Join IEDC

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You take the vitality of your career and community seriously, and so do we: IEDC provides the power of leadership and knowledge to serve you, the professionals who lead the community.

Name a type of economic development project and an IEDC member has worked on it. From public to private, rural to urban, and local to international, our members represent the entire range of economic development experience and our offerings reflect this diversity. By joining IEDC, our members’ expertise becomes yours.

Meet, Make Deals, and Form Partnerships

In a global economy, you never know where the next opportunity to advance your career or community will come from. IEDC gives you the chance to form and foster relationships with economic developers from around the world – and the next county over.

IEDC technical and annual conferences will not only connect you with others who share your goals and experiences, but keep you in the forefront of the profession by providing access to and insights from community leaders, industry experts, and federal policy makers.

However, you don’t have to wait until the next conference to utilize our members’ expertise. If you can access the Internet, than you can access our network of professionals: search the online Membership Directory and exchange information with peers close to home and abroad, or tap into the collective intelligence of our members in our Discussion Forums.

Learn More, Do More, and Be More

As your community evolves, it demands fresh ideas and inspired solutions. Today, IEDC offers you more options than ever to develop the skills that will make you a better economic developer and advance your career.

From key issues like finance and marketing to specialized topics such as brownfield redevelopment and technology-led development, our training courses provide you with the latest tools and techniques to call upon when you are tasked with turning a problem into an opportunity.

With nearly 50 training courses offered throughout the year and around the country, they are designed to do more than simply fit your schedule and budget: they help you design your own plan to achieve the profession’s standard of excellence, the Certified Economic Developer (CEcD) designation. IEDC’s certification program unifies the field of economic development and establishes a base line of knowledge an economic developer should possess.

Upon reaching CEcD status, you will be recognized as a leader in the profession and a desirable candidate for the best jobs in economic development, which are listed on our online Job Center and delivered into your inbox with every edition of Economic Development Now, IEDC’s membership newsletter.

Gain Information, Answers, and Access

In today’s ever-changing climate of economic development, it is essential to have the right information at the right time. Our experienced members and library of publications compliment an expert staff that’s on call to place research, news, and reports at your fingertips.

You can gain in-depth analysis of important programs, projects, and trends from the United States and around the world with IEDC’s quarterly, Economic Development Journal, the premier publication of our diverse and dynamic industry. The Journal is complimented twice a month by IEDC’s e-newsletter, Economic Development Now, which provides a survey of current economic development news and original reports examining best practices and new trends. Finally, our online bookstore offers the very best publications by major publishers – as well as our own technical reports and manuals – at discounted prices for our members.

If your community needs further resources, IEDC Advisory Services and Research can bring nationally recognized member experts to your community to generate customized research and solutions. Our clients include regions seeking to fine-tune their existing portfolio, at-risk urban neighborhoods, rural areas, and cities seeking to redevelop their central business district, inner suburbs, or transit corridors. We also work with federal agencies, corporations, and foundations to provide research for education and policy development.

In addition, we keep you in the loop as to what’s happening inside the Beltway. IEDC Legislative Affairs monitors legislation that has an impact on our discipline and engages our membership in policy advocacy. Updates concerning federal funding and activity can be found in our e-newsletter, Economic Development Now, and access gained to your members of Congress and federal agency representatives at the Economic Development Summit, held annually in Washington, DC.

Join Us Today!

It’s an exciting time to be involved in economic development and IEDC is at the heart of it. Join today and leverage the strength of our united membership to get ahead…and get things done.

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