IN THIS ISSUE:

Everyone's Talking About Workforce Development...

2014 IEDC Spring Conference
June 1-3, 2014 | Minneapolis - Saint Paul, MN

» Register today

...and so is IEDC. You know there's a skills gap, but how do you solve it? Which solutions will better prepare workers to compete in an ever-evolving world, and what is the economic developer's role in making it all happen?

With talent, advanced skills, and industry alignment on the mind of an increasing number of economic development professionals, IEDC is committed to providing you with knowledge that will help you expand your community's pipeline of skilled employees.

Our 2014 Spring Conference in the Twin Cities region will feature an informative look at how economic development organizations can better collaborate with industry partners and the education establishment in order to reverse worker shortages, increase educational attainment, and create new jobs in their communities.

Join IEDC for our yearly conference focused specifically on target industries, and learn about the workforce strategies that will help your community compete.

Experts in Workforce Development Joining Us in the Twin Cities Include:

	Janyce B. Fadden Executive-in-Residence University of Northern Alabama-College of Business, Fmr. President, Rockford Area Economic Development Council Florence, AL
	Bob Guirl Director of Strategy and Business Development UTC Aerospace Systems Rockford, IL
	Scott Peterson Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer The Schwan Food Company Marshall, MN
	Laurie R. Preece Executive Director Alignment Rockford Rockford, IL
	Sydney Rogers Executive Director Alignment Nashville Nashville, TN
	Steven Rosenstone, PhD Chancellor Minnesota State Colleges and Universities Saint Paul, MN
	Katie Clark Sieben Commissioner Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development Saint Paul, MN

Are You Engaged in Award-Worthy Efforts to Support Your Community?

Final Deadline for IEDC’s 2014 Excellence in Economic Development Awards is May 16

By creating inventive promotional materials, developing innovative projects, and partnering with influential community leaders, you’ve worked hard to effect change in your community. 2014 is the year for you to share what you’ve done.

IEDC's Excellence in Economic Development Awards recognize the world's best economic development programs and partnerships, marketing materials, and the year's most influential leaders. These 34 awards honor organizations and individuals for their efforts in creating positive change in urban, suburban, and rural communities.

Anyone can enter so if you are a government agency, economic development organization, marketing or public relations firm, utility, or consultant doing great economic development work – we want to see it!

2014 is the year for you to share what you've done. Enter now to be recognized at IEDC's Annual Conference, October 19-22, in Fort Worth, TX.

Entrepreneurial and Small Business Development Strategies Training Offered in Madison, WI

Entrepreneurial and Small Business Development Strategies
Date: May 8-9
Location: Madison, WI

This multi-faceted course explores the core aspects of entrepreneurial and small business development including value-add partnerships, technical assistance programs, financing, business incubation and more. Entrepreneurs and small businesses stimulate job creation, develop crucial innovations in both products and services and promote the diversification of the economic base. In this course, you will learn the financial and managerial tools economic developers use to create a climate that encourages entrepreneurial and small business development. Also, practitioners will examine the barriers they face and how communities can leverage their economic development resources to build highly integrated networks to help businesses thrive in the global economy.

Instructors:

	Maureen Collins-Williams Director, Entrepreneurship Outreach & Regional Business Center University of Northern Iowa Regional Business Center
	Janna King, CEcD EDFP President Economic Development Services, Inc.

Use IEDC's Economic Development Training to Take Your Career to the Next Level

View a PDF or the Professional Development page of IEDC's website for detailed course information

Upcoming Training Courses Include:

• April 24-25: Business Retention and Expansion, Atlanta, GA
• May 8-9: Entrepreneurial and Small Business Development Strategies, Madison, WI
• May 15-16: Real Estate Development and Reuse, Anchorage, AK
• May 29-30: Managing Economic Development Organizations, Minneapolis-Saint Paul, MN
• June 5-6: Economic Development Marketing and Attraction, Baltimore, MD
• June 19-20: Neighborhood Development Strategies, Madison, WI
• July 17-18: Economic Development Strategic Planning, Atlanta, GA
• Aug 6-8: Economic Development Credit Analysis, Denver, CO

» View the entire calendar

April Webinar Discusses Relationship Between Workforce and Economic Development

Raise the Bar Together for Workforce Development
Wednesday, April 23 | 2:30 - 4:00 pm ET

All registered attendees receive a free electronic copy of Raising the Bar Together: Successful Strategies for Workforce and Economic Development Collaboration following the webinar presentation!

