This year, it was our pleasure to welcome the annual International Economic Development Council (IEDC) Conference to Atlanta. Not only did a record number of ED professionals attend (more than 1,600), but this year’s theme of “Inclusive Economic Development” goes to the heart of everything we are doing here at Invest Atlanta.

At the conference, I was invited to present as part of the conference’s annual ED Talks feature. I spoke about how large metro areas like ours need to develop truly regional strategies around workforce, transportation, and affordability.

But I was truly blown away by a fellow presenter, Edward Elivah “Eli” Hamner, a military veteran living in Atlanta who struggled with addition and homelessness for years. He spoke about how the non-profit organization “Back on My Feet” provided the support and training he needed to get back into the workforce. Today, Eli works at the JW Marriott Atlanta and is earning his degree in HVAC/R from Atlanta Technical College. Eli’s story shows just how impactful these types of programs can be in helping people gain a foothold on the economic ladder

I was also glad to have members of our staff share their expertise on two panels. One focused on the creative economy and how efforts like our Creative Industries Loan Fund can help independent creators turn their project ideas into a reality. The other talked about the Community Builders Program we launched last year to train Westside residents on how to redevelop vacant and blighted properties.

To cap things off, members of our team took the stage to accept two IEDC Excellence in Economic Awards: the first for our I-85 Alive Business Rapid Response project in the BRE Single Event category, and the second in the brand-new “Equity and Diversity” category for our economic and community development work within the Westside Tax Allocation District.

We would like to give a heartfelt thank you to everyone who attended, and we look forward to seeing you at next year’s conference!

- Dr. Eloisa Klementich