing.

"One of the things I've tried to do is build a high-quality, high-performance organization and staff it with people that have the same mindset I do. When you do that, you run the risk of other opportunities coming up for your people," Wagner said.

Clouse's departure leaves Wagner with just one other staffer in the building. He recently began searching for a candidate for a business retention and finance manager and has already received more than 50 applications. He plans to discuss the new opening with his board and begin searching for a replacement.

"We're going to be looking for someone with a strong economic development background. With the level of activity we're seeing right now, we need someone with experience," Wagner said.

Clouse is a graduate of Bluffton College and the Economic Development Institute at the University of Oklahoma. She is an active member of the Ohio Economic Development Association and the International Economic Development Council.