Hi Everyone!
Last week, I had the wonderful opportunity to attend my first Economic Development course with the International Economic Development Council (IEDC) in beautiful Tucson, AZ. The course was five days, and while it was extremely beneficial, it was pretty intense! The days are full of lectures on subjects crucial to economic development, such as working with real estate brokers, marketing, social media, and so on. I took a lecture about sustainability in economic development that was really interesting. As most of you know, I am in charge of more of the “back end” aspects of our business; I think that taking the course helped me understand more about the “front end” of economic development. I am looking forward to continuing on to the Economic Development Institute to become a Certified Economic Developer (CEcD).
While at the course, I met some awesome people! Most of my classmates were from various communities here in Arizona, but there were a couple from other states as well. Part of the course was to split into teams and complete a case study. It was pretty challenging given the small amount of time we had for research and such, but it was a great learning experience. We created a strategic plan for a region, and created a sales pitch for a prospective company. Our team really worked well together, and we also had really good ideas. This was acknowledged too as we won the presentation portion of the assignment! If you click on the image to the right, it will allow you to view our awesome Powerpoint (in PDF version) – take a look!
I would like to thank everyone who attended the Tucson course – it was so great meeting you all. I would also like to thank Erik Glenn, our generous program director. Also, thank you to Ron Canham, President of The Canham Group, for giving us guidance and support. And last but not least, a big “thank you” to APS for sponsoring the course! I had a great time, and I loved staying in Tucson!
Have a great weekend!
~Emily