
Annual Conference 2019
Highlights
Earlier this month, over 400 SEDC members, partners, and guests attended the 2019 SEDC Annual Conference in New Orleans, LA. The conference themed Brave. New. World., featured numerous sessions that set the stage for our presenters to showcase their disruptive and provocative ideas to ultimately help us grow.
The conference opened Sunday evening with a welcome reception at The National WWII Museum, which allowed conference attendees and guests to network in a more casual environment before the official conference activities began on Monday.
After the opening remarks and keynote address, attendees spent Monday in a series of breakout sessions covering everything from "How You Can Maximize Success through Innovative Digital, Data, and Marketing for Economic Development" to "Placemaking - Being a Community that Decision Makers Remember." SEDC used member input to create the ideal topic selections. Each session engaged the audience and allowed for discussion between the presenter(s) and the audience. The first full day ended with a silent auction reception benefiting the SEDC Educational Foundation. This year, conference attendees and guests raised more than $14,000 to help provide scholarships for economic development professionals.
Tuesday morning began bright and early with the SEDC Fun Run 5K. Attendees used the guided run around Downtown New Orleans as a unique way to combine fitness and networking. After breakfast, attendees enjoyed a full day of general sessions in the Grand Ballroom. Topics included "Be Future FDI Ready" and "Site Consultants Bring Their Crystal Ball." The casual, panel-style format allowed the audience to interact with the four site selectors and ask thought-provoking questions. The conference ended with one of SEDC’s most fun receptions to date – an exclusive party at B.B. King's Blues Club, located in the historic French Quarter. We danced to live music, enjoyed delicious food, and libations.
SEDC would like to thank the conference planning committee, The Ritz Carlton, New Orleans, Louisiana Economic Development, and the remarkable state of Louisiana for its hard work and incredible hospitality. We’d also like to thank our generous sponsors, without whom we couldn’t do all that we do.
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Pictures from the Conference
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2019 Winners
SEDC’s annual Communication Awards Competition recognizes excellence in messaging, marketing, and outreach. It’s our opportunity to shine a light on communities, counties, and regions going above and beyond in their promotion efforts. The 2019 Communication Awards Competition received more than 100 entries – the most entries for a single competition in more than 20 years!
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Best of Show
2017/18 Profile: Choctaw Nation Economic Development Partnership
Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma
Durant, OK
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Best of Class - State Division
Louisiana Works for You: Research, Business Climate, Custom Fit & Workforce Ad Suite
Louisiana Economic Development
Baton Rouge, LA
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Best of Class - Large Division
Choose Wichita Brand and Website/ Campaign
Greater Wichita Partnership
Wichita, KS
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Best of Class - Medium Division
#MadeInAlbanyGA Industry Marketing Campaign: Albany, Georgia as a destination for world-class manufacturing
Albany-Dougherty Economic Development Commission
Albany, GA
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Best of Class - Small Division
2017/18 Profile: Choctaw Nation Economic Development Partnership
Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma
Durant, OK
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Special Judges Award for Comprehensive Community Outreach
Cherokee Film Summit
Cherokee Office of Economic Development
Woodstock, GA
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Special Judges Award for Imaginative Event Promotion
Red Carpet Tour. Discover The Magic.
Clarksville - Montgomery County Economic Development Council
Clarksville, TN
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Special Judges Award for Talent Attraction
Charleston Tech: Our Time is Now
Charleston County Economic Development
North Charleston, SC
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Winners for 2019
The CEDA program recognizes outstanding communities in our region for their efforts in advancing the economic viability of their community through economic and community development programs. State associations in our region can choose to use this same format to conduct their own competition, or develop their own, and then submit their winners to SEDC for consideration of a regional award.
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5,001 - 15,000 population
Town of Pulaski, VA
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Population of 15,001 - 40,000
Panola County, MS
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Population of 40,001-100,000
Titusville, FL
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More than 100,000
Tyler, TX
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The 2019 Silent Auction
The 2019 Silent Auction was a major success and raised more than $14,000 for scholarships. SEDC would like to thank everyone who generously donated items and bid during the auction. It’s because of you that we’re able to support numerous southern economic development professionals through educational scholarships.
