Economic Developers Kick Off Fourth Annual Economic Development Week

Hundreds of communities across North America are marking May 6-11, 2019 as the fourth annual Economic Development Week (EDW), celebrating the contributions by professional economic developers to create more economically vibrant and livable communities.

“Economic development is at the core of every community, large and small, urban and rural. Increased awareness of the profession and its work is vital to growing our communities collaboratively” said IEDC President & CEO, Jeffrey A. Finkle, CEcD. “IEDC is thrilled to host this annual celebration to raise the profile of our profession and celebrate the dedicated, hardworking economic developers working in every corner of the globe.”

Created in 2016 by International Economic Development Council (IEDC), the largest international professional trade association for economic developers, EDW increases awareness for local programs that create jobs, advance career development opportunities, and improve the quality of life in communities everywhere. EDW includes activities in communities large and small designed to highlight the importance of economic development and the good work that economic developers do every day.

In 2018, over 450 communities across the U.S. and Canada marked Economic Development Week, with campaigns in all 50 states, all U.S. territories, and eight Canadian provinces. In addition, IEDC is releasing new informational resources, a part of the new Championing Economic Development report released in January 2019, which organizations can share to explain what economic development entails and dispel myths about the profession.

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.