Texas Border Business
The Economic Development Corporation of Weslaco announces the acceptance of the Community Economic Development Award (CEDA) for 2017.
Texas Economic Development Council (TEDC) awards were presented at a special awards luncheon held Thursday, October 19th at the TEDC’s Annual Conference in Houston, Texas.
The Community Economic Development Award program recognizes exceptional contributions of TEDC member cities toward the economic vitality of their communities and the state of Texas through creativity, leadership and partnership in the achievement of business retention, business recruitment and community improvement.
The CEDA committee received applications from a record forty (40) member communities. Nominees were then judged on five criteria: innovativeness, transferability, community commitment and leverage, measured objectives, and secondary benefits.
Communities nominated included:
Population 20,001 to 50,000, Balch Springs, Galveston, Greenville, Keller, Rockwall, The Colony and Weslaco.
“Each community nominated achieved excellence in economic development and substantially improved the economic base of their respective regions,” noted Fred Welch, 2017 Chair of the Texas Economic Development Council.
The Weslaco Economic Development Corporation’s entry focused on UTRGV’s Center for Innovation & Commercialization scheduled to open in the summer of 2018. The contest entry featured the collaboration between an institution of higher learning, a well-developed entrepreneurial ecosystem and the need for affordable creative space, more commonly known as incubator space.
According to Marie McDermott, Executive Director for the EDC of Weslaco, “the award places Weslaco among other cities in the state that are progressive minded, creating opportunities for new jobs and growing our economy making us competitive for all industries looking to grow and expand.”
The award also recognizes the leadership that oversees the EDC and City of Weslaco as cohesive partners in sustaining growth and improving the quality of life for its residents.
