Event Types: Webinar

Across the country, there are nearly 400 federally-designated Economic Development Districts (EDDs) that promote economic development planning and project implementation urban, suburban, and rural regions. They provide important administrative, capacity building, and technical support to local communities and serve as an important convener for region-wide initiatives.

EDDs also write and maintain their region’s Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS), a locally-based, regionally-driven economic development planning process and document. Developing a CEDS and having it approved by the Economic Development Administration opens the door to funding and deeper collaboration with federal and state partners like EDA.

Join a webinar with the State International Development Organization (SIDO), the State Economic Development Executives (SEDE) Network, and the NADO Research Foundation on July 25 from 4 to 5 p.m. ET to learn more about Economic Development Districts, the CEDS, and the value of forging strong partnership between states and EDDs. You’ll hear from federal, state, and regional leaders about how collaboration at all levels can support economic resilience, wider prosperity and long-term economic growth for your state.

This webinar is presented through the “Enhancing State and Local EDD Engagement to Support COVID-19 Recovery and Resiliency” project led by the Center for Regional Economic Competitiveness (CREC) with funding from the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA).

Speakers:

• Rachel Adams, Program Manager, State International Development Organization (SIDO)
• Brett Schwartz, Associate Director, NADO Research Foundation

• Mereb Hagos, Program Manager, Center for Regional Economic Competitiveness (CREC)
• David Ives, Deputy Director, Performance, Research, and National Technical Assistance Division, U.S. Economic Development Administratio
• Joe Barker, Executive Director, Southwest Tennessee Development District
• Brooxie Carlton, Assistant Commissioner, Rural Development, Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development

The recording of the webinar can be found here.

NSF will host a webinar to present the NSF Regional Innovation Engines initiative.  The NSF Engines program will provide up to $160 million to each Regional Engine for up to 10 years to support the development of diverse regional coalitions to engage in use-inspired research and development, translation of innovation to society, and workforce development — with the goal of growing and sustaining regional innovation ecosystems throughout the U.S. Non-profit organizations, higher education institutions and for-profit organizations are eligible to apply, meaning your organization may be able to apply and/or partner with an eligible applicant.

This SEDE event was open to a larger audience given staff interest in the issue.  The recording of this webinar is available online using the password 5$hP^k?1.

This webinar will demonstrate the newly revamped USA competes and highlight its resources for international engagement strategies.  USA Competes.com is the one-stop resource for state, regional, and local economic development organization (EDO) to develop an international engagement strategy and to be ready to compete in the global economy. International engagement includes the promotion of the sale of U.S. goods and services to a foreign market, or exports, and the attraction of inbound investments from international firms, known as FDI.

Exports and FDI play a critical role in the economic success in your region, and it is essential to have a strategy to compete in the global economy. USA competes provides the resources and roadmap to develop and execute your international engagement strategy.

Speakers at this webinar will include:

• Tricia Van Orden, Acting Director, Trade Promotion Coordinating Committee, U.S. Department of Commerce
• Jasjit Singh, Executive Director, SelectUSA, U.S. Department of Commerce
• Mark Troppe, Senior Research Fellow, Center for Regional Economic Competitiveness (CREC)
• Andy Karellas, Executive Director, State International Development Organizations (SIDO)

This SEDE event was open to a larger audience given staff interest in the issue.  The recording of this webinar is available online.

The materials included on these State-Local Alignment webpages were prepared by the Center for Regional Economic Competitiveness using Federal funds under award ED21HDQ3070060 from the Economic Development Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce. The statements, findings, conclusions, and recommendations are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Economic Development Administration or the U.S. Department of Commerce.

As more people are able to work from – and live – anywhere, states and localities are increasingly offering incentives targeting remote workers. The move to remote and hybrid work in response to the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the trend, with dozens of new programs emerging in the last two years. Will these worker attraction efforts be effective?

This roundtable will present findings from recent evaluations of two of the longest-standing remote worker attraction programs: the Vermont New Remote Workers Grant Program and Tulsa Remote, both launched in 2018. As early adopters of remote worker incentives, both places offer important lessons to communities that offer or are considering offering incentives to attract remote workers.

Moderator:
Ellen Harpel, Smart Incentives

Speakers:

Deanna Kimball, PFM Group Consulting
Joan Goldstein, Commissioner, Vermont Agency of Commerce and Community Development
Kenan Fikri, Economic Innovation Group

This SEDE event was open to a larger audience given staff interest in the issue.  The Recording and
slides used in the presentations are available online.  A white paper and blog summarizing the session are also available.

