From the Winner's Circle: 2016 Chamber of the Year Webinar Series and presentation slides: Downtowns serve as the heart of every city and region. The Southwest Indiana Chamber of Commerce’s Christy Gillenwater, Joshua Armstrong, and Justin Groenert explain how their chamber’s collaborative efforts have led to numerous recent successes in downtown development. In fewer than three years, a downtown master plan has been completed, an Economic Improvement District is underway, and over $450 million in development projects are under construction or slated to begin in the next 5 years.
The Council for Community and Economic Research - The Council for Community and Economic Research (C2ER) is a membership organization that promotes excellence in community and economic research by working to improve data availability, enhance data quality, and foster learning about regional economic analytic methods. Some of their key products include a Cost of Living Index, a State Business Incentives Database, and a State Economic Development Expenditures Database.
The Council on Competitiveness - The Council on Competitiveness is a business-focused forum made up of CEOs, university presidents, and labor leaders working to solve challenges to America's business competitiveness in the 21st century.
International Economic Development Council (IEDC) - The International Economic Development Council (IEDC) is a non-profit membership organization dedicated to helping economic developers do their job more effectively and raising the profile of the profession. Check out the IEDC Reference Guide information on essential topics in the economic development profession. Each category includes information on key terms and definitions, current and emerging trends. and links to nationally focused resources and specific examples.
US Economic Development Administration - A bureau within the U.S. Department of Commerce, EDA's mission is to lead the federal economic development agenda by promoting innovation and competitiveness, preparing American regions for growth and success in the worldwide economy. The EDA supports key initiatives among regional areas across the United States, thereby developing economic stability through intergovernmental and public/private sector collaboration.
W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research - The Institute is a nonprofit, independent research organization devoted to research on the causes and effects of unemployment, to study and investigate the feasibility and methods of insuring against unemployment and devise means of preventing and alleviating the distress and hardship caused by unemployment.