When workforce and economic development professionals work together, they are able to achieve greater results for their communities. With businesses increasingly concerned about the supply of skilled labor, economic developers are forming new collaborative relationships with educational institutions and business leaders aimed at helping companies to find the workers they need and workers to find the jobs that they want.

Join IEDC on April 23 for a strategy-filled webinar on how to:

• Persuade stakeholders on the benefits of a partnership between workforce and economic development organizations
• Establish and strengthen partnerships in workforce and economic development
• Collaborate effectively from an in-depth case study on the successful strategies used in North Carolina's Eastern Region

Speakers:

	Dee Baird, PhD President & CEO Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance Cedar Rapids, IA
	John D. Chaffee President & CEO NCEast Alliance Kinston, NC

Free Webinar on Long-Term Recovery: Addressing Business Failures in Years 2-5

Tuesday, April 22, 2014 | 2:00 - 3:30 pm
Price: Free

» Register for this webinar

Join IEDC on April 22 for the Long-Term Recovery: Addressing Business Failures in Years 2-5 webinar. The street lights are back on, the debris has all been removed, and your community is on the road to recovery. Yet businesses continue to struggle and a lasting recovery seems just out of reach. How can you, the economic developer in your community, help businesses survive beyond the initial disaster response and thrive for years to come? What are the challenges facing businesses impacted by disaster that might not manifest until years later? What can your community do today, tomorrow, and in the future to prevent business failures in the long-term following a disaster? This webinar will discuss these issues and provide practical advice on how to prepare for what happens in the long-term after your community has moved on from disaster.

With funding from a grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA), the 2014 Disaster Preparedness and Economic Recovery Webinar Series is produced by the International Economic Development Council (IEDC).

Free Podcast on State Workforce Development Agencies

Evolution of the Ecosystem: State Workforce Development Agencies

State workforce development agencies are crucial in deploying federal funding related to job training and placement. In this Economic Development podcast, Rich Hobbie of the National Association of State Workforce Agencies, and Burt Barnow of George Washington University explore how these agencies are evolving as funding streams change.

Partners

Accrinet is a digital agency that assists economic development organizations in leveraging the Web to attract companies into the region, cultivate entrepreneurial efforts, manage and grow membership, raise money, publicize causes and communicate with key constituencies.


Atlas is a niche economic development marketing and technology firm that helps economic developers effectively reach site selection and prospect audiences while generating the greatest gains in economic development recruitment, retention, and investor activity for the lowest cost. Atlas deliver branding, website development, GIS mapping, marketing strategy, and creative campaigns with a staff experienced in economic development. The exclusive "High Performance Economic Development Marketing Agency Partner for the International Economic Development Council", Atlas' economic development marketing work and technologies have been named among the best in the country by International industry and professional organizations across North America. Led by a former economic development practitioners Atlas has worked with 125+ different economic development clients in 43+ states. Our approach and experience means that our campaigns generate an average of three to as many as ten times the response of other campaigns.


Since 1969, ESRI® has been giving customers around the world the power to think and plan geographically. The world leader in GIS, Esri technology is used in more than 300,000 organizations worldwide including each of the 200 largest cities in the United States, most national governments, and more than two-thirds of Fortune 500 companies. Esri's Location Analytics suite brings geography and business intelligence together, allowing economic developers to view data in revealing geographic patterns that enable better decision making. Learn more about site selection, business attraction/retention, and demographic analysis. Visit Esri in the exhibit hall and at www.esri.com/econdev.

RFPs / RFQs

Request for Proposals, Charles County Government's Department of Economic Development (Charles County, MD)

The Charles County, Maryland Government's Department of Economic Development (EDD) is seeking proposals for creative/graphic design services and the redesign and development of a new economic development website. EDD is looking for a firm with the capabilities to provide comprehensive creative and technical services to develop, design, and maintain a non-proprietary database driven website and Content Management System (CMS) in support of the County's economic development functions. Any questions regarding this solicitation are to be emailed to Fred Shroyer, Chief of Purchasing, at ShroyerF@charlescountymd.gov. The complete RFP can be found on the Charles County Government's Bid Board at http://www.charlescounty.org/apps/bidboard/public/inquiryBid.jsp?&mid=304&type=ALL.

Job Listings

Openings for the week of April 14

Got openings? Place your job ad with IEDC and get four weeks of exposure to more than 20,000 economic development professionals across the nation and beyond. Simply fill out the online form.

» Visit the Job Center for details on each listing.

April 14, 2014
• Assistant Community Development Director, City of Peoria (Peoria, IL)
• Economic Development Director, City of Grapevine (Grapevine, TX)
• Deputy Director, Economic Division, City of Columbus (Columbus, OH)
• Director, Business Recruitment, Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce (Nashville, TN)

April 7, 2014
• Vice President, Travel Michigan, Michigan Economic Development Corporation (Lansing, MI)
• Chief of Tourism and Special Events, County Administrator's Office (Charles County, MD)
• President, Economic Development Company of Lancaster County (Lancaster, PA)
• Economic Development Manager, City of Bellevue (Bellevue, WA)
• Director-Marketing & Research, City of Allen (Allen, TX)
• Executive Director of Industrial and Economic Development, City of Claremore (Claremore, OK)
• Executive Director, Jefferson County Development Corporation (Mt. Vernon, IL)
• President/CEO, Minot Area Development Corporation (Minot, ND)

March 31, 2014
• CEO, Wyoming Business Council (Cheyenne, WY)
• Economic Development Coordinator, Village of Lisle (Lisle, IL)
• Chief Executive Officer, Development Corporation of Abilene (Abilene, TX)
• Economic Development Tool Specialist, Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) (Madison, WI)
• CEO/President, Greater Portland Inc. (Portland, OR)
• General Manager of the Housing and Community Investment Department, City of Los Angeles (Los Angeles, CA)
• Business Development Associate, World Business Chicago (Chicago, IL)
• Senior Project Manager for Real Estate Development, Jacobs Center for Neighborhood Innovation (San Diego, CA)
• Project Manager for Economic Development, Jacobs Center for Neighborhood Innovation (San Diego, CA)

March 24, 2014
• Economic Development Director, City of West Jordan (West Jordan, UT)
• Managing Director, Economic Development and Business Investment, Muskogee City-County Port Authority (Muskogee, OK)
• Economic Development Director, City of Garland (Garland, TX)
• Three Open Positions, South Carolina Power Team (Columbia, SC)

Upcoming IEDC Events:

Conferences

2014 Spring Conference
June 1-3 | Minneapolis-Saint Paul, MN

2014 Annual Conference
October 19-22 | Fort Worth, TX

Web Seminars

Raise the Bar Together for Workforce Development
April 23

Become a Strong Presenter: 21st Century Presentation Skills
May 14

Free: Ethics and Economic Development
May 20

Free: YourEconomy.org: Telling the Story of Your Business Community Through Data
May 22

Training Courses

Business Retention & Expansion
April 24-25 | Atlanta, GA

Entrepreneurial & Small Business Development Strategies
May 8-9 | Madison, WI

Real Estate Development and Reuse
May 15-16 | Anchorage, AK

Managing Economic Development Organizations
May 29-30 | Minneapolis-Saint Paul, MN

Economic Development Marketing & Attraction
June 5-6 | Baltimore, MD

Neighborhood Development Strategies
June 19-20 | Madison, WI

Economic Development Strategic Planning
July 17-18 | Atlanta, GA

Economic Development Credit Analysis
August 6-8 | Denver, CO

IEDC Services:

Did You Know IEDC Members Receive a Free Membership to GrantStation? Valued at $699 a year, this is an IEDC member benefit you should use!

New IEDC Members:

City of Santa Fe, NM

City of New Haven, CT

Columbus Tech
Columbus, GA

City of League City, TX

Invest New Brunswick
Fredericton, NB Canada

City of Batavia, IL

West Hartford Housing Authority
West Hartford, CT

RLM Advisory Group LLC
Richmond, TX


Membership Contact:
Phil Goodwin
(202) 639-9106
pgoodwin@iedconline.org