EDA Names Winners of Excellence in Economic Development Awards

The Economic Development Administration (EDA) recently announced the recipients of its 2003 Excellence in Economic Development Awards. A total of eight award-winners were named across seven broad award categories. Those pocketing awards in Innovation and Technology-led Economic Development, respectively, are described below.

Innovation

• Utah Division of Business and Economic Development, Utah Smart Site Project, Salt Lake City, Utah - The Utah Smart Site Program develops family-sustaining employment opportunities in rural communities through the attraction, creation and expansion of businesses that use the Internet to provide information technology outsourcing services for clients anywhere in the world. The Utah Smart Site Program has resulted in the attraction of two new businesses, the creation of 13 new IT businesses and the expansion of an additional seven IT businesses. In addition, four firms have announced their intent to locate in Utah's rural communities. These companies have created 618 new jobs with an additional 580 jobs that have been announced - http://www.utahreach.org/rosie/silicon/bulletins.htm

Technology-led (tie)

• Center for Emerging Technologies, St. Louis, Missouri - The Center for Emerging Technologies (CET), a nonprofit organization, was established in 1996 and initially sponsored by the University of Missouri - St. Louis and the Missouri Department of Economic Development. The mission of CET is to be a catalyst positioning the St. Louis region as a global center for biomedical and other advanced technology companies, by facilitating the creation and development of technically innovative enterprises and stimulating the region's life science industry. CET operates a business incubator for start-up biomedical and other advanced companies and manages a business accelerator facility that provides entrepreneur education and training to tenant companies.
• Fitzsimons Redevelopment Authority, Aurora, Colorado - The mission of the Fitzsimons Redevelopment Authority is to redevelop the former Fitzsimons Army Medical Center into a square mile dedicated to patient care, education, basic science research and bioscience research and development in a manner that maximizes the long-term economic benefits to the Aurora community and the state of Colorado. In 2003, Fitzsimons has completed or is working on $1 billion in construction that is part of a $4 billion phased program to create 15 million sq. ft. of development and support a permanent workforce of 32,000.

The awards will be presented May 7-9 at EDA's National Conference Engines of Economic Growth for the 21st Century in Washington, D.C. A full listing of the award-winners and complete conference information are available through http://www.osec.doc.gov/eda/.