WASHINGTON, Jan. 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The International Economic Development Council (IEDC) is holding a press call on Thursday, January 31 at 11:30 a.m. EST to brief members of the media on an economic development profession-first report titled Championing Economic Development.

Developed by the Economic Development Research Partners (EDRP), the research think-tank of the IEDC, and a partnership of over 12 economic development organizations (EDOs) from across North America, the report examines public skepticism of the profession's goals and motivation, and provides guidance to professionals on how to address challenges facing the industry, including:

  • Lack of understanding of the role of economic development as a professional practice
  • Lack of understanding of the role of EDOs
  • Transparency concerns 
  • Ideological opposition 

In over 12 months, IEDC gathered research for the report through focus groups, surveys, and interviews of economic developers across North America. Recommendations are made for economic developers on the relevancy and impacts of their work to internal and external stakeholders, and to foster community progress.

Accompanying the report, IEDC is also launching informational resources for EDOs containing brochures that can be shared with elected officials, infographics on how incentives work, videos, and more. These resources will be updated with new content over the coming months.

The 30-minute briefing will include introductory remarks from senior IEDC leadership, a technical briefing on the report by IEDC staff, and offer opportunities for questions from media.

Speakers on the call include: 

  • Tracye McDaniel, 2019 IEDC Board Chair
  • Craig J. Richard, Chair of the Championing Economic Development Taskforce
  • Jeffrey A. Finkle, President & CEO, IEDC
  • Matthew Mullin, Vice President, Policy & Communications
  • Swati Ghosh, Senior Director of Research, IEDC

To register for the call, obtain a copy of the report, or for media inquiries, please contact:

Tanner Bokor
Marketing Coordinator,
International Economic Development Council (IEDC)

e. tbokor@iedconline.org
p. (202) 639-9104

ABOUT INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL (IEDC)

The International Economic Development Council is the leading international association for professional economic developers. IEDC supports the work of more than 5,000 economic developers to create high-quality jobs, develop vibrant communities, and improve the quality of life in their regions. Our members are employed in a wide variety of settings including local, state, provincial and federal governments, public-private partnerships, universities and a variety of other institutions.

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SOURCE International Economic Development Council