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Thank you to our Sponsors:
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Special Thank You to the following Industry Professionals:
- Hodges and Pratt
- Enterprise Florida, Inc.
- Douglas County Economic Development Authority
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2019 SEDC Board Retirements
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Raul Peralta
2019 SEDC Chairman
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JD Lowery
2019 Arkansas State Director
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Ben Fontenot
2019 Louisiana State Director
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Loren Hill
2019 North Carolina State Director
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Andy McMillan
2019 Oklahoma State Director
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Kathy Price
2019 Tennessee State Director
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Robbie Morris
2019 West Virginia Director
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MEMBER BENEFIT OF THE MONTH
Career Connections
As a SEDC member, you have access to Career Connections, an easy, effective way to find available career opportunities. Employers seeking economic developers can find the perfect candidate by advertising online. Jobs are posted to the SEDC Career Center and an update to our members are made on our Linkedin, Twitter, and Facebook pages. Check out our Career Center for some awesome career opportunities or o post your newest opening!
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Tech Corner
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No matter what stage of your career you're in, whether you're looking for a new job or happy in your current organization, networking is an incredibly useful tool that can, and should, be practiced by just about everyone. These are not the networking tools to make computers play nice. This is about business and personal networking, face-to-face and via social media. The stronger and bigger the web of relationships you have, the more successful you will be at everything you do.
According to Dunbar's Number, our brains can only keep track of about 150 relationships at a time. From reminders to get back in touch to keeping the contact information handy, or just learning what people up to, these sites can help you build and keep a powerful network going.
Networking Tools
- Google Alerts
- Create alerts for people you're interested in to learn when they are in the news and their accomplishments; Free
- Nimble
- Social CRM tool to manage contacts, communications, activities, and even sales in one place; Free personal plan; business plan $15/month
- popurls
- Massive, customizable one page news, vlog, link, and social media aggregator; Free
- Promtivate
- Suggests whom to connect with and how, and reminds you to contact them; Free lite version; professional plan $14.95/month
- Quora
- Share your knowledge by answering questions in your area of expertise; Free
References
Ziesenis, B., 2013. Release Your Inner Nerd: Apps, Tech Tools and Tips to Get Organized, Get Creative and
Get Ahead. Your Nerdy Best Friend Ink; 1 edition.
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CAREER CENTER
Career Center Sponsored by:
Vice President, Economic Development - Bowling Green, KY
Posted 8/20/2019
Economic Development Research Manager- Irving, TX
Posted 8/9/2019
Economic Development Director - Sampson County, NC
Posted 8/1/2019
Economic Development Representative - Mississippi Power
Posted 7/31/2019
President/CEO Development Authority of Polk County Georgia
Posted 7/26/2019
Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation Secretary & CEO
Posted 7/25/2019
Executive Director - Norwalk Redevelopment Agency, Norwalk, CT
Posted 7/23/2019
Director of Economic Development – City of Saint Charles, Missouri
Posted 7/23/2019
Senior Project Manager - Development Advisors, NC
Posted 7/18/2019
Executive Director, Dahlonega Downtown Development Authority, GA
Posted 7/17/2019
Greater Williamsburg Partnership, VA - Director
Posted 7/16/2019
Manager, Economic Development - Maury County Chamber , TN
Posted 7/9/2019
Wichita Falls Chamber of Commerce, TX - Vice President of Business Attraction Posted 7/8/2019
Director of Economic & Tourism Development - Queen Anne’s County, Maryland
Posted 6/26/2019
Economic Development Director - Oconee County, SC
Posted 6/21/2019
Director of Talent and Business Growth - Oklahoma City, OK
Posted 6/19/2019
Greenville ENC Alliance, NC – President/CEO
Posted 6/18/2019
Vice President of Economic Development - Jonesboro, AR
Posted 6/18/2019
Director, Financial Operations - Virginia Economic Development Partnership
Posted 6/17/2019
Director, Project Operations - Virginia Economic Development Partnership
Posted 6/17/2019
Director, Organizational Development - Virginia Economic Development Partnership
Posted 6/17/2019
Business Manager, Richmond, Virginia
Posted 6/14/2019
Dayton, TX Community Development Corp. - Director
Posted 6/3/2019
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Upcoming Events
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ATLANTA

2019 YOUNG PROFESSIONALS MEET THE CONSULTANTS
November 7-8
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ATLANTA

2019 CAPITAL CONNECTIONS
November 18
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ATLANTA

2020 MEET THE CONSULTANTS
March 26-27
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EMAIL US
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