Economic Development Now

A Year's Worth of Learning in Four Days: Highlights from IEDC's 2012 Annual Conference
IEDC's recent conference in Houston was full of ideas, new knowledge and networking opportunities. In case you missed it - or even if you were there - here are some of the takeaways.

IEDC's New and Outgoing Board Directors: Thank You for Serving the Profession
IEDC is pleased to congratulate new and re-nominated officers, directors and committee chairs, and to recognize outgoing board members for their dedicated service.

Congratulations to 2012 IEDC Excellence in Economic Development Award Winners
IEDC also recognized the winners of its professional economic development awards at the Annual Conference. The awards honor individuals and organizations for efforts that have created positive change in their communities.

2013 IEDC Annual Conference Request for Session Proposals

IEDC will present its 2013 Annual Conference - "Transformation, Innovation, Re-invention: Creating Tomorrow's Economy Today" - Sunday, October 6 to Wednesday, October 9 in Philadelphia, PA. This is an opportunity to highlight success stories and lessons learned, share cutting-edge ideas and engage your colleagues at the premier educational and networking event for economic developers. IEDC is seeking session proposals that address a range of conference attendees' needs and interests; the deadline is Friday, December 7, 2012. Download the form (MS Word doc).

Economic Development Journal - Summer 2012

The Summer 2012 issue of economic development's premiere publication is now available to download. Articles include:

• U.S. Manufacturing Decline and Economic Development Prospects: What States and Localities Can Do
• Keeping Hometown Businesses at Home: Using an Employee Ownership Plan for Business Continuity
• The Forgotten Fifth?: Understanding and Supporting Your Community's Independent Workforce
• Going Global: Best Practices in International Business Development
• Form-Based Codes: Economic Benefits of Place-Based Regulations
• Building a Community Brand: The Basics

Federal Reserve of Atlanta's Free Economic Development Podcast for September

Generating Jobs in Challenging Times: A Texas-Sized Story: How can a city create an attractive business climate and leverage its unique assets to gain and retain jobs? The Greater Houston Partnership's Craig Richard discusses an approach that has worked in his city to propel significant job growth despite the weak national recovery.

About the Free Podcast Series: Today's economy challenges economic developers to re-evaluate their strategies. This free podcast series, brought to you in partnership by IEDC and the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, features experts discussing how they've adapted existing strategies or created new approaches to economic development.

"Executive and Professional Competencies for Economic Developers"

"Executive and Professional Competencies for Economic Developers" (PDF) is a guide designed to help individuals and organizations understand the core competencies necessary for success in economic development. It includes a comprehensive set of guidelines for economic development organizations to follow when evaluating their current employees and recruiting new employees. These are divided into two models that clearly define the common individual leadership competencies of 1) high performing executives and 2) high performing professional economic development staff. It can also be used as a self-assessment tool by professionals interested in entry or advancement in the economic development field

Non-Member Price: $75.00
IEDC Members, please log in to download this publication for free.

EDA's "Building Disaster-Resilient Economies" Webinar Available for Download

On January 26, 2012, IEDC joined the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA), the National Association of Development Organizations (NADO) and the U.S. Chamber's Business Civic Leadership Council (BCLC) in co-sponsoring a webinar on post-disaster, long-term economic recovery. The event provided preliminary guidance on the funding priorities and requirements for EDA's FY2012 appropriations of $200 million for long-term disaster recovery. This money is available to areas that received a major FEMA disaster designation between October 1, 2010, and September 30, 2011. The webinar featured case studies of St. Louis County, MO; Hancock County, MS; and Corning, NY and a review of RestoreYourEconomy.org.

Click here for a link to watch the webinar or download speaker presentations.

IEDC Training Courses Approved for Credit by American Planning Association

IEDC training courses have been approved for credit by the American Planning Association (APA) under their Certification Maintenance (CM) program. The CM program allows American Institute of Certified Planner (AICP) certificate holders to receive continuing education credit for attending approved activities and events. In addition to the courses, a number of sessions at the 2012 IEDC Leadership Summit are also approved for CM credits.

All other IEDC Conferences will be submitted for CM credits as program details become available.

New Report: Jobs in the Making: Economic Development Strategies to Grow Manufacturing

Jobs in the Making: Economic Development Strategies to Grow Manufacturing, is the result of a year-long research project supported by the Economic Development Research Partners program. This report explores the evolution of the manufacturing sector and what communities can do to foster its viability. It combines high-level discussions of important market trends with nuts-and-bolts guidance on what those trends mean for communities that are working to protect and grow manufacturing jobs.

An overview of the sector's history and importance to the U.S. economy provides context for the report, along with an examination of trends that have led manufacturing to become more innovative, open and globalized. Research plus interviews and surveys of leading economic developers identify key trends and strategies to retain and grow manufacturing firms. The report includes action steps for cultivating supply chain opportunities, creating innovation networks, promoting exports, developing a skilled workforce, expanding access to financing, and other tools and ideas.

Fourteen case studies highlight strategies around finance, innovation, entrepreneurship, international partnerships and more. The report also includes a comprehensive list of federal resources and a toolkit of resources for addressing layoff aversion, surveying dislocated workers and assessing transportation and logistics competitiveness.

Non-Member Price: $75.00
This publication is free for IEDC members to download. Please visit the EDRP Publications page to do so.

IEDC Launches RestoreYourEconomy.org

Through an EDA grant, IEDC has developed RestoreYourEconomy.org to provide economic development professionals with practical guidance and post-disaster recovery tools and information to promote investment, to retain local employment, and restore lost jobs in the event a of disaster. Visit the site to join one of the Facebook and Linkedin groups, download a free resource, or learn about strategies deployed by other disaster-impacted communities.

Free IEDC Publications for Download

Powering Up: State Assets & Barriers to Renewable Energy Growth
As energy becomes an increasingly important national and global priority, there is a significant hunger on the part of the economic development community for useful information on how to effectively support the development of their renewable energy industry. Many states have proactively generated policies with the goal of launching a viable and ultimately competitive renewable energy industry. IEDC's new report, Powering Up: State Assets and Barriers to Renewable Energy Growth, employs primary and secondary research to provide a current snapshot of what states see as their assets for renewable energy development, and the policies they are using to strategically develop their renewable energy industry as both an end goal in itself and as a lever for wider economic development. The report also highlights strategies and best practices in funding mechanisms as well as supply chain issues faced in developing renewable energy sectors.

The Role of Local Elected Officials in Economic Development: 10 Things You Should Know
Economic developers will find this publication a valuable tool in building their relationships with their local elected officials. The guidebook outlines the “top 10 list” of things elected officials should know about economic development in order to be effective leaders. The publication is the result of a partnership between the National League of Cities Center for Research and Innovation and the International Economic Development Council.

Getting Prepared: Economic Development in a Transforming Energy Economy
While the specifics of the transition to a low-carbon economy are still being debated both nationally and internationally, it appears likely that some type of cap and trade or carbon pricing will emerge. This report helps economic developers and those in related fields think about how they can position their economies to benefit from the transition.

Creating Quality Jobs: Transforming the Economic Development Landscape
As the role of economic developers has expanded to include everything from technology transfer to attracting retail to expand a community's tax base, the profession must examine the types of jobs it is creating and how well they meet the needs of individuals and communities in a globalized, skill-based economy. This report identifies the role of economic developers in creating quality jobs and improving the quality of existing jobs.

An Improved Federal Response to Post-Disaster Economic Recovery
This report identifies capacity, resource and regulatory constraints imposed on local communities after a disaster, and presents a series of recommendations on how federal partners could better assist communities in their recovery effort.