WASHINGTON, DC (October 02, 2018) – The Economic Developers Council of Ontario (EDCO), along with nine other economic development organizational partners from Canada and the U.S. have been selected by the International Economic Development Council (IEDC) as a Gold Award recipient for Excellence in Economic Development. 

The award was in the category "Innovation in Economic Development Week" for the nationwide partnership that produced a video demonstrating the importance of economic development to the fabric of a community. The video and website www.economicdevelopmentmatters.com was launched during Economic Development Week in May 2018. 

The honour was presented at an awards ceremony on Tuesday, October 2, during the IEDC Annual Conference, which was held September 29 – October 3, in Atlanta, Georgia, United States.

To commemorate Economic Development Week 2018, economic development organizations from across Canada (plus IEDC) contributed time and effort into producing a short video to demonstrate the importance of economic development to the fabric of a community. The video was produced in English and French and launched during Economic Development Week. All the partners shared the video with their membership and encouraged their members to use the video to help promote awareness and education of the importance of economic development and economic developers. “The project brought together organizations that have not all collaborated in the past. This was a great example of how we can work together to share resources and expertise to the benefit all our members, stakeholders and communities.” -Heather Lalonde, Chief Executive Officer, EDCO.

"This year our judges reviewed some extraordinary projects that advanced both communities and businesses. We congratulate all the award winners, and thank everyone who nominated their projects for sharing their success with fellow IEDC members. What we learn from each other helps us to grow and advance as a profession. We look forward to even greater participation from economic developers across the globe in the 2019 awards program.” -Craig Richard, CEcD, FM, President and CEO, Tampa Hillsborough Economic Development Corporation located in Tampa, Florida, and 2018 IEDC Board Chair.