The Southeastern Regional Development Agency (SERDA) hosted a grand opening at its new facility on Thursday, welcoming the community to tour the building located on Fairgrounds Road in Price.
SERDA, formerly known as the Southeast Utah Association of Local Governments, is governed by a board of directors. Three years ago, Geri Gamber, Executive Director of SERDA, approached board chair Bruce Adams to request a new building. She said that he was supportive from the start, along with the rest of the board.
From there, the organization approached the Community Impact Board (CIB), which grants funding that comes from minerals lease moneys. The CIB also supported the project, while Carbon County stepped in and donated the land on Fairgrounds Road to become the new home of SERDA.
“We were really lucky that we had a lot of experts, and now we have this beautiful outcome,” Gamber said.
With the new location came the new brand of the agency. Jade Powell, SERDA Deputy Director, spoke on the process of rebranding. For decades, the organization has served Carbon, Emery, Grand and San Juan counties with programs ranging from senior services, food banks, and other poverty-alleviation aid assisting with community and economic development through planning and revolving loan funds.
Powell explained that during the process of rebranding, the team kept coming back to one word: development. The services provided by the agency revolve around economic development, community development, capital development and the development of social services.
“We just felt that it was all encompassing,” Powell said, while also emphasizing that SERDA focuses on Southeast Utah as a region, and every decision and program aims to benefit that region as a whole.
Following additional speeches from the SERDA team, a surprise came from the unveiling of the building’s sign. A large crowd gathered as the sign was uncovered, revealing the new building as the Bruce B. Adams Building in honor of the man who helped make the new facility possible.
The day continued with a ribbon cutting courtesy of the Carbon County Chamber of Commerce, along with tours of the new facility and lunch.
