Research Park at SDSU
On March 24, 2025, Matty Kerr, Business Counselor with South Dakota Small Business Development Center (SBDC) and Business Development Specialist with Brookings Economic Development Corporation (BEDC), received certification as an Economic Development Finance Professional (EDFP) from the Grow America. EDFP Certification is a professional credential given to individuals who successfully complete Grow America’s intensive economic development finance training series. The training provides individuals working in the field of economic development with instruction in business credit analysis, real estate financing, loan packaging, deal structuring and negotiating and the creation and implementation of development programs.
Each of the four EDFP Certification Program courses are five days in length and concludes with an exam. Upon successful completion of all four courses, the candidate is awarded EDFP Certification.
Kerr brings a new energy for business development, community engagement, and economic growth to her roles with BEDC and SBDC. With a Bachelor of Science in Entrepreneurial Studies from South Dakota State University (SDSU) and a Master of Business Administration from Dakota Wesleyan University (DSU), Kerr is well-equipped to support business attraction, expansion, and innovation in the Brookings region. Before joining BEDC, she spent over five years at SDSU as the Program Advisor for University Traditions, where she gained expertise in leadership development, alumni engagement, and fundraising. She also previously worked as a Talent Management Coordinator at the SDSU Foundation. In her current role, Kerr leads efforts to attract businesses to the area, runs BEDC’s business retention and expansion program, supports entrepreneurs, and collaborates with economic development leadership to drive regional economic vitality.
Grow America’s work focuses on HOMES, JOBS and COMMUNITY. Founded as a national nonprofit in 1969, Grow America has worked for 46 years fulfilling its mission to increase the flow of capital for investment in low-income communities. Grow America directs capital to support the preservation and creation of affordable housing, the creation of jobs through training and small business lending and the promotion of livable communities through investment in social infrastructure. Grow America’s products and services are deployed for the benefit of our municipal and nonprofit partners in both urban and rural low-income communities.
Grow America has provided training to over 70,000 professionals working in the fields of economic and housing development. Participants come from diverse backgrounds including city and state governments, public agencies, community-based organizations, professional organizations and banks.
Grow America is headquartered in New York City with offices in Cleveland, OH and Dallas, TX. For more information about Grow America, please visit: www.growamerica.org/.
