UMD News Releases

Jim Tolan and Jan Zigich, Business Development Specialists at the University of Minnesota Duluth Center for Economic Development (UMD CED) have received certification as Economic Development Finance Professionals (EDFP) from the National Development Council (NDC). Certification is a designation given to individuals who successfully complete an intensive economic development finance training series that is conducted by NDC. The courses provide individuals working in the field of economic development with training in credit analysis, real estate financing, loan packaging, deal structuring and negotiating, and the creation and implementation of development programs.

Each of the four courses are five days in length and end with a written test that must be passed before a certification candidate is allowed to continue in the EDFP program. When a candidate has completed the entire four-week series, a comprehensive examination is given.

The New York based National Development Council was established in 1972 and is a private non-profit corporation, which specializes in economic development training and technical assistance for economic/housing development. NDC has provided training to approximately 50,000 development people working in the field of economic and housing development. Participants come from many diverse groups; city and state governments, public agencies, community-based organizations, professional organizations, bankers, etc.

Both Zigich and Tolan have worked at the UMD CED for more than five years as Business Development Specialists and have successfully served small to medium size businesses throughout the Arrowhead Region.

The UMD Center for Economic Development is a joint program of the UMD Labovitz School of Business and Economics, the Natural Resources Research Institute, and the College of Science and Engineering. UMD Center for Economic Development provides technical assistance to individuals who have an interest in starting or expanding a business in northeastern Minnesota.