Team EDC

The EDC professional staff has the experience and expertise to meet the diverse growth and expansion needs of industry.

Rodney A. Crider, CCE, CEcD, President and CEO
rcrider@RowanEDC.com

Rod Crider currently serves as the president and CEO of the Rowan Economic Development Council in Salisbury, North Carolina. 

An experienced economic development and marketing executive, he joined the organization in 2017 after serving for 12 years as president of the Wayne Economic Development Council (WEDC) in Wooster, Ohio. During his term at the WEDC, the community was named by Site Selection magazine as one of the top six micropolitan areas in the US for new business growth for 11 consecutive years, and earned recognition as an “American Cities of the Future” for six consecutive years by Foreign Direct Investment magazine. Site Selection also named the WEDC as a Top Twenty economic development organization four times.   

During his tenure as President & CEO of the Rowan EDC, the organization moved to a public-private partnership model and raised $1.5 million from the private sector to support the community’s growth initiatives, including new programs for existing business retention, talent attraction and marketing. Since 2019, Rowan County has seen its two largest-ever investment attraction project announcements totaling over 4,000 jobs and $735 million in capital investment from those projects alone. The Charlotte Business Journal has named Rowan County as one of the region’s hot spots for new business activity. Crider also serves as chair of the Charlotte Regional Business Alliance Economic Development Advisory Council (EDAC) and is a member of its Board of Directors and Executive Committee.

Throughout his 40-year career, Crider has assisted many communities in furthering their economic and community development interests. Prior to his service in Ohio, he worked with economic development organizations and chambers of commerce in Michigan, Tennessee, Virginia, Indiana and Ohio.

He has also been engaged as a consultant to several communities throughout the Midwest in the areas of strategic planning, leadership transition, regional economic development models, place marketing and economic development funding.  

He is a past president of the Mid-America Economic Development Council and founder of the Great Lakes Economic Development Council. He was appointed by Ohio Governor John Kasich to serve on the Ohio Tax Credit Authority, a position he held for eight years. He served two terms as chair of the International Economic Development Council’s International Advisory Committee. He is a past director of the Virginia, Tennessee and Michigan Economic Developers associations.

Crider earned his MBA degree from Madonna University in 2007. He is also a graduate of Western Michigan University, The Institute for Organization Management at Notre Dame University and the Economic Development Institute at the University of Oklahoma. 

Crider has earned the distinction of “Certified Economic Developer” from the International Economic Development Council and “Certified Chamber Executive” from the Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives. Crider is one of less than two dozen active development professionals to hold both certifications.

Crider and his wife Rita are the parents of four adult children and have two grandchildren.

Scott Shelton, Vice President
scott@RowanEDC.com

Scott joined the Rowan EDC in 2009 and currently serves as Vice President.

Scott is responsible for the overall project management of both the existing industry expansion and company recruitment efforts of the Rowan EDC.  He also works with our public and private sector partners to identify, enhance, and maintain an inventory of certified shovel-ready sites in Rowan County. 

He is also responsible for the preparation and submittal of completed RFIs for recruitment projects as well as maintaining the Rowan EDC database of available properties.  In addition, Scott works with our existing industries and local municipalities to provide information and support as needed.

Scott is a member of the North Carolina Economic Development Association and the International Economic Development Council.  Prior to joining the Rowan EDC, he spent 14 years in local and state government. 

A native of Martinsville, Virginia, Scott received his bachelor’s degree in public administration and history from Elon University and his MPA from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.  He and his wife Michelle are the parents of two adult children.

 

Kendall Henderson, Director of Business Services
kendall@RowanEDC.com

Joining the Rowan EDC team as the Director of Business Development in 2017, Kendall is charged with identifying and attracting new businesses to Rowan County, and facilitates the growth, retention and expansion of existing companies.

Kendall oversees a strategic marketing campaign to directly target site selectors, commercial real estate professionals, industrial brokers and company leaders. She is responsible for generating new leads, managing relationships, engaging with local businesses, attending industry specific conferences and hosting marketing events.

Kendall was born and raised in Palm Beach, Florida and received her bachelor’s degree from The University of North Carolina at Wilmington.

 

Mollie Ruf, Marketing & Communications Manager
mollie@RowanEDC.com

Mollie joined Rowan EDC in January 2023 as the Marketing & Communications Manager.

She previously served as Promotions Director at Downtown Salisbury, Inc. for three years and arrived at the EDC after more than six years as the Director of Digital Services at Miller Davis, Inc.

With the EDC, Mollie will help elevate the organization’s brand and visibility by developing and implementing marketing programs that support the organization’s efforts to attract businesses and talent to Rowan County, and provide expansion services to existing businesses. She also leads efforts to grow the EDC’s social media presence, maintain and enhance the website, and prepare written and visual creative content.

The Kansas City, Missouri native received a bachelor of science degree in Communications with an emphasis in Public Relations from Florida Southern College. She leads the Rowan County Young Professionals, a program of the Rowan Chamber of Commerce, and is a current board member of the chamber. In 2023, she was the inaugural recipient of the Young Professional of the Year award given by the Rowan Chamber. She has been a resident of Rowan County since 2009 and is accompanied by her husband J.R. Kessler.

 

Joanie Michael, Administrative Services Manager
jmichael@RowanEDC.com

Joanie joined the Rowan EDC in 2020 as Administrative Services Manager. She most recently worked with the accounting firm Sharrard, McGee & Co. in Greensboro.

She supports the EDC organization and staff in the day-to-day operations of the office, including human resources oversight, managing relationships with office-related vendors, and support of the financial functions of the organization.

Joanie is a graduate of Mount Olive College, where she earned degrees in Business Administration and Leadership. In addition to her work in public accounting, she has worked as a community service representative in the medical and education industries.