Benton Economic Partnership hires new Executive Director
1 Oct 2020
Benton Economic Partnership has hired a new Executive Director, Amanda Othoudt. BEP is so excited to have this experienced and talented professional heading our organization.
Amanda recently served as the Executive Director for the Economic Development Authority (EDA) and Housing and Redevelopment Authority (HRA) for the City of Elk River. She managed city development and redevelopment projects, business outreach, expansion and more.
During her time in Elk River, she facilitated the development of 723,258 sq ft of industrial, commercial, and multi-family housing projects, creating over $35 million in new taxable value. These projects resulted in the development of over 68 acres of new construction projects. She was able to leverage $4 million in public investment, which resulted in over $44 million in private capital investment. She helped to retain 379 jobs and create 237 new jobs through publicly financed projects.
Prior to working for Elk River, Amanda worked as the Community Development Coordinator for the City of Becker. In Becker, she focused her efforts on business retention, expansion, and industrial broadband development.
Amanda also has experience in the private sector where she provided administrative support and worked as the land development assistant for a local land developer and commercial contractor. While as a land development assistant, she assisted in the acquisition, development, construction of income producing properties, assisted with site selection, marketing, budgeting, and cost analysis for project development.
Amanda earned a bachelor’s degree from St. Cloud State University in Planning and Community Development, Magna Cum Laude. She is certified as an Economic Development Finance Professional from the National Development Council and holds a certificate in Economic Development from Hamline University. Amanda holds membership with the International Economic Development Council (IEDC), Economic Development Association of Minnesota (EDAM), Minnesota Commercial Real Estate Association (MNCAR), and is an active board member for the Anoka-Ramsey Technical College Foundation. She is a Founding Board Member for Shoot for the Troops, Committee Chair for Troop 10 BSA, and a Student Mentor for SCSU Planning and Community Development Department.
Amanda has strong roots here in Benton County where she grew up on a dairy farm and knows the value of hard work and determination. Amanda and her husband Aaron currently reside at this farm in Benton County and raise their family. In her spare time, Amanda spends time with her family and friends, enjoys the outdoors, fishing, hunting, and investing in real estate.