Economic Development Now - February 22, 2010

Author Joel Kotkin at IEDC’s Leadership Conference: Prepare for a Diverse, Older America
Nationally known author Kotkin spoke about shifts in U.S. demographics that will impact our economy and way of life drastically. He also believes that the most affordable cities will be the ones to grow, and concludes that “economic development isn’t a luxury, it’s a necessity.”

The Care and Feeding of a Biotech Firm, Plus Lessons from the Texas Emerging Technology Fund
Also at IEDC’s Leadership Conference, attendees heard a biotech entrepreneur’s insights on the industry’s growth, plus some practical advice for growing tech startups gleaned from Texas’s successful Emerging Technology Fund.

An Improved Federal Response to Post-Disaster Economic Recovery

Developed by a working group of representatives convened by IEDC, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Business Civic Leadership Center and the National Association of Development Organizations, An Improved Federal Response to Post-Disaster Economic Recovery (PDF) 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 this communities in their recovery effort. This report has been submitted to the Long-Term Disaster Recovery Working Group, which has been convened at President Obama’s request by the Secretaries of Homeland Security and Housing and Urban Development.

Help IEDC Support Earthquake Victims in Haiti

IEDC plans to support an EDO in Haiti by providing office equipment, office supplies and cash. If you have good, relatively new surplus office equipment to donate, you may ship items to the IEDC office (734 15th St. NW, Suite 900, Washington, D.C., 20005). Items should be no more than four years old and in good working order. Cash donations may be made with checks payable to “IEDC Haiti Economic Development Fund.”

In addition, IEDC may coordinate the participation of volunteers to travel to Haiti to work on economic recovery efforts. If you are interested, please send your resume to haitivol@iedconline.org. Volunteers will not be contacted until IEDC determines that assignments are available. Thank you for your generosity and concern.

What is Carbon Cap and Trade? A Primer for Economic Developers

In the U.S., a cap and trade system for managing carbon dioxide emissions is on the frontlines of proposed energy policy. How would such a program work, and how might local economies prepare for, and possibly benefit from it? This primer for economic developers is intended to answer some of those questions. Download the Primer (583 Kb PDF).

Your Source for Economic Recovery News and Resources

• President Obama announces Stimulus 2.0 (but don’t call it that)
• Strong jobs report surprises even the optimistic
• In new measures to create jobs, a balancing act; highly used (and underused) bond programs

IEDC News

March Web Seminar: Leveraging Social Media for Low-Cost, Targeted Marketing

Whether you’re seeking to connect with talented professionals, location consultants, citizens or former residents, social media provides multiple channels to reach key audiences. Learn about new social media platforms and innovative marketing strategies employing them in our March web seminar, Leveraging Social Media for Low-Cost, Targeted Marketing, Thursday, March 18, 2:30 - 4:00 pm EST.

OCO Global and IEDC Create New Partnership

OCO Global and IEDC have partnered together to offer a discount on the fDi Intelligence portfolio tools for IEDC members. Those not yet members, IEDC will provide a 1 year complimentary IEDC membership when they sign up for the fDi Intelligence portfolio tools. OCO Global is the distributor of these leading FDI tracking tools from the Financial Times Ltd. in North America. Learn more.

2009 AEDO Benchmarking Excellence Report

IEDC and The Georgia Tech Enterprise Innovation Institute have launched a new initiative to create up-to-date benchmarks by surveying current AEDOs (Accredited Economic Development Organizations). Stakeholders from each organization were asked to assess their organization on the basis of 10 key indicators related to quality management. The AEDOs received top marks in the management areas of Customer and Market Focus, Partnerships and Relationships, and Results. To learn more, read the full report (2.6 Mb PDF).

Available Now: 2008 Salary Survey Report

Is your economic development organization looking to hire a new employee? Is your offer competitive? Are your benefits aligned with the profession? Or maybe you’re on the other side of the job market and looking to move to a new community. How do you know what someone with your experience, or expertise, can expect to make? IEDC's new 2008 Salary Survey Report of Economic Development Professionals can provide up-to-date answers.

IEDC Publications

Primer on Globalization

IEDC’s newest membership category, the Economic Development Research Partners, is a think-tank environment which supports practice-oriented research. The Partnership’s first product is the Primer on Globalization (994 Kb PDF), a guide to the transformational forces shaping the economic development needs of US communities. The Primer delineates the opportunities and challenges presented to economic developers by our rapidly globalizing economy.

IEDC Announces Launch of Climate Prosperity Handbook

The Climate Prosperity Handbook is a free guide to informing communities of the economic benefits of proactively pursuing sustainable development and climate action strategies. The handbook demonstrates the utility of adopting the three-part agenda of the Climate Prosperity Project Green Savings/ Green Opportunities/ Green Talent.