JEDCO celebrates Economic Development Week

This week, JEDCO joins thousands of economic development organizations around the country and internationally in celebration of Economic Development Week. The economic development industry has had a major impact all over the world. Economic developers create jobs and investment in their communities, attracting new businesses and identifying creative ways to retain the companies already there.

This year, the International Economic Development Council (IEDC) reached its 90^th anniversary! That’s a big deal in the economic development world. This milestone compelled IEDC to name 2016 the “Year of the Economic Developer.” We can absolutely get behind that!

JEDCO has supported our local businesses for 29 years! Our organization achieved Accredited Economic Development Organization (AEDO) status once again in 2015. We’ve held this prestigious designation since 2008, a recognition shared by only 46 economic development organizations in North America. We spearheaded the development of the Jefferson EDGE 2020, the Parish’s long-term economic development strategic plan, and we regularly work with our local businesses to ensure they have all the tools they need to grow and find success. We are proud of the work that we do and honored that we get to serve our local community regularly.

How did we celebrate?

On Wednesday, the Jefferson Parish Council issued a proclamation recognizing this year as the “Year of the Economic Developer” and highlighting JEDCO’s many achievements.

Jerry Bologna, our President and CEO, received a 2016 Merit Award from the Bureau of Governmental Research (BGR) for Excellence in Government. Jerry has been with the organization since 2000, serving JEDCO in a number of capacities. He has been our President/CEO since 2013. Jerry was recognized at the BGR luncheon on Thursday. See the full list of award winners here.

FreshCane, our 2016 JEDCO Challenge winner, was recognized at the Jefferson Chamber of Commerce’s Business Leadership Awards Luncheon. JEDCO places an emphasis on entrepreneurship and always looks for new ways to elevate opportunities for our local startups.

Kate Moreano, our Economic Development Manager, graduated from the Leadership Jefferson Class of 2016 last night. Leadership Jefferson is a nine-month program designed to develop a diverse network of dedicated business and community leaders. Many of JEDCO’s employees have gone through this program, including Jerry Bologna (President/CEO), Lacey Bordelon (Vice President), and Kelsey Scram (Marketing & PR Manager).

We are so proud of our team here at JEDCO and we look forward to serving you, our businesses, for many years to come!