ED Now

Carol A. Minor, MBA, EDFP, ABPA, EDP—manager of entrepreneur services for the Hillsborough County Department of Economic Development, and center director of the Florida SBDC at Hillsborough County—is part of the second cohort of certified Entrepreneurship Development Professionals. IEDC’s EDP credential is designed to build capacity for those supporting entrepreneurship in their communities, and demonstrates the skills and expertise to lead communities through entrepreneurship-led economic development (ELED). Why did you decide to pursue the EDP credential? I have worked with small businesses and entrepreneurs for more than 30 years providing lending, pre- and post-loan technical assistance, and professional business ...

Through my personal and professional networks, I’ve found that people have one of two mindsets when it comes to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI): to fully embrace the movement or to question its importance. Whether you’re energized or fatigued by all the DEI talk, it’s clear that conversations around this topic, without any action or strategy, can simply feel like a fad. DEI should not be a fad centered around doing a series of trainings, checking off some boxes, and moving on. It should be an integral part of every organization’s culture and financial metrics. In this post I would like to focus on the I in DEI: inclusion. The word gets thrown around loosely (along with the D and the E), and I’m not ...

IEDC’s Racism and Economic Development (RED) Committee is seeking five communities to participate in the first Equity Communities cohort and receive technical assistance to promote equitable practices and standards. Participating communities will work with IEDC and subject matter experts for one year to create individualized Equity Action Plans based on local needs and challenges. Technical assistance and facilitation will occur onsite and virtually and include multiple “touch points'' over the span of the project. Additionally, communities will engage in peer activities to share experiences and best practices, and become members of IEDC’s RED Committee. We are seeking a diverse group of communities to participate. ...

ReLaunch is an innovative small business grant program led by BizLaunch, Arlington Economic Development’s small business division. Designed specifically to support diverse, legacy-owned microenterprises as they recover from COVID-19 impacts, ReLaunch provides much-needed business products and tactical strategies to help them quickly pivot and compete in the evolving small business ecosystem. The program offers free personalized business services and advanced technology tools that allow microentrepreneurs to discover new customers and launch or expand online sales. We anticipate that this program will support approximately 500 small businesses over a two-year period. The total program cost is approximately $1 million; funding sources ...

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 newly accredited AEDOs, putting some of economic development's highest-performing organizations in the spotlight. This edition: City of Dallas Office of Economic Development.

Bloomberg’s 2021 Global Mayors Challenge has chosen its 50 Champion Cities. This year’s contest was open to cities with a population of more than 100,000 and centered around innovative ideas for COVID-19 recovery. Each applicant city was evaluated based on four criteria: vision, potential for impact, feasibility, and transferability. A record 631 applicant cities from 99 countries across six continents addressed a variety of topics, including health and wellness, economic recovery and inclusive growth, equality and good governance, climate and environment, food security, mental health, and education. One of this year’s Champion Cities, Rochester, Minn., addresses the unemployment rate of BIPOC women. According to city ...

Taking on Structural Racism in Economic Development was the first webinar of IEDC’s Equitable Economic Development Playbook initiative in collaboration with the Rockefeller Foundation. Panelists agreed that diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) are crucial for economic development. IEDC’s Equity and Economic Development Survey found that entrepreneurship and small business development, economic development finance, and workforce development are perceived as having the highest rates of economic inequity. Gregory Johnson, managing director of the Rockefeller Foundation’s U.S. Equity and Economic Opportunity initiative, said “Equity is opportunity.” He highlighted that “history has been rooted in ...

The Urban Institute hosted a webinar to discuss how some retail businesses have invested in frontline workers and helped them adapt to the new normal. The webinar focused on how retailers can support the advancement of frontline workers, how the pandemic is changing the retail sector, and how talent strategies can help make businesses more resilient. According to Gayatri Agnew, senior director at Walmart, work needs to be structured in a way that promotes the economic mobility of frontline workers since their lack of formal education limits opportunities. It is not just about what one single retailer does, but how employers can collectively create paths for American workers. Advancement for frontline workers can mean promotions. ...