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Economic Development Commission Minutes — 2026-02-25

Minutes February 25, 2026 · 4 page(s)

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EDC Meeting Minutes for February 25, 2026
I. Call to Order and Determination of Quorum
The meeting was called to order by EDC Chair, Shelly Gross-
Wade at 9:00 am.
Board members Present:
Shelly Gross-Wade, Vice Chair
Mason Popham, Vice Chair
Lee Bridgman, Secretary
Lara Wilson, Treasurer
Kenneth Knight
Shawna Payne
Deayna Ewell
Jim Reilly
Kelsey Karbaum
Heather Bacher, Past Chair
John Anderes (Zoom)
Doug Silber (Zoom)
Members Not Present:
Pat Fox
Larissa Costello
Ryan Snow
QACETD Staff Present:
Heather Tinelli., QACETD Director
Debbie Gil, Economic Development Coordinator
Lisa Gallow, QACETD Office Coordinator
April Plummer, QACETD Marketing Administration
Connie Dean, QACETD Workforce Development Administrator
Others Present:
Jack Wilson, QAC Commissioner
Jody Schulz, KNDF Board and Business Owner
Gigi Windley, Kent Narrows Development Foundation
Steve Johnson, QAC Planning & Zoning (Zoom)
Fred Beau, Centreville Town Council
Kim Kratovil, Office of US Senator Alsobrooks
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II. Approval of Agenda: On a motion made by Heather Bacher and seconded by Jim
Reilly, the January meeting agenda was unanimously approved by all members
present.
III. Approval of Previous Meeting Minutes: On a motion made by Jim Reilly and
seconded by Heather Bacher, the January EDC Meeting Minutes were unanimously
approved by all members present.
IV. Treasurers Report. EDC Treasurer, Lara Wilson, stated the current balance for the
EDC account is $8296.38. This includes $1546.54 ticket sales and $49.11 Credit card
Fees related to the recent QAC State of the Economy event hosted in January.
V. Commissioner’s Report: QAC Commissioner, Jack Wilson, provided an update to the
EDC members. Commissioner Wilson announced that the regional tech center
project has been fully funded in the governor's budget and is set to open in 2028 at
Chesapeake College. The county received an A-plus rating from its audit agency for
the 25th consecutive year.
VI. Department of Economic & Tourism Development Update: QACETD Director,
Heather Tinelli, provided a January 2026 Department Update.
Ms. Tinelli reported on Economic and Tourism Development activities, highlighting
business visits, support for startups and small businesses, and progress on various
projects including micro-ag grants, the Start One Up pitch competition, and work
with MEDCO on two grant-funded sites. The county was awarded $35,000 from
cannabis tax funds for business accelerators, Ms. Tinelli provided an update on the
Catalyst Q program, highlighting its success and upcoming graduation ceremony
April Plummer, QAC Marketing Administrator, presented the 2025 QAC Visitor Metric
Overview.
Ms. Plummer shared data on visitor metrics for 2025, showing a 3% drop in unique
visitors (928,000) but an increase in total visits (2.3 million) compared to the previous
year. She explained that the data comes from Placer AI, which analyzes mobile
device location data with a 4-8% margin of error. Queen also reported a 5.8%
increase in hotel tax revenue from 2024 to 2025, noting that the Hyatt's participation
has stabilized the numbers.
EDC members engaged in questions about tracking business impacts which
included mention of the Queenstown Outlets declining visitor numbers due to store
closures. Deayna Ewell shared insights about the outlets changing management,
decreased visitor traffic, and loss of key retailers The group discussed potential
actions to improve the mall's performance, including reaching out to corporate
leadership and inviting mall management to present at an EDC meeting.
Ms. Plummer shared the current event list and encouraged members to submit
event details through the Visit Queen Anne’s website.
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EDC Meeting Minutes
February 25, 2026
V. New Business:
A. Legislative Committee-County Text Amendments-
EDC Members discussed legislative updates, including tax amendments
introduced by the County Commissioners. Shelly Gross-Wade requested
volunteers to form a subcommittee to review the amendments. Ms. Gallow
will email copies of proposed text amendment details to EDC members and
schedule the Text Amendment Subcommittee meeting.
