The economic development arm of the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce has received two awards for excellence from the International Economic Development Council for a talent attraction initiative. Among nearly 500 applications from similarly-sized communities, the Springfield Business Development Corporation (SBDC) received a Gold Award for a video series and a Bronze Award for the website LiveinSpringfieldMO.com. Both awards were presented at IEDC’s annual conference this month.
The award-winning projects are part of the Chamber and SBDC’s talent attraction initiative, launched in 2014. Chamber economic development staff set out to develop a set of tools to complement talent recruitment efforts of local companies. Many companies told SBDC it was difficult to explain to potential job candidates what it is like to live and work in the Springfield region. The resulting initiative has been designed to provide a one-stop shop for human resource and recruitment professionals.
The awards put Springfield’s talent attraction initiative among the world’s best economic development programs. Project lead was Rachael Snow, SBDC marketing coordinator.
“From localized community projects to large scale endeavors, economic development efforts have played a vital role in the global economy,” said JoAnn Crary, CEcD, chair of the International Economic Development Council and president of Saginaw Future, Inc. “As we address new and longstanding challenges, these efforts continue to take on even greater importance. These awards serve as a salute to pacesetting organizations like the SBDC for leading the charge.”
About the International Economic Development Council
The International Economic Development Council (IEDC) is a non-profit organization and the largest organization of its kind, with more than 4,600 members from a wide variety of settings including governments, public-private partnerships, chambers of commerce and universities.
About SBDC
The Springfield Business Development Corporation (SBDC) is the lead economic development organization for the Springfield, Missouri region and the economic development arm of the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce. We work to assist existing business, attract new business, grow our workforce, and support entrepreneurship in the 10-county region. With the financial support of our investors and regional partners, we market the Springfield region nationally, help local, growing companies succeed, and focus on creating jobs for people who call this region home.
