BAEDC Accepts Silver Recognition at Annual IEDC Conference
Oklahoma City, OK – Broken Arrow Economic Development Corporation (BAEDC) won a Silver Rank Award for its BA Business Blitz Program, a project in the category of Special Event of the International Economic Development Council (IEDC). The honor was presented today at an awards ceremony during the IEDC Annual Conference, which is currently underway.
The International Economic Development Council (IEDC), the largest nonprofit professional association for professional economic developers in the world, has selected the recipients of its 2022 Excellence Awards. Recognized each year during the IEDC Annual Conference, the awards honor organizations for exemplary economic development marketing campaigns, projects, and programs. 25 award categories honor organizations and individuals for their efforts in creating positive change in urban, suburban, & rural communities.
“Communities need our profession now more than ever. This year’s awardees exemplify the ingenuity, leadership, and determination are needed to meet the challenges of today and the future. The winners of IEDC’s Excellence in Economic Development awards represent the best of economic development and demonstrate the level of leadership that our profession strives for every day,” shared IEDC President and CEO Nathan Ohle.
The BA Business Blitz Program, which ran from August 4th to August 20th in 2021, was a new approach for expressing collective appreciation for business investment both large and small, while also identifying opportunities to help companies succeed. The BA Blitz involved Chamber, BAEDC, and City of BA staff, volunteers, and officials who visited over 150 small and large companies to thank business owners for their dedication, effort, investment, and contribution to the Broken Arrow area economy. These visits helped uncover new expansions, and potential job creation, as well as opportunities to assist our local companies by addressing their questions, completing research, and assisting with hiring and other requests.
“We’re incredibly honored to be recognized for this collaborative program that allowed us the opportunity to assist our local businesses and continue to utilize our efforts to focus on the success and growth of our community,” said Jennifer Conway, President, and CEO of the BAEDC. “We are blessed to have these amazing companies in Broken Arrow, who gave freely of their time and are committed to seeing us succeed”.
This program is one of many key components of a robust economic development strategy carried out by the BAEDC and the Tourism and Economic Development (TED) Team for the City of Broken Arrow. Together our organization’s partnership provides numerous resources that allow us to focus on growing Broken Arrow and supporting our local companies. The TED Team Focuses on:
- Retail development, economic development agreements and incentives, tourism, retail business retention and expansion efforts, Rose District Management, land and contract negotiations, management of the BAEDC contract
The BAEDC team focuses on:
- New business attraction, business advocacy, primary employer business retention and expansion efforts, workforce development, talent attraction, entrepreneurship, research, and marketing
This year, the BAEDC will be executing the BA Business Blitz from October 3rd through October 14th. “We are excited to implement the 2nd year of this collaborative program and look forward to hearing from our business community. It is a privilege to have this opportunity to meet with our business leaders and better understand how our efforts can help them thrive” said Amanda Grace, Director of Business Retention and Expansion.
The BAEDC will be available for interviews regarding the award and our participation in the IEDC conference. Please contact our office at (918) 897-2100.
About the Broken Arrow EDC: The Broken Arrow Economic Development Corporation (BAEDC) connects businesses and organizations with guides and resources for success. Partnerships with local organizations and businesses have resulted in thousands of new jobs, and capital investments that have expanded and improved the City of Broken Arrow.
