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Josh Mejia, recognized in 2020 as IEDC’s Young Economic Development Professional of the Year, is the executive of the McAllen (Texas) Chamber of Commerce and an entrepreneur at heart. In this article, the 25th in the Leadership Insights series, Mejia shares his perspective on collaboration, the role of economic developers in calming “political noise,” the importance of focusing on downtown, and more.

IEDC is now accepting submissions for the 2023 Excellence and Leadership in Economic Development Awards. Take advantage of early-bird pricing and submit your entry by April 14. Elyce Gobat, CEcD, was named Young Economic Development Professional of the Year in 2022. The award recognizes outstanding achievement by a young, emerging leader in the economic development profession. Gobat is a project manager for the City of Mesa (Ariz.) Office of Economic Development, working with businesses to provide them with information, tools, and support to locate and expand in Mesa. Gobat has assisted in bringing more than 180 jobs to the city, and provided essential research in the attraction and retention of businesses. Prior to joining the City of ...

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.

IEDC President and CEO Nathan Ohle officially announced the launch of the Economic Recovery Corps on November 9. EDA is sponsoring the $30-million cooperative agreement with IEDC and its partners to create an economic recovery program that will increase the capacity of regional economic development ecosystems and provide guidance to support local economic developers. “The Economic Recovery Corps marks a unique, first-of-its-kind initiative in locally-led capacity-building that will accelerate the adoption of equitable economic development practices,” said Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development Alejandra Castillo. The Economic Recovery Corps will recruit at least 65 fellows for EDOs in underserved communities ...

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: Shiawassee (Mich.) Economic Development Partnership.

New economic developers and young professionals take note: Elijah Cleary, engagement manager at Hickey Global Economic Development Consulting, shares his experience and tips from his first 90 days in economic development.

IEDC is accepting submissions for the 2022 Excellence and Leadership in Economic Development Awards through May 13. Josh Mejia was named Young Economic Development Professional of the Year in 2020. The award recognizes outstanding achievement by a young, emerging leader in the economic development profession. Mejia is president and CEO of the Brownsville (Texas) Community Improvement Corporation (BCIC), overseeing the organization’s efforts to create a business-friendly environment for entrepreneurs, enhance quality of life assets, supplement the city’s commercial and industrial development efforts, and improve the city’s competitiveness to recruit capital investment. Mejia has established BCIC as an innovative ...

Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation (BDCC)'s recovery and resilience work falls into three major areas—business resilience, workforce and welcoming, and community development. Business resilience Some of our local businesses accessed federal and state relief, pivoted, and even grew. Some still feel the effects of the pandemic and ongoing disruptions. Others floundered or failed due to the new reality of lockdown, or because their foundations were weak. We always knew a lack of financial literacy and basic business skills created risk. This was driven home during the pandemic. BDCC is building business resilience with increased technical assistance delivered by an expanded business services team. We are doubling down on new ...