ED Now

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 IEDC's board secretary and treasurer Danielle Casey, CEcD, EDFP, who heads the Albuquerque (N.M.) Regional Economic Alliance.

Everyone loves a good podcast—whether it’s true crime, self-improvement, or professional development. New shows are always popping up, and the economic development field is no exception. In the last couple of years, we’ve seen several informative economic development podcasts burst onto the scene that are worth your time if you’d like to squeeze in more professional development while commuting, making dinner, or working out. Here are five economic development podcasts that regularly publish new content to keep you informed, help you mine new ideas, and stay up to date in the field. Develop This!: Economic & Community Development Develop This! explores all things related to transformational community ...

In September Brookings Metro and the Center for Economic Inclusion will launch the Growth Intermediary Practitioner Network. Growth Intermediaries are organizations or partnerships that work with and through the business community to advance socially beneficial economic change and can take a variety of forms, including EDOs, chambers of commerce, corporate leadership groups, civic leadership groups, and broader civic coalitions. This 18-month collaborative learning network seeks to both learn from and inform the work of Growth Intermediaries in up to eight regions—each anchored by a small- or mid-sized city—that strive to advance greater economic and racial inclusion in their communities. Participation in the network will ...

IEDC has secured a new grant to continue to expand our Entrepreneurship-Led Economic Development (ELED) work. This National Science Foundation Regional Innovation Engines grant, as a subcontractor to Augusta (Ga.) University, will promote ELED and entrepreneurial ecosystem building. The two-year, $100,000 grant compliments IEDC’s work through our Kauffman Foundation grant. Projects under the new grant will include creating a technical assistance panel focused on ecosystem building, and holding focus groups and workshops to help build the entrepreneurial ecosystem in the Augusta region. The university has discussed setting aside some of its budget for entrepreneurial ecosystem stakeholders in the region to participate in IEDC's ELED ...

EDA is now accepting applications for the FY23 STEM Talent Challenge. Applications are due June 12. The FY23 STEM Talent Challenge will award $4.5 million in grants to strengthen regional innovation economies by building a robust STEM workforce in high-growth sectors such as aerospace, aeronautics, biotechnology, advanced manufacturing, and cybersecurity. Eligible applicants include EDOs, cities, counties, states, Tribal Nations, nonprofit organizations, public-private partnerships, institutions of higher education, federal laboratories, and science and research parks. Applicants should demonstrate how they will develop or expand regional STEM workforce capacity to support entrepreneurship, innovation, and industries of the future.

Does your organization have what it takes to be EDO of the Year? IEDC is now accepting submissions for the 2023 Excellence in Economic Development Awards. The following EDOs received the highest honor in 2022: Greater New Orleans, Inc., Investissement Québec, the Tulsa (Okla.) Regional Chamber, the Economic Development Council of St. Lucie County (Fla.), Invest Newark (N.J.), and the Greater Sacramento (Calif.) Economic Council.

EDA has issued a Tech Hubs Request for Information (RFI) seeking public input on the program design, structure, and evaluation of the Tech Hubs program. The Tech Hubs program was enacted as part of the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022 and is an economic development initiative to drive technology- and innovation-centric growth. The program will help U.S. regions become centers of innovation, and equitably and inclusively create good jobs for American workers at all skill levels. The RFI seeks input about: structuring a program that will accelerate a region’s evolution into a global leader and strengthen economic and national security; designing a competitive, inclusive, and accessible region selection process that would support ...