CLEARFIELD — Philadelphia Federal Reserve President and CEO Anna Paulson and Executive Vice President William Spaniel recently traveled to Clearfield to meet with leaders from Clearly Ahead Development to discuss the opportunities and challenges facing economic development in rural communities.

The visit provided an important opportunity to highlight Clearfield County’s economic landscape and the collaborative efforts underway to advance strategic development initiatives.

Conversations focused on several key priorities, including brownfield redevelopment, the use of Community Reinvestment Act credits, affordable housing needs and how current interest rates and monetary policy impact local investment projects.

Representatives from Clearly Ahead shared updates relating to ongoing community projects and partnerships designed to strengthen the county’s economy, attract new investment and expand opportunities for residents and businesses alike.

Following the discussion with CEO Rob Swales and Paul McCloskey, VP of Energy and Business Development, Federal Reserve officials toured the River’s Landing building. Swales and McCloskey shared successful examples of local brownfield redevelopment projects and visited the Clearfield Riverwalk to gain a firsthand look at recent revitalization efforts and the creation of community assets that continue to enhance quality of life in the region.

Clearly Ahead Development has facilitated the redevelopment of 32 brownfield projects in Clearfield County that have leveraged more than $388 million in private investment, the creation of more than 600 new jobs and the retention of more than 2,600 full-time jobs since its inception in 1999.