ED Now

Diana Goss, MBA, EDP, executive director of the DeKalb County (Ala.) Entrepreneurial Center, is part of the third 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 pursued the EDP credential to develop a strong foundation in and understanding of entrepreneurship for my new career at the DeKalb County Entrepreneurial Center. How will your EDP credential support your community's economic recovery? First, we are starting a countywide ...

Communities, developers, and real estate asset managers will continue to need to reimagine and reinvent shopping malls into mixed-use redevelopments. The availability of large amounts of land, building space, parking capacity, and typically superior access to roadway connections, provides the physical resources to transform malls from predominantly single-use spaces to a dramatically more varied mix of uses.

Daniel Mitchell, EDP, SMARTstart program director for the Pasco (Fla.) Economic Development Council, is part of the third 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 find value in learning best practices from peers and building connections in the entrepreneurship development community. I believe having a shared experience with credentialing as well as involvement in an industry association helps facilitate this. How will your EDP ...

Public libraries across the United States have the opportunity to empower the next generation of entrepreneurs in their communities—especially for underserved populations—according to a July report from the American Library Association (ALA). The report follows the conclusion of the two-year Libraries Build Business (LBB) initiative from ALA. The LBB program funded a cohort of 13 public libraries that established programming and resources for entrepreneurs in their communities. In the regions where it was piloted, the program was a huge success—even though it took place entirely during the pandemic. A survey of small business owners who engaged with LBB programming found that two-thirds of respondents would be “very ...

IEDC’s 2022 Annual Conference will be held next month in Oklahoma City. A few of our local conference speakers shared some exciting economic development projects happening around the state.

IEDC recently held a webinar titled “Truth, Myth, and Mystery: Making Sense of Real Estate Today” based on the latest report from the Economic Development Research Partners (EDRP). The speakers discussed the latest trends in real estate for economic developers to know from multiple perspectives. Economic developers risk irrelevance in industrial real estate unless they keep up with the best practices in site marketing and preparation, according to Courtney Dunbar, CEcD, EDFP, AICP, director of site selection at Burns & McDonnell. Dunbar explained the importance of preparing and organizing due diligence material for potential buyers so they can quickly assess the suitability of the site. Clear labeling of key components of ...

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 Dublin (Ohio) Division of Economic Development.

Nathan Tafoya, CEcD, EDP, executive director of Mount Pleasant (Texas) Economic Development Corporation, is part of the first 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 wanted the EDP certification for a variety of reasons. Primarily, I wanted to demonstrate to myself and to my community that I had the credibility and knowledge to strategically vision and execute on entrepreneurship initiatives. While I hold both an MBA and a CEcD, I ...