"Building Economic Success Together" is the theme of the Carbon County Economic Development Corporation annual meeting and dinner to be held Wednesday, Dec. 6. at the Mahoning Valley Country Club

Everyone is welcome to join the CCEDC for the 5 to 6 p.m. cocktail hour. The cocktail hour will be followed by several speakers discussing the economic status of Carbon County. Ron Tirpak, president, will open the dinner program with comments on the year and future plans for the organization.Before the dinner, a new director will be elected and multiple members re-elected to the board.Tirpak is an engineer and businessman, he is the president of Carbon Engineering Inc., Summit Hill, Pennsylvania. He graduated from Pennsylvania State University B.S. degrees in civil and sanitary engineering. He is a registered professional engineer and a professional land surveyor in Pennsylvania.He is presently serving as a director on the Carbon County Economic Development Corporation.Keynote speaker is Donald Jakeway, president and CEO of Brooks Development Authority. BDA is one of the unique public/private economic development agencies in the United States. Through an unprecedented partnership between the City of San Antonio and the United States Air Force, the former Brooks Air Force Base is being redeveloped into a world-class research and technology center. BDA was recently awarded the coveted "AEDO" - Accredited Economic Development Organization designation by the International Economic Development Council.Jakeway previously led the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC), the $100 million public/private economic development agency for the state of Michigan. He also served the State of Ohio as the director of the Ohio Department of Development (ODOD) for seven years. This $1.5 billion agency was named one of the 'top ten agencies inn the world' for two straight years by Site Selection Magazine. Don currently serves on the board of directors of the International Economic Development Council (IEDC) and was recently awarded the 'Lifetime Leadership Award' for public Service. He also serves on the board of directors of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, located in Canton, Ohio.Jakeway will be speaking about the power of public/private partnerships and how working together in a community is the secret to economic success.DHenry Derosiers, director of Carbon County Veterans Affairs Department, will be speaking about some of the programs of the Veterans Affairs Department and also about the 70th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor (December 7th, 1941), the day that will live in infamy.Dawn Ferrante, executive director, Carbon County Economic Development Corporation, will provide additional information on the state of the county and will highlight this year's theme of Building Economic Success Together. She is also the director of the Carbon County Economic Development Department. She has held both positions since February of 2009. Ferrante is responsible for supporting local businesses, attracting new business, and developing entrepreneurs in Carbon County. Prior to her role in Economic Development, she was a business and technology consultant and was a project manager on large implementations for Verizon, AT&T, and many other Fortune 500 clients for more than 17 years.RSVP to Ferrante at (570) 325-2810 ext. 1 or email

DawnFerrante@carboncounty.net.