DUFFERIN COUNTY Achieving economic development success by connecting diverse interests in eight-municipality Ontario region Canadian Design and Construction Report special feature Dufferin County, a diverse, mostly rural region with eight municipalities about 100 km northwest of Toronto, has taken a grand view of economic development, cre- ating and bringing together distinct teams, each with its own vision but supporting a combined overall goal of promoting, supporting and establishing a sustainable environment for the region’s businesses and residents. THERESA SAUREN EDO Theresa Sauren's career has evolved to her current responsibilities as program manager for Dufferin.Biz, where she uses her diverse experience and her distinct outlook to support the region's overall economic devel- opment and community development plan . Sauren has Bachelor's Degree of Commerce in Mar- keting Management, many years working for the county government, and experience in the non-profit sector for local projects and community development. She has re- cently completed a Masters’ Degree in Environment and Business. “A key part of my job is telling the story of our county and why it is the best place to locate a business,” she says. “All of my past experiences come together in this role as I work one-on-one with businesses to under- stand their needs and concerns, and as I work to facili- tate relationships between business and government and within industries.” She says for instance there have been efforts to bring all of the agriculture in the region together under one shared food initiative. Opportunities have also been created to bring the manufacturing sector together to understand shared challenges and goals. This can create one of the biggest challenges in her job: getting all of the dif- ferent people and interests moving in the same direction. “We have eight different municipalities in the region, each with its own different needs and wants. My job is to develop shared goals based on trust and an understanding that helping one municipality can bring benefits to another.” These are challenging objectives, and the resulting entrepeneural success stories make the effort worth- while. Sauren says her approach is to own the job – good and bad. “I’ve always been a busy person and there are 22 – Winter 2015 — The Canadian Design and Construction Report Nancy Tuckett, Theresa Sauren and Michele Harris many nights I’m working after the kids have gone to bed but facing challenges in a job, having a strong work ethic that means you do what you need to do to get the job done, I think those are important for success in any career.” She says understanding this is important for anyone considering a career in economic development, as is loving the job and the community you represent. “To be in this field you have to want to be involved – with politics, with business – and you have to be comfortable with public interaction because it’s all about the relationships.” Sauren says it is equally impor- tant to be patient because some- times results take a long time to evolve and it takes time to develop strong relationships. She says 10 years ago it could be challenging being a woman in the industry but, with time and with more women becoming involved in politics and business that has changed. “I’ve been doing this long enough that people know me now and what I can do,” she said. “There is a link between business development and community devel- opment. Understanding what makes communities thrive and making that happen is the most satisfying part of what I do.”