ED Now

In today’s economy, marketing missions serve as a cornerstone of economic development. They are strategic ventures that require careful planning, research, and execution, and success in these missions can yield significant investments, partnerships, and growth opportunities.

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. This edition: Elgin (Ill.) Development Group.

Has your community been named a best place to live or received a similar accolade? While this recognition is always great to see, what are you doing to maximize these accolades when marketing your area?

The 2023 Survey of Rural Challenges found that rural residents were twice as likely to say that they were optimistic about their community’s future than pessimistic. The survey also uncovered big disconnects between what rural residents want and what services and assistance are commonly offered to them.

Given the ongoing labor shortage, many communities are putting efforts into attracting and retaining talent that 20 years ago would have focused exclusively on business. The latest report from IEDC’s Economic Development Research Partners program explores how EDOs are taking strategic, proactive approaches to improving the assets they have to offer this smaller pool of workers, and promoting their communities with talent marketing collateral, remote worker attraction programs, and more.

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. This edition: Salt River (Ariz.) Project Economic Development.

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. This edition: Avondale (Ariz.) EDGE.

As an economic development professional, you know that attracting businesses to your community is crucial to fostering growth and success. One of the most powerful tools at your disposal is your website. With the right content and features, your website can showcase all your region's offerings and entice businesses to choose you over the competition. This article explores five key ways to use your website to attract businesses to your community. From telling your region's story through engaging content to promoting workforce opportunities and optimizing your website for efficiency, these tips will help you create a powerful online presence that will set you apart from the competition.