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ASHINGTON — Can corporate real estate executives benefit from a stronger, more unified voice among economic development professionals? The answer, according to Council for Urban Economic Development (CUED) Chairman Kurt Chilcott, is “yes.”
In a letter to members of both CUED and the American Economic Development Council (AEDC) — two organizations of economic developers who voted to merge in April — Chilcott stressed the advantages of “expanded research and technical assistance” and an enhanced “international presence” as just two of the reasons why the merger made sense.
“Distressed people, businesses and places, whether they are rural, suburban or urban, are one of the fundamental purposes