Wayne Economic Development Corporation (WEDCO) will host their Annual Meeting & Dinner on Thursday, April 10,  at Bryn Mawr Conference Center north of Honesdale. John P. Blake, Executive Deputy Secretary, Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) will deliver the keynote address.
The Annual Meeting will begin at 6 p.m. with a complimentary social hour, including hors d’oeuvres and a jazz ensemble.  A buffet dinner will follow at 7 p.m. 
Event sponsors include PPL Utilities, Reilly Associates, and Camp Bryn Mawr.
All are welcome to attend.  Seating for the dinner is limited, and reservations are required.  The cost is $80 per person; $75 per person with two or more reservations.  Tables of eight are also available at a discounted cost.  Contact WEDCO at (570)253-5334 or info@wedcorp.org for reservations.
Mr. Blake serves as Chief Operating Officer for DCED - a Pennsylvania state agency with 350 full-time staff and an average annual budget of $600 million.  He supervises six offices within DCED:  Business Assistance; Technology Investment; Community Affairs and Development; Tourism and Economic Development Marketing; International Business Development; and Administration.
Mr. Blake will be speaking near the time WEDCO expects to break ground at Sterling Business Park in Sterling Township. 
“We are about to take a significant step in this county in terms of business growth and development,” stated WEDCO President, Atty. Alfred J. Howell.  “John is at the forefront of economic development in the Commonwealth.  We are very pleased that he has agreed to be our speaker, and look forward to hearing how our Business Park and Wayne County fit with the Commonwealth’s economic development priorities and activities.”
Mr. Blake has over 25 years of experience in housing, community and economic development in both the public and private sector.  Immediately prior to joining DCED, he served as Director for the Northeast Office of the Governor, serving as a liaison for the administration to 15 counties of Northeast PA.
Mr. Blake also served as Vice President and Senior Development Advisor for PNC Bank in its Northeast and Central PA markets.  At PNC, he managed and grew a $35 Million corporate-wide portfolio of community development loans and investments and stewarded PNC Foundation funding in two regional markets.
In 1998, Mr. Blake was selected from among 9,000 applicants nationwide for a 2-year Community Builders Fellowship at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, serving out of HUD’s PA State Office in Philadelphia and working with local officials in HUD entitlement jurisdictions throughout Eastern PA. 
He also served as Executive Director for the Lackawanna County Redevelopment Authority, where he secured and managed over $50 million in federal, state and private investment for housing, public works and infrastructure improvement projects in support of business and job growth in Northeast PA.
He is a 1982 graduate of Villanova University; he completed Executive Education in Public Management at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government; he holds a Masters degree in Social Work from Marywood College; and in 2001 completed his MBA in Finance from the University of Scranton’s Kania School of Management.
WEDCO’s Annual Meeting & Dinner will also feature updates on local development, including Sterling Business Park and the Hawley Bridge Project.  Those attending will have the opportunity to share ideas and concerns with the Board of Directors and others investing in the economic future of the region.
WEDCO is a non-profit corporation comprised of businesses, and partners with state, county, and municipal governments to work towards the economic advancement of our communities.  More information is available at www.wedcorp.org.