IN THIS ISSUE:

Spring Conference: Using Strategic Partnerships to Drive Economic Growth

» Register today

The economic developer is like a point guard, coordinating players with diverse skill sets together so that the entire team can benefit. In economic development, the team is one's community, but instead of throwing passes and calling out plays, economic developers must work to bring a range of strategic community partners to the table and maximize what each can contribute.

The resources required for your community's economic growth come through strong institutional partnerships among powerful agents - business and industry, universities and government - but also through building on the efforts of average citizens, students, and entrepreneurs. Each partner plays a vital role in the progress of a community. Moving forward, more communities are partnering with higher education, federal laboratories, entrepreneurial support organizations and even other communities, to stand out and be competitive in today's global economy.

Join IEDC this June 9-11 in Ann Arbor, MI for the 2013 Spring Conference, and learn how the partners in your community can help it to move forward.

Participate in the IEDC Metrics Research and Advance your EDO

Enter for a chance to win a free registration to our Spring Conference!

Through IEDC's active engagement with its membership, we have heard from economic development professionals from all over the country about the need for help in 1) assessing the current metrics being used, and 2) the development of a better set of metrics to measure the impact of economic development organizations (EDOs) on the economic prosperity of their communities and regions.

IEDC's Economic Development Research Partners (EDRP) program is responding to this need. We need your help in this effort. Click this survey link to help IEDC researchers understand what you currently measure and give us your opinions about those metrics. And in the process discover contemporary metrics that can help you even before the final IEDC research is published. We are not asking you to evaluate your EDO's performance - rather we want to learn what and how you measure your success.

Your response to this survey is a crucial first step in IEDC's effort to produce a reliable body of research that can guide EDOs to select the measures and methodologies that best reflect their performance.

What's in it for you?

• Learn how most successful EDOs measure their own performance
• Better understand the value of your work and start managing your performance for improved results
• Demonstrate the value of your organization to your elected officials and the rest of your community
• Attract more investments with new and better metrics
• Enter into a drawing for a chance to win a free registration to IEDC's Spring Conference in Ann Arbor, Michigan, to be held June 9-11, 2013 (value of up-to $725).

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

Final Deadline for IEDC's 2013 Excellence in Economic Development Awards is May 17

By creating inventive promotional materials, developing innovative projects and partnering with influential community leaders, you've worked hard to effect change in your community. 2013 is the year for you to share what you've done.

With 35 categories, you're sure to find an appropriate place to nominate your project, program or colleague. Many of the program categories have a three (3) year activity minimum, so be sure to check the specific requirements for each category before submitting.

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!

2013 is the year for you to share what you've done. Enter now to be recognized at the 2013 IEDC Annual Conference in Philadelphia, PA.

May Webinar to Discuss the Hottest of Topics: Building a Smart Incentives Package

Between tight public budgets and calls for greater transparency, scrutiny over incentive deals is likely to grow.

Build a Smart Incentives Package: Use a Community Impact Model

Date: Wednesday, May 22
Time: 2:30 - 4:00 pm EST

Q. What should your community expect in return when it offers an incentive package for a company expansion, retention or relocation?

A. A return on its investment that at least equals the cost of the inducements, plus additional revenues or other benefits to the community.

Equip yourself for smart decision-making - join us for a webinar on May 22 at 2:30 EDT to learn:

• What factors should go into a community impact model and how to weight them
• How to retain maximum flexibility to make strategic decisions still based on data
• How to use the model in negotiations with a company or location consultant

Speaker:

	Ellen D. Harpel, Ph.D. President Business Development Advisor LLC

Managing Economic Development Organizations Training Offered in San Antonio, TX

Learn the Key Principles and Practices of Professional Management in Economic Development

Managing Economic Development Organizations

Date: May 23-24, 2013
Location: San Antonio, TX

This advanced course will define excellence in economic development and explain the fundamentals of managing for results, outcome-based performance, organizational assessment, stakeholder identification, vision and mission scope, organizational culture and more. Also, participants will learn how to engage their board or council, staff and community stakeholders, constituents, and customers to achieve results in job creation, tax-base stabilization and community growth and development. Since EDOs differ from one another depending on their available resources, location, and mission, this course is designed to equip a leader of any organization to make the right decisions.

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 2013 course information

• May 2-3: Business Retention and Expansion, Anchorage, AK
• May 16-17: Real Estate Development and Reuse, Madison, WI
• May 23-24: Managing Economic Development Organizations, San Antonio, TX
• June 6-7: Technology-led Economic Development, Ann Arbor, MI
• June 20-21: Business Retention and Expansion, Baltimore, MD
• July 18-19: Workforce Development, Madison, WI
• July 31 - Aug 2: Economic Development Credit Analysis, Minneapolis, MN
• Aug 15-16: Economic Development Strategic Planning, Madison, WI
• Aug 29-30: Business Retention and Expansion, Atlanta, GA
• Sept 12-13: Entrepreneurial and Small Business Development Strategies, Baltimore, MD

» View the entire 2013 calendar

Was Your Community Impacted by a Natural Disaster in FY 2011?

The U.S. Economic Development Administration has made funding available to support disaster recovery, resiliency, and capacity development. The assistance is available specifically for communities in its Atlanta and Philadelphia regions that were impacted by disasters between Oct. 2010 and Sept. 2011. EDA's partners to deliver this assistance are the International Economic Development Council (IEDC) and the National Association of Development Organizations (NADO) Research Foundation.

In order to deliver the most effective set of resources and services, IEDC and NADO have developed an online scan. The goal is to learn more about the impacts of FY 2011 disasters on communities in the grant regions, as well as their current economic recovery needs. On May 1, IEDC and NADO contacts in the EDA Atlanta and Philadelphia regions will receive a link to the online scan. If you are a recipient of this link, please take 10-15 minutes to complete the brief scan.