VI. Old Business
A. Subcommittee Strategic Plan Priorities Updates:
1. Elevate Tourism- The Tourism Subcommittee, chaired by Shelly
Gross-Wade, noted overlap with the Travel and Tourism Committee
and therefore, the subcommittee members will be included in
monthly TTAC meetings.
2. Workforce Housing & Transportation- Shawna Payne, chair of the
Workforce Housing and Transportation Subcommittee, provided a
Subcommittee update. Ms. Payne shared details on topics in which
the subcommittee is currently focusing. They are discussing the need
for more housing units to address the problem of employees unable
to afford housing near their workplaces. She emphasized the
importance of using the term "attainable" instead of "affordable" to
avoid negative perceptions. Ms. Payne also highlighted the need to
educate the community about workforce housing and the income
levels required to afford housing in the county. She provided an
update on the average housing price in the county and the income
levels needed to support it. The subcommittee plans to invite
speakers from other counties to share strategies for developing
workforce housing and plans to educate residents on the differences
between workforce and affordable housing.
3. Business Growth & Attraction- Jim provided an update on the
Business Growth and Attraction subcommittee, focusing on
apprenticeships, real estate inventory, Ag Tourism, and comparing
county incentives with others
4. Community & Quality of Life- Subcommittee Chair, Ken Knight,
discussed the subcommittee's efforts to recruit healthcare providers
and gather community feedback, highlighting challenges in
representing the county's diverse demographics. The group agreed to
meet quarterly and explore presenting at the Four Seasons Country
Club to better understand community needs.
VII. EDC Member Updates
B. Ken Knight- Mr. Knight discussed challenges with the ACE program at Queen
Anne's County High School, noting a significant decrease in student
participation due to lack of faculty involvement.
C. University of MD Extension- Lee Bridgman shared upcoming events,
including the annual seed giveaway and the Women in Ag Conference.
C. Lara Wilson- Laura provided updates on hospital developments and a
potential partnership with Tidal Health for behavioral health services.
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EDC Meeting Minutes
February 25, 2026
D. Mason Popham -Mr. Popham offered insights on helping new businesses with
real estate and financial planning
E. Doug Silber- Mr. Silber discussed his testimony on the bridge project and
emphasized the need for organized business input on the bridge widening.
The group discussed collaborating on a survey to gather organized business
input on the bridge project.
F. John Anderes-Mr. Anderes shared that they are preparing for the gold season
to open but already experience a beautiful weather day that brought out 250
golfers to the course.
VIII. Liaison Updates
D. QAC Planning & Zoning - Steve Johnson provided a Planning &
Zoning update.
E. Workforce Development-Connie Dean, QACETD Workforce Development
Administrator, requested volunteers for tour guides, presenters, and career
tables at an upcoming event, Kelsey Karbaum offered to help with welding
and construction presentations on the second day.
C. Chesapeake College- Dave Harper provided updates on the college's
initiatives, including a new Vice President for Student Success and plans for a
new CTE center.
F. Kent Narrows Development Foundation- Gigi Windley provided the EDC
members with an update. Ms. Windley shared that she had attended the Bay
Bridge Project Study meeting and emphasized the outstanding information
that Doug Silber provided in his testimony. She shared that O Dental will be
moving into the previous space where The O Gift Shop was located. They
have recently met with the Bay Bridge Boat Show owners to review details
regarding the upcoming event. Ms. Windley attended the Chesapeake Bay
Ways Conference in Charlottesville to explore gateway community
opportunities and gather details for the grant technical assistance program.
She also attended the Destination DC conference as well.
E, Kim Kratovil- Ms. Kratovil highlighted the JA program's expansion to high
school students and mentioned upcoming events with Senator Alsobrooks
F. Centreville Town Council-Fred Bell introduced himself as the new economic
development liaison for Centerville and expressed interest in working with
the county
G. QAC Chamber of Commerce- Chamber President, Tracy Wilson, shared a
brief update. She stated that the Chamber recently hosted a Coffee
Connection meeting, and she had attended the Fireside Chat event with
Governor Moore.
VII. Adjourn- Ona motion made by Ken Knight and seconded by Jim Reilly, all
members present approved to adjourn the EDC meeting at 10:32am.
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