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GRP Receives Six Awards for Excellence from Two Leading Economic Development Councils
September 30, 2010
Richmond, VA –The Greater Richmond Partnership, Inc., a regional economic development organization, received six awards for excellence in economic development and communications from the International Economic Development Council (IEDC) and the Southern Economic Development Council (SEDC).
The IEDC honors were presented at an awards ceremony on Tuesday, September 28 during the IEDC Annual Conference, September 26-29, 2010 in Columbus, Ohio. The awards the Partnership received in the category for communities with populations of greater than 500,000 were:
- Excellence in Economic Development Award for the Annual Report 2008 – 2009 publication in the category of Annual Brochure;
- Honorable Mention for Excellence in Economic Development for the GRPVA.com Redesign in the category of General Purpose Website;
- Honorable Mention for Excellence in Economic Development for the How Greater Richmond, Virginia Stacks Up to the Competition – A Nationwide Cost Comparison for Office, Logistics, and Manufacturing Operations publication in the category of Special Purpose Brochure.
The SEDC Communications Awards were presented at the SEDC Annual Conference held August 14-17, 2010 in New Orleans, Louisiana. The awards the Partnership received in the Large Division category were:
- Award of Excellent for the Profit in America – Why, Where and How? publication in the General Purpose Brochure category;
- Award for Superior for GRPVA.com for the Web Sites: Local, State or Regional Economic Development Organizations category;
- Award for Superior for Annual Report 2008 – 2009 in the Annual Reports category.
IEDC’s Excellence in Economic Awards Program annually recognizes the world’s best economic development programs and partnerships, marketing materials, and the year’s most influential leaders. The program honors organizations and individuals in 28 categories for their efforts in creating positive change in urban, suburban, and rural communities.
“We recognize the Greater Richmond Partnership, Inc. for providing successful strategies to promote new paradigms in economic development in this period of global recovery,” said William Best, IEDC chair. “Our awards honor organizations and individuals for their efforts in creating positive change in communities. The Greater Richmond Partnership, Inc. is showing that they are at the forefront of the economic development profession and are using innovative and effective practices that can be replicated in other communities.”
“The competition was stiff this year with over 120 entries, as economic development organizations throughout our region submitted expertly prepared materials,” said SEDC President Gene Stinson. “The entries submitted by the Greater Richmond Partnership were outstanding and captured the attention of the judges to garner their awards.” All entries were judged on graphic appeal, clarity and appropriateness of message, positioning and differentiation and content.
“We are honored to have the work of our team recognized by two highly respected economic development organizations,” said Gregory H. Wingfield, president and CEO of the Greater Richmond Partnership, Inc. “It is the role of our organization to promote Greater Richmond’s pro-business message. We have to be innovative and leverage targeted electronic and print publications to effectively market the region to help attract new businesses to Greater Richmond.”
Since 1997, the Partnership has received 43 awards from international and regional organizations recognizing the team for its economic development work and innovative promotional tools.
The International Economic Development Council (IEDC) is the premier membership organization dedicated to helping economic development professionals create high-quality jobs, develop vibrant communities and improve the quality of life in their regions. Serving more than 4,500 members, IEDC represents the largest network of economic development professionals in the world. IEDC provides a diverse range of services, including conferences, certification, professional development, publications, research, advisory services and legislative tracking. Wingfield currently serves on the board of IEDC completing his four year term in December 2010. Since the 1980s, Wingfield has served four terms on and off the IEDC board and its predecessor organizations, the Council of Urban Economic Development (CUED) and the American Economic Development Council (AEDC).
The Southern Economic Development Council (SEDC) is a 850 member professional association composed of a broad cross-section of active and influential economic developers from business and industry, utilities, transportation, financial and education institutions, chambers of commerce, and local, regional and state development agencies. Members in the 17-state area share a common interest: the promotion and enhancement of the economic development profession. The SEDC region includes the following states: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland and the District of Columbia, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia. For more information about SEDC please visit sedc.org.
The Greater Richmond Partnership, Inc. was launched in 1994 as a pioneering regional public-private initiative to serve as the regional economic development group for the City of Richmond and the counties of Chesterfield, Hanover and Henrico. The mission is to help grow the Greater Richmond economy through the attraction of high quality jobs and new capital investment, the retention of existing businesses, and the continued improvement of the region’s business climate. Since inception, the Partnership has played a key role in the attraction of more than $7.3 billion in investment by 395 new and expanding companies. This is a return on investment of $164 for every $1 in funding provided by public and private partners since 1994.
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Media Contact: Gregory H. Wingfield
Phone: (804) 643-3227
Email: [email protected]
www.grpva.com
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