Staff

IEDC’s professional staff is well-connected and ready to help you every step of the way. Our seven-member team has a wide range of skills and works with partners across the region to bring businesses the resources they need.

Tamara Lowney
President & CEO

Staff

Tamara hails from rural Hill City, Minnesota. With a goal of gaining knowledge and experience, she spent the first 20 years of her career working throughout the US and internationally for ARAMARK. She led hospitality organizations in Alaska, Ohio and California, before hiring on to...

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Rob Sjostrand
Business Consultant

Staff

Rob Sjostrand is a native to Itasca County, born and raised in Grand Rapids, MN. He graduated from Grand Rapids High School. He then graduated from Devry Institute of Technology in 1995 with his Bachelor of Science degree with an emphasis on accounting. Rob has...

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Amanda Lamppa
Project Manager

Staff

Born and raised in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, Amanda graduated from Itasca Community College and the University of Minnesota Duluth, obtaining a bachelor’s degree in psychology. Following her passion for rural initiatives and building strong community, she held executive positions at two local non-profits. Her organizational...

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Nichole Arbour
Business Consultant

Staff

Born and raised in Grand Rapids, improving the community has long been a passion of Nichole’s. After obtaining a degree in education from College of Saint Benedict, Nichole began as an educator in Central MN and from there to the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area to...

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Kayla Swanson
Operations & Outreach Manager

Staff

Born and raised in Taconite, enhancing and shining a light on the many assets of Itasca County has always been a passion of Kayla's. In 2013, Kayla graduated from Greenway High School and decided that she wanted to stay in Itasca County for just a while longer. She...

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Teri Heikkila
Finance Manager

Staff

Teri began working at IEDC in January of 2000. Initially hired part-time to support the team, it quickly became full time as she took on more responsibilities. Over the past twenty years, Teri has remained an anchor and historian of the organization. She is responsible...

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Stacia Rom
Office Assistant

Staff

Stacia Rom joined our team in August of 2022 as our Office Assistant. Stacia grew up in the area and considers herself a product of Cohasset Elementary. She graduated from GRHS in the early 2000's. After graduation, she attended college in the Twin Cities and landed...