RVI is a non-profit committed to community development, disaster recovery, stable neighborhoods, and housing development within the Driftless Region.
To date, our work has resulted in over $25 million in increased tax base in Southwest Wisconsin since 2017. Our network of investors and developers, along with our research-driven concepts, spark investment and ultimately needed housing and services that help communities thrive
We develop infill in your community to maximize your neighborhood potential and mitigate blight. This results in economic development, a more stable tax base, and workforce, attracting further housing investment, industry, and business, as well as the quality of life.
A healthy community is able to invest in recreation, parks, and activities that make communities vibrant and attractive.
- We work to find, plan, and implement innovative projects that through public and private participation, can change a disaster –empty storefronts, blighted neighborhoods, closing business, natural disaster, and poor marketing and business development into an opportunity for growth and renewal.
- We partner with businesses, communities, and regions–working to build community assets, revitalize a neighborhood, preserve architectural assets and historic structures through adaptive re-use strategies, or inspire a region.
- We find ways to brand and market your community and strengthen your main street with you.
- We work with you to connect the opportunity that is present in all sorts of challenges with a success-oriented plan to go forward.
- We work with you to recover and thrive by connecting smart decision-making with public and private resources to grow business, housing, and community assets.
Economic development is a broad goal, but simply stated it comes down to the development of local communities. Lasting and sustainable community development embraces affordable housing options, appealing activities and infrastructure investment in transportation, trails, and parks, unique offerings in events and tourism, provides for vital services and ensures success with optimizing marketing services and online presence. to secure property and to stimulate investment.
PROJECT DIRECTORS
J .D. Milburn
As Downtown Business Specialist for the State of Wisconsin for over 13 years, and extensive commercial financial lending experience, J.D., has executed over 20 business recruitment campaigns, and consulted with over 2,500 businesses in a one-to-one situation.
Within his team, he has assisted to create 4,599 new businesses, 20,492 jobs, which created over $935 Million in new tax base, and over $1,244 Billion in downtown public and private investor confidence.
He is successful at attracting funds and talent within many strata of financial resources, including institutional, pensions, insurance firms, Wall Street public resources and individual match making of business funding needs.
JD understands the needs of our communities, from a comprehensive plan, complex financial resources, to cutting edge marketing solutions, and has the expertise to assemble the project resources needed to benefit our communities.
Julia Henley
Julia has over 20 years’ experience as a designer, community developer, planning professional, and project manager in housing and commercial design, including hospitality, assisted living, community development, and business start-ups, for both public and private projects. Excelling at strategic planning, creative project visioning, communications and public relations, Julia has often provided leadership for the implementation of complex and ground breaking development projects, including Centering Onalaska (1998)—a main street revitalization effort, founded Clearwater Farm Foundation (1999)–which still operates a working farmlet located within the city to demonstrate and teach guiding principles of living with the land, and which resulted in preservation of historic property and adaptive reuse of its buildings. She managed ancillary development and educational opportunities, and worked to expand access to green space, trails and bluffs for the community.
In addition to consulting to developers, contractors, and homeowners, she developed Savannah Village (2006) , a planned community, as well as a number of private developments and projects throughout the Midwest. She has served as local Recovery & Development Director for the relocation of flooded community Gays Mills (2010-2013), managing and leveraging state and federal recovery funds from local, state and federal sources to double the value in tax base.
With her commitment to the ongoing promotion and economic development within the region, she also partners with Uniminds as editorial director to publish Sustainable Driftless Magazine, a quarterly Driftless Region online news and original content source.
She is a board member of Sustainable Driftless, a non profit working to protect, brand, develop, and market the Driftless Region through educational materials, digital media, film, and print.
A career long commitment to sustainable solutions means working to achieve a balance between economic growth, historic respect, and environmental protection and development has resulted in “win-win” results in projects and for partners and team members. She is a speaker on topics ranging from design to community involvement to disaster recovery, as well as writer, planner, and designer.