Presenters will discuss the basics of using bonds to provide capital for your project with a focus on tax-exempt bonds vs. taxable bonds, credit enhancements, PACE and marketing considerations.

Economic development leaders will discuss what programmatic changes have been made in response to the pandemic and how federal initiatives have impacted programming, planning and administration. They will also cover what changes or trends have emerged in the past nine months among the applications, RFPs and potential projects. The leaders will examine how the pandemic impacted the everyday activities of economic development (site tours etc.) and to what extent will those impacts to continue in 2021 and beyond. Finally, the leaders will explore whether any new best practices been discovered and what process improvements have arisen as a result of the pandemic.

Economic development officials from Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia discuss the growth of the petrochemical industry in the region and the state and local incentives programs used to attract and assist petrochemical downstream and end-use manufacturing companies as well as businesses which support those operations.

This session will explore strategies to avoid, survive and win litigation related to incentives. The presenters will discuss real-world cases and offer practical tips to help incentive recipients navigate the risks of litigation.

The session will discuss, contrast and compare sales and use tax exemption, abatement, grant and rebate incentives offered by various states and local authorities. Practical considerations concerning eligibility, incentive negotiation, and incentive administration will be discussed, among other topics.

Presenters will examine different options for maximizing the benefits of your TIF and what to do with anticipated cash flows. Benefits and costs of using TIF cash flows to secure bonds, reimburse incurred costs or be banked for future uses will be discussed.

Jill Giles and Rita Williams from The Kroger Co. will discuss recent examples of challenges encountered when negotiating incentives packages for a new prototype facility and the creative solutions that resolved the issues. They will discuss how the company handled the challenge of the unknown by partnering with state and local economic development organizations to obtain value through incentives.

State economic development leaders will discuss what changes in economic development the pandemic has accelerated and for 2021, what impacts are forecasted for economic development budgets and programs. They will explore if there will there be an ongoing focus on workforce development or a more pronounced emphasis on other areas, such as affordable housing and green energy and how economic development looks for 2022-2025.