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.

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.

IEDC’s 2023 Leadership Summit will be held next week in Tucson, Arizona. A few of our conference speakers and sponsors shared some exciting economic development projects happening in the region.

After a natural disaster, while news headlines concentrate on immediate search and rescue efforts, the critical leadership work for economic developers and local officials is to address recovery challenges. IEDC, in partnership with ICMA (International City/County Management Association) and with funding from FEMA, has developed a series of in-depth case studies to highlight successful recovery strategies. In March 2020, 10 tornadoes touched down across Tennessee, causing 158 miles of damage. Ten days later, the pandemic began adding to the economic hardships of Nashville’s tourist-based businesses. In May, a derecho storm caused widespread power outages, and a Christmas Day car bombing in the historic district caused more ...

Cameron Law, EDP, executive director of the Carlsen Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship at Sacramento (Calif.) State University, 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? As an entrepreneurial ecosystem builder, I look at economic development through the lens of entrepreneurship-led economic development. When I learned of the EDP credential, I knew it would bolster my work and also provide me with ...

IEDC’s recent "Catch Your Ride to Becoming an Innovative Transportation Community" webinar explored the potential for innovative transportation communities in pandemic recovery. Communities have differing transportation needs which means the process to becoming an innovative transportation community is unique to each. Brian Moen, assistant director of transportation for the City of Frisco (Texas), identified important strategies to use throughout the process: collaboration, problem solving, teamwork, partnerships, and relationship building. Moen discussed key partnerships that helped Frisco to become an innovative transportation community, such as with Waze, FedEx, and Wing, a drone delivery service. The pandemic has shifted the ...

Have you executed a unique and impactful Economic Development Week campaign? Outstanding examples of Economic Development Week observance are honored as part of IEDC’s Excellence in Economic Development Awards with a special submission deadline of May 27. The Arizona Association for Economic Development won Gold in 2021: Collaborative Arizona Communities The Arizona Association for Economic Development (AAED)'s Economic Development Week campaign, Arizona Collaborative Communities, highlighted the ways Arizona communities stayed strong during the pandemic through collaboration. The campaign was unique because AAED provided a packaged social media marketing campaign that was adaptable across the state by public and private partners. ...