DETROIT (October 20, 2020) – The International Economic Development Council (IEDC) honored the Detroit Regional Partnership (DRP) with two gold awards during their 2020 virtual IEDC Annual Conference: Excellence in Economic Development awards ceremony. DRP won a gold category award for its RED Talent Cluster Program, a project in the Innovation Programs and Initiatives category of the awards program as well as a gold category award for its Pathway Jobs, a project in Economic Equity and Inclusion category.
“Addressing inequity and poverty and strengthening our talent pipeline go hand in hand. We are very proud of this effort and the recognition it’s receiving,” said Maureen Donohue Krauss, president and CEO of the Detroit Regional Partnership. “The ”˜Pathway Jobs’ initiative is designed to attract jobs that are more accessible because they don’t require a college degree. These types of jobs provide people an avenue to enter and progress through the workforce to pursue higher-paying positions and careers while ultimately offering employers a stronger talent pool.”
IEDC’s Excellence in Economic Development Awards recognize the world’s best economic development programs and partnerships, marketing materials, and the year’s most influential leaders. 35 award categories honor organizations and individuals for their efforts in creating positive change in urban, suburban, and rural communities. Awards are judged by a diverse panel of economic and community developers from around the world, following a nomination process held earlier this year. IEDC received over 500 submissions from four countries.
“The winners of IEDC’s Excellence in Economic Development awards represent the very best of economic development and exemplify the ingenuity, integrity, and leadership that our profession strives for each and every day,” said 2020 IEDC Board Chair and One Columbus CEO Kenny McDonald. “We’re honored to recognize the more than 100 communities whose marketing campaigns, projects and partnerships have measurably improved regional quality of life.”
The DRP is a regional economic development nonprofit serving Southeast Michigan’s 11-county region. Since the founding, DRP has focused on Deep Prosperity and Equity and Inclusion. The organization continues to aggressively market the 11-county region to out-of-state and international companies to attract investments and jobs to the region.
“Our region has one of the most compelling, high-tech talent stories in the nation, and it stretches well beyond automotive,” said Krauss. “We have top-tier talent in research, engineering, and design that continues to fuel innovation, and that’s attractive to investors and site selectors. The RED Talent Cluster program packages our story in a way that helps companies identify its applicability across a wide range of sectors, including transportation and logistics, smart manufacturing and digital technology.”
For more information about the DRP RED Talent Cluster, click here.
About the International Economic Development Council
The International Economic Development Council (IEDC) is a non-profit, non-partisan membership organization serving economic developers. With more than 5,000 members, IEDC is the largest organization of its kind. Economic developers 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. From public to private, rural to urban and local to international, IEDC’s members are engaged in the full range of economic development experience. Given the breadth of economic development work, our members are employed in a wide variety of settings including local, state, provincial and federal governments, public-private partnerships, chambers of commerce, universities and a variety of other institutions. When we succeed, our members create high-quality jobs, develop vibrant communities, and improve the quality of life in their regions. Learn more at iedconline.org.
About DRP
Founded in 2019 by a group of business and philanthropic leaders, the Detroit Regional Partnership is a public-private economic development organization focused on marketing and business attraction to out-of-state and international companies for the 11-county Southeast Michigan region.
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Media Contact:
Detroit Regional Partnership
Tamekia (Ashford) Nixon
Cell: 313-510-3781
DRP IS FEATURED IN
DBusiness Magazine’s recent roundup of the latest news, featured the IEDC Excellence in Economic Development awards release. Click here to read the release.