Economic Development Now - July 19, 2010

Creating Awareness and Value of a Vacant Site: Get Partners, and Get Them Early
When GM announced the closure of its Moraine, Ohio, assembly plant, the community didn’t sit back and wring its hands. It’s been getting regional buy-in for redevelopment, accessing federal resources, and networking with investors, redevelopers and brokers.

After Years of Decay, Tax Increment Financing Is Remaking North Fort Collins
The North College area of Fort Collins, Colo., is gaining about $100 million in public and private investments, even as the effects of the recession hang on. The city’s use of tax increment financing has been key to getting the bulldozers rolling.

Five Big Flops in Economic Development
There’s much to be learned from economic development success stories – but perhaps even more enlightening is a look at what doesn’t work. Here are some slip-ups to avoid, borne from 50 years’ experience in the business.

Free IEDC Publications for Download

NEW: Getting Prepared: Economic Development in a Transforming Energy Economy
While the specifics of the transition to a low-carbon economy are still being debated both nationally and internationally, it appears likely that some type of cap and trade or carbon pricing will emerge. This report helps economic developers and those in related fields think about how they can position their economies to benefit from the transition.

Creating Quality Jobs: Transforming the Economic Development Landscape
As the role of economic developers has expanded to include everything from technology transfer to attracting retail to expand a community’s tax base, the profession must examine the types of jobs it is creating and how well they meet the needs of individuals and communities in a globalized, skill-based economy. This report identifies the role of economic developers in creating quality jobs and improving the quality of existing jobs.

Sustainability Roundtable Summary Paper
In partnership with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Office of Brownfields and Land Revitalization (OBLR), IEDC hosted a Sustainability Roundtable discussion during the 2009 Annual Conference. The event brought together EPA representatives, economic development professionals, and others who are actively engaged in sustainable development initiatives. This summary paper builds on the discussion at the roundtable to examine emerging trends, successful strategies, and continuing challenges in this cutting-edge area of economic development.

An Improved Federal Response to Post-Disaster Economic Recovery
This report identifies capacity, resource and regulatory constraints imposed on local communities after a disaster, and presents a series of recommendations on how federal partners could better assist communities in their recovery effort.

Economic Development Journal - Spring 2010

The Spring 2010 issue of economic development's premiere publication is now available to download. Articles include:

• Innovation and Transformation in the Buckeye State
• Unique Collaboration Bolsters Central Ohio’s Entrepreneurial Capacity
• How Economic Development Teams Must Move up the Value Proposition Scale with Business Leaders
• Hometown Entrepreneurs: Creative Approaches to Nurturing Businesses
• Sector Based Talent Attraction & Retention: A Case Study of the Columbus Logistics Industry
• A Case for the Main Street Approach®: A New Venture in Economic Restructuring

IEDC News

OCO Global and IEDC Create New Partnership

OCO Global and IEDC have partnered together to offer a discount on the fDi Intelligence portfolio tools for IEDC members. Those not yet members, IEDC will provide a 1 year complimentary IEDC membership when they sign up for the fDi Intelligence portfolio tools. OCO Global is the distributor of these leading FDI tracking tools from the Financial Times Ltd. in North America. Learn more.

2009 AEDO Benchmarking Excellence Report

IEDC and The Georgia Tech Enterprise Innovation Institute have launched a new initiative to create up-to-date benchmarks by surveying current AEDOs (Accredited Economic Development Organizations). Stakeholders from each organization were asked to assess their organization on the basis of 10 key indicators related to quality management. The AEDOs received top marks in the management areas of Customer and Market Focus, Partnerships and Relationships, and Results. To learn more, read the full report (2.6 Mb PDF).

IEDC Publications

Primer on Globalization

IEDC’s newest membership category, the Economic Development Research Partners, is a think-tank environment which supports practice-oriented research. The Partnership’s first product is the Primer on Globalization (994 Kb PDF), a guide to the transformational forces shaping the economic development needs of US communities. The Primer delineates the opportunities and challenges presented to economic developers by our rapidly globalizing economy.

IEDC Announces Launch of Climate Prosperity Handbook

The Climate Prosperity Handbook is a free guide to informing communities of the economic benefits of proactively pursuing sustainable development and climate action strategies. The handbook demonstrates the utility of adopting the three-part agenda of the Climate Prosperity Project Green Savings/ Green Opportunities/ Green Talent.