Your response to the scan will help IEDC and NADO to develop services and resources tailored to the needs of impacted communities.

Questions? Please email restore@iedconline.org.

2013 IEDC Refer-A-Member Campaign

Share Your IEDC Membership Experience with Friends and Colleagues and Win a Trip to Saint Croix

Just as you rely on IEDC to provide answers to today's complex and demanding economic development issues, IEDC relies on you to spread the word about member benefits and services throughout the economic development community. Although it may be hard to believe, many of your colleagues are still unaware of the value of an IEDC membership. We need your help in introducing these economic development professionals to IEDC and tell them about all the great services we provide.

» Have Someone to Refer?
» Campaign Rules

Become an Accredited Economic Development Organization (AEDO) Today

Recognizing professional excellence in economic development organizations

With 32 current members, and two additional organizations currently under consideration, IEDC's prestigious AEDO program is quickly gaining momentum. Earning accreditation is a great way for economic development entities to increase their visibility in the community and gain independent feedback on their organizational operations. The AEDO designation is a distinction that differentiates an organization from its competitors and promotes accountability to local leaders and key stakeholders. Form beginning to end, the entire AEDO accreditation process is an excellent way for organizations to benchmark their success and develop sustainable best practices.

For more information, please visit the AEDO webpage or contact AEDO Program Manager Tye Libby at tlibby@iedconline.org.

Partners

As IEDC's exclusive partner for online property listings, demographics and online mapping products and services, GIS Planning Inc.'s online solutions are the industry standard for economic development web sites. GIS Planning Inc.'s suite of geographic information systems (GIS) powered products & services, including ZoomProspector Enterprise and the nationwide site selection website ZoomProspector.com, and SizeUp business intelligence are the culmination of over 15 years of experience developing online economic development focused solutions. ZoomProspector.com connects businesses looking for new locations with the communities and economic development organizations that are the right match. Today, GIS Planning online solutions power more economic development websites than any other provider.


Accrinet delivers comprehensive solutions in all aspects of digital strategy, tailored specifically to your EDC, community and challenges. Our solutions are designed to increase your revenues, decrease your expenses and improve your communication with your target audience.


Portfol™, PIDC's multi-user portfolio management system, is a fully integrated client and contact management software system - track a project from start to finish! Includes loan servicing, demographics, job tracking, financial statement and insurance monitoring, EDA, CDBG, NMTC and CDFI reporting data - everything you need to effectively manage your economic development operations all in one comprehensive system. Portfol™ - the only system created, used and maintained by an economic developer.

Request for Proposals

Request for Proposals, City of Bentonville (Bentonville, AR)

The City of Bentonville is a fast growing community located in Northwest Arkansas with a population of 38,863. It is the County Seat for Benton County and is part of the Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers MSA, which has a population over 473,000. Bentonville's primary private employers are the Walmart and Sam's Club home offices.

The Northwest Arkansas Council produced a Northwest Arkansas Regional Development Strategy in 2010. As a follow up, the City of Bentonville, in partnership with the Bentonville/Bella Vista Chamber of Commerce, is seeking proposals from qualified firms or consultants to prepare the city's first Economic Development Strategic Plan. Visit www.bentonvillear.com/finance_bids.html for the full RFP.

Job Listings

Openings for the week of April 29

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 29, 2013
• Business Education Network (BEN) Executive Director, Commerce Lexington Inc. (Lexington, KY)

April 22, 2013
• Economic Development and Tourism Coordinator, Lake County (Lake County, FL)

April 15, 2013
• Manager-Business Development, St. Mary’s County Government (Leonardtown, MD)
• Economic Development Manager, City of Carlsbad (Carlsbad, CA)
• VP Economic Development and Urban Initiatives, Beacon Council (Miami, FL)
• Manager, Agribusiness and Industry Development, Hillsborough County Economic Development Department (Tampa, FL)

April 8, 2013
• Business Development Manager, Miami Downtown Development Authority (Miami, FL)
• Business Development Business Attraction Manager, EDC of Florida's Space Coast (Rockledge, FL)
• Retail Development Specialist, ElectriCities of North Carolina, Inc. (Raleigh, NC)
• Business Retention Manager, City of Cedar Hill (Cedar Hill, TX)

Upcoming IEDC Events:

Conferences

2013 Spring Conference
June 9-11 | Ann Arbor, MI

2013 Annual Conference
Octrober 6-9 | Philadelphia, PA

Web Seminars

Build a Smart Incentives Package: Use a Community Impact Model
May 22

Training Courses

Business Retention and Expansion
May 2-3 | Anchorage, AK

Real Estate Development & Reuse
May 16-17 | Madison, WI

Managing Economic Development Organizations
May 23-24 | San Antonio, TX

Technology-led Economic Development
June 6-7 | Ann Arbor, MI

Business Retention and Expansion
June 20-21 | Baltimore, MD

Workforce Development
July 18-19 | Madison, WI

Economic Development Credit Analysis
July 31-August 2 | Minneapolis, MN

Economic Development Strategic Planning
August 15-16 | Madison, WI

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 Surprise, AZ

Winnebago County
Rockford, IL

Sacramento Metro Chamber
Sacramento, CA

ACT, Inc. - Community & Economic Development
Iowa City, IA

Municipality of Thames Centre
Dorchester, ON Canada

Currituck County Economic Development
Currituck, NC

Crystal Guardian Consulting, LLC
Baraboo, WI

Delaware State University
Dover, DE

NC Research Campus
Kannapolis, NC

Niagara Worldwide
Saint Charles, MO

University of Auburn - Economic and Community Development Institute
Auburn University, AL

Atlanta Beltline, Inc.
Atlanta, GA

Impact Development Group
Lake Park, GA