Civil Municipal Magazine - Nov 2023

17 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 4, ISSUE 11 The International Economic Development Council (IEDC) is the largest non-governmental organization of its type in the world. With slightly less than 5,000 members spread across the globe, it is on a mission to provide leadership and excellence in economic development for communities, members, and partners. IEDC is based in Washington DC, a fitting location that affords it access to a wide array of stakeholders and policymakers crucial to its central role of fostering economic development. From this vantage point, the organization works with its diverse roster of members to promote economic well-being and quality of life for their communities by creating, retaining, and expanding jobs that facilitate growth, enhance wealth, and provide a stable tax base. With such a crucial role to play, it knows it must evolve with the times, something its current president and CEO Jeff Finkle is keenly aware of, even as he speaks about the IEDC’s roots and the journey that has brought it to where it is today. “The IEDC began in 1926 as the American Industrial Development Council (AIDC),” says Finkle. “At the time, the AIDC was affiliated with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce but eventually changed its name to the American Economic Development Council (AEDC). In 1967, the HUB (Helping Urban Businesses) Council was formed, which changed its name to the Council for Urban Economic Development (CUED) the following year. It was affiliated with the National League of Cities and U.S. Conference of Mayors.” AEDC and CUED were independent membership groups doing economic development attracting, creating, retaining, and expanding jobs. In 2001, the two organizations merged to form the International Economic Development Council. Along the way, the IEDC has worked with various partners at an international level and a local State, Regional and Provincial level. Some of its international partners are the World Association of Investment Promotion Agencies (WAIPA), European Association of Development Agencies (EURADA), Center for Local Economic Development (CENLED), and the Chinese Investment Promotion Agency (CIPA). Its local partners include regional partners like the Mid-America Economic Development Council and the National Association of Development Agencies, among other state and provincial economic development associations. The IEDC discharges its economic development THE INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL SUPPORTING STRONG COMMUNITIES FOR THE FUTURE OPENING LINES