ED Now

The Economic Recovery Corps' inaugural cohort of 65 fellows and host organizations gathered in Portland, Oregon, this month to celebrate the program's launch. Learn how this exciting new initiative will impact the future of economic development.

IEDC has partnered with the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) for more than four years through IEDC’s economic recovery and resilience program. The CNMI’s tourism- and agriculture-focused economy is unique, vibrant, and dynamic. IEDC’s current work with the CNMI economic development community addresses dual recovery from the pandemic and natural disasters. To kick off this phase, a team of IEDC volunteers visited the islands to conduct a needs assessment.

Dell Gines, CEcD, PhD, will be joining IEDC as vice president of partnerships, advisory services, and thought leadership effective March 6. Gines’ work in economic development and entrepreneurship at the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City is renowned, and he brings a collaborative spirit to this important role. Gines is a national thought leader in economic development and entrepreneurial ecosystem building. At the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City his specific focus has been on communities of color and small, economically distressed rural communities. He has authored six guides and one e-book on the subject. His most notable work is a 2018 research report on Black women-owned startups which has been cited by PBS, Forbes, Black ...

Earlier this month, IEDC President and CEO Nathan Ohle hosted U.S. Deputy Secretary of Commerce Don Graves as part of IEDC’s Economic Development Sessions. These sessions serve as fireside chats between Ohle and leading economic development officials, thought leaders, and experts. Ohle and Graves analyzed several issues surrounding current economic challenges as a result of the pandemic, including infrastructure, supply chains, workforce availability, and the system’s capacity to innovate. They also discussed building more resilient economies to combat climate change. Graves pointed out that these problems have demonstrated the system’s lack of capacity to innovate, but reveal a unique opportunity to change those ...

In August, President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) into law. The act is designed to fight inflation, invest in domestic energy production and manufacturing, and reduce carbon emissions by roughly 40 percent by 2030. Specifically, the bill includes $369 billion in investments towards energy security and climate change. Below is a brief overview of the energy provisions and the potential implications the act has for consumers, employers, and manufacturers. Lowers energy costs for Americans – The incentives in the bill will alleviate the burden of high energy costs and decrease utility bills. Additionally, it includes incentives that will help consumers afford more energy efficient and cleaner technologies. The bill ...

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: Charles City (Iowa) Area Development Corporation.

Jessica Walden, EDP, business and leadership advisor for the University of Georgia Small Business Development Center and J.W. Fanning Institute for Leadership Development, 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? I decided to pursue the EDP credential as an outreach opportunity for the University of Georgia’s SBDC. As a business and leadership advisor, this includes working with rural communities in the ...

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 ...