As pandemic recovery continues throughout the United States, there is a tremendous opportunity right now to better coordinate economic development planning efforts at the state and regional levels to drive prosperity and resilience. The NADO Research Foundation and Center for Regional Economic Competitiveness (CREC) hosted a webinar highlighting how state economic development offices and regionally-based Economic Development Districts (EDDs) can better align their efforts, in particular by coordinating statewide economic development plans and regional Comprehensive Economic Development Strategies (CEDS).

During the webinar, participants learned more about the CEDS process from U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) staff and how it can support efforts to meet regional and statewide economic development goals. They also heard how the Eastern Maine Development Corporation, located in Bangor and serving four counties, forged a strong partnership with the Maine Department of Economic and Community Development – an example of an EDD-state government collaboration that is leading to powerful outcomes for local residents and businesses.

Speakers:
Bob Isaacson, Senior Vice President, Center for Regional Economic Competitiveness, Arlington, VA
David Ives, Deputy Director, Performance, Research and National Technical Assistance Division, U.S. Economic Development Administration, Washington, DC
Heather Johnson, Commissioner, Maine Department of Economic & Community Development, Augusta, ME
Lee Umphrey, CEO, Eastern Maine Development Corporation, Bangor, ME
Brett Schwartz, Associate Director, NADO Research Foundation, Washington, DC (moderator)

This was a joint SEDE/EDA webinar so attendees included an EDA audience. The Recording and slides used in the presentations are available online.

The materials included on these State-Local Alignment webpages were prepared by the Center for Regional Economic Competitiveness using Federal funds under award ED21HDQ3070060 from the Economic Development Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce. The statements, findings, conclusions, and recommendations are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Economic Development Administration or the U.S. Department of Commerce.

The recent supply chain challenges have spotlighted the central role that international trade plays in our state and local economies and the importance of developing a comprehensive international trade strategy. International trade is 12 percent of our nation’s gross domestic product and supports millions of good paying jobs.

The State International Development Organizations (SIDO), the Center for Regional Economic Competitiveness (CREC) and the State Economic Development Executive (SEDE) Network presented a webinar on how state international trade development offices and Economic Development Districts (EDDs) can coordinate on the development of a comprehensive international trade strategy, including promoting exports, attracting FDI, and mitigating supply chain disruptions.

Speakers:
• Andy Karellas, Executive Director, State International Development Organizations (SIDO)
• Bob Isaacson, Senior Vice President, Center for Regional and Economic Competitiveness (CREC)
• Heather Johnson, Commissioner of Maine Department of Economic and Community Development
• Barrett Haga, Senior Engagement Administrator, Economic Development Administration (EDA)
• Wade Merritt, President and State Director of International Trade, Maine International Trade Center
• Gabrielle Gerbaud, Executive Director, Trade Office and Chief Protocol Officer for the State of Minnesota
• Nicole Griensewic, Region Nine Development Commission, Mankato, MN

This was a joint SEDE/EDA webinar so attendees included an EDA audience. The Recording and slides used in the presentations are available online.

The materials included on these State-Local Alignment webpages were prepared by the Center for Regional Economic Competitiveness using Federal funds under award ED21HDQ3070060 from the Economic Development Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce. The statements, findings, conclusions, and recommendations are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Economic Development Administration or the U.S. Department of Commerce.

The COVID-19 public health crisis and resulting economic crisis have put state, local, and Tribal governments under unprecedented strain. Through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), the Treasury Department is providing needed $350 billion of relief to state, local, and Tribal governments to enable them to continue to support the public health response and lay the foundation for a strong and equitable economic recovery.

ARPA also provided $3 billion in supplemental funding to the Economic Development Administration for several major new grant programs. The Treasury Relief Programs may shed light on the the priorities of state and local governments and provide some guidance on how any EDA grant awards will be used.

Speakers:
Christy McFarland (Research Director, National League of Cities) will present her research on ARPA spending by local governments
Emily Maher (Senior Policy Specialist, National Conference of State Legislatures) will discuss ARPA spending by states

This is a joint SEDE/EDA webinar so attendees included an EDA audience. The Recording and PPT Presentation  are available online.

The materials included on these State-Local Alignment webpages were prepared by the Center for Regional Economic Competitiveness using Federal funds under award ED21HDQ3070060 from the Economic Development Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce. The statements, findings, conclusions, and recommendations are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Economic Development Administration or the U.S. Department of Commerce.