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Strong entrepreneurial ecosystems require more than programs and resources. They require trust, accessibility and clear connections that help entrepreneurs know where to turn when they need support. In the latest Economic Development Insights Series, Buddy Rizer, CEcD, EDP, explores how economic development organizations can become an entrepreneur’s first trusted call, reduce friction across the entrepreneurial journey and build stronger relationships across the ecosystem. Drawing on Loudoun County’s Launch Loudoun model, the issue offers practical strategies for designing support around the entrepreneur journey and measuring relationships alongside traditional economic development outcomes. Read Building a Proactive ...

IEDC’s Accredited Economic Development Organization (AEDO) program recognizes organizational excellence in the areas of internal and external operations, structures, and procedures. This series profiles recently accredited AEDOs, putting some of economic development’s highest-performing organizations in the spotlight. AEDO Member: Partnership Gwinnett Accreditation Date: June 2026 Distinction: Partnership Gwinnett is the fourth accredited organization in Georgia. Service Area: Partnership Gwinnett serves a community of more than one million residents, 34,000 businesses, and over 500 international firms. Gwinnett County is located in north-central Georgia and is a part of the Metro Atlanta region. Organization Overview: ...

IEDC’s new Data Centers Resource Library, an exclusive IEDC member benefit, gives economic development professionals a single place to find credible, practical information for evaluating and navigating data center development. The library brings together more than 100 guides, toolkits, reports, templates, and frameworks covering site readiness, economic and community impacts, incentives, permitting, power and energy, water, sustainability, workforce development, and the growing AI economy. Whether your community is considering its first data center project or refining an existing strategy, the hub is designed to help practitioners ask better questions, understand the tradeoffs, and make more informed development decisions. IEDC ...

The latest monthly installment of IEDC's Economic Development Insights Series explores findings from the 2025 State of the Field Survey to better understand the organizational factors associated with dependence on federal funding. Exclusively available to IEDC members, What Predicts Economic Development Organizations’ Reliance on Federal Funding? examines whether federal funding reliance is driven by the size of the population an organization serves or by its organizational structure and mission. As federal funding priorities continue to evolve, these insights can help economic development organizations better understand funding patterns, assess financial resilience, and inform long-term strategic planning. Access the Report

For decades, rural economic development has run on a single metric: jobs created. A company announces a project, elected officials hold a press conference, and the headline reads “500 new jobs.” The entire political justification for incentive packages, land deals, and tax abatements has orbited around that number. Communities measure success by it. Legislators justify public investment through it. Economic developers keep score with it. Data centers do not fit that model. And that mismatch is what makes them one of the strongest economic development opportunities rural communities have encountered in a generation. A Structural Shift, Not a Trend Pew Research Center reported in April 2026 that 67% of all new data centers ...

As part of IEDC’s 100th anniversary year, we are proud to relaunch the Economic Development Journal (EDJ), a trusted source of knowledge and thought leadership exclusively for IEDC members. An annual publication sponsored by IEDC’s Economic Development Research Partners (EDRP) program, the renewed journal features peer-reviewed research and practitioner-driven insights on the issues shaping communities today, from workforce transformation and entrepreneurship-led development to foreign direct investment, regional collaboration, and more. This new chapter reinforces IEDC’s commitment to advancing the field through credible, data-driven content that helps practitioners navigate an increasingly complex economic ...

The latest installment of IEDC's Economic Development Insights Series explores findings from the 2025 State of the Economic Development Field Survey to better understand the factors driving technology adoption, learning, and professional growth across the profession. What Actually Drives Technology Adoption and Professional Development in Economic Development? examines how practitioners engage with emerging tools and training opportunities, the barriers they face, and the organizational conditions that support innovation and continuous learning. As economic development continues to evolve, these insights can help organizations make more informed decisions about workforce development, technology investments, and professional capacity ...

Dimensions of Economic Development Practice presents findings from IEDC’s State of the Field survey, exploring how practitioners define the varied aspects of economic development in their own words. Further, it advances understanding of how the profession's evolving dimensions reflect broader shifts toward data-driven and inclusive growth. Access the Report