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November 2007 This issue home | Past issues | Chamber home Economic Development Staff Active in Regional, State and National Organizations
In recent months, the staff Richardson Economic Development Partnership (REDP) has participated in a number of national events and conferences related to their roles in marketing and promoting the Richardson area. International Economic Development Council REDP President Bill Sproull and Senior Vice President John Jacobs recently attended the International Economic Development Council’s (IEDC) annual conference. Mr. Sproull delivered a presentation on the Metroplex Technology Business Council, a regional alliance of technology companies founded by Richardson Chamber members in 1994. Last year, the Richardson ED Partnership was recognized for winning IEDC’s “Best Technology-Led Economic Development” award. Mr. Sproull is a member of the board of directors of IEDC, which is dedicated to helping economic development professionals improve the quality of life in their communities through the creation of more high-quality jobs. Emerging Technology Fund Mr. Sproull was recently re-appointed by Governor Perry to the advisory board for state’s Emerging Technology Fund (ETF). The fund oversees $200 million in state funding to support commercialization and the development of new technology companies within Texas. Richardson entities that have been past recipients of EFT grants include Hanson Robotics, Photodigm and UT Dallas. DFW Marketing Team Mr. Jacobs was named to the board of the DFW Marketing Team (DFWMT) and will serve as chairman for 2008. The DFW Marketing Team, with more than 40 city and county members, is a regional marketing initiative designed to encourage corporate location and expansion to the DFW area. Accompanied by about 15 members of the DFWMT, Mr. Jacobs attended the annual CoreNet Global Summit in Atlanta, Georgia in late October. The DFWMT hosted a reception for several hundred corporate real estate executives and site selection consultants that attended the conference. North Texas Commercial Association of Realtors Mr. Jacobs recently became one of the few non-brokers named to the Board of Directors of the North Texas Commercial Association of Realtors (NTCAR). This is the professional association for DFW’s commercial brokers – the type of professionals which have historically brought so many great companies and projects to Richardson. Companies such as Countrywide Financial, MetroPCS, Yahoo!, Cisco Systems, Samsung and many others can be attributed to commercial brokers that NTCAR members. International Council of Shopping Centers In October, Sue Walker, Vice President of Economic Development, attended in the annual International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) Texas Conference and Deal Making Conference in San Antonio. With over 4,000 participants, the San Antonio conference became ICSC’s second largest regional conference. Retail real estate brokers, developers and over 100 retailers and restaurant representatives were in attendance. While attending the conference, Ms. Walker met with several companies who own or manage retail properties in Richardson. She met the new shopping centers owners including The Phillips Edison Company from Baltimore, Maryland. The company recently purchased Buckingham Square Shopping Center in SE Richardson. She also met with the owners and leasing agents for the new Richardson Village, formerly University Village Shopping Center located at E. Belt Line and Plano Road. She also talked with more than 25 potential retailers and restaurants and their brokers to promote various retail locations in Richardson. Immediately after the conference, Ms. Walker headed to Washington, D.C. as one of four ICSC Alliance program past chairs invited to attend a special forum with key ICSC government relations and marketing executives. The Alliance program is designed to foster relationships between the public and private sector in retail development. Ms. Walker served as the Texas Alliance program co-chair from 2004-2007 and under her leadership, the ICSC public sector membership in Texas increased from 130 to over 480 members (second only to California). She also organized a number of highly successful Alliance programs on topics including the alcohol/retail issue, TIFs, mixed use development and the role of public private partnerships in retail development. Economic Development Continuing Education Manuel Tellez, REDP’s research and marketing manager, has attended two research-related conferences this fall. In September, he attended the Basic Economic Development Course, a program under the auspices of the Texas Economic Development Council and the IEDC. This program is an intensive one-week course geared primarily towards those who are new to the economic development profession. It covers all aspects of general economic development activities: workforce development, business retention, marketing and prospect handling, proposal development and research. Mr. Tellez also participated in the Council for Community and Economic Research Training Institute in Arlington, Virginia. C2ER is the new name for the American Chamber of Commerce Research Association, or ACCRA, known for their quarterly Cost of Living Index publication and the Community Researcher certification program designed to set professional standards for economic development researchers. The C2ER training is designed to upgrade analytical skills and better prepare community researchers to work in their respective organizations. Regional and national conferences are an integral part of REDP marketing efforts and provide opportunities for the REDP staff to keep Richardson in the forefront for future corporate and retail expansions. The collective knowledge gathered at these conferences also keeps the REDP aware of “best in class” economic development programs and strategies from around the nation. Action News is a monthly publication of the Richardson Chamber of Commerce Communications Department. To unsubscribe, e-mail administrator@telecomcorridor.com. Please provide your name, company, phone number and e-mail address. |
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