ED Now

Each new year brings new leadership to IEDC’s board of directors. Bryan Daniels, president and CEO of Blount Partnership in Blount County, Tennessee, will serve as IEDC’s board chair in 2025.

When we commit to living a life of positive influence—as we do in the economic development profession—we can end each day knowing we’ve changed someone’s life for the better. Still, even the most veteran among us could benefit from tips on how to maximize our potential for influencing others. In his book “The Gift of Influence: Creating Life-Changing and Lasting Impact in Your Everyday Interactions,” Tommy Spaulding explains that living a life of positive influence boils down to three key everyday behaviors: showing interest, investing in others, and being intentional.

Former IEDC board chair and veteran economic development executive Tom Kucharski, CEcD, HLM, has served as the architect behind major regional transformations. Kucharski is a quoted economic development expert in national publications such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, and Newsweek. In this article, he offers insights and advice for economic developers serving today and into the future.

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. In this edition we hear from former IEDC board member John Sternlicht, CEcD, FM, HLM, who heads the Economic Development Alliance of Skagit County, Washington—a North American tulip capital.

Michael Martella, CEcD, senior economic development project manager for the Town of Gilbert (Ariz.), recently became a Certified Economic Developer. By passing the rigorous, two-part exam, CEcDs prove their comprehensive knowledge of the field and readiness to tackle economic development challenges. What was the most important thing you learned while earning your CEcD? How valuable and strong of a network fellow CEcDs are. During my exam preparation I reached out to numerous CEcDs to gain insight and advice, and they were all so willing to help. How will your CEcD help you in your work? The knowledge I gained and relationships I made while earning my CEcD have already helped me tremendously. I’ve learned new skills, sharpened ...

In recent years, our economic development profession, organizations, and the communities we serve have faced seemingly unprecedented challenges and uncertainties. What makes leaders effective in turbulent times? In his book Leadership Reinvented, Hamza Khan points to four strategies: practicing empathy, exercising servitude, driving diversity, and sparking innovation. According to Khan, such leadership is the art of continuous reinvention.

Each new year brings new leadership to IEDC’s board of directors. Dr. Eloisa Klementich, CEcD, president and CEO of Invest Atlanta, will serve as IEDC’s board chair in 2024.

At IEDC’s Annual Conference in September, the Accredited Economic Development Organization (AEDO) program hosted the Future of Economic Development roundtable discussion session. The session examined four trends impacting EDOs: quiet hiring, staying knowledgeable in a rapidly expanding industry, strategic planning in a post-pandemic world, and integrating technology and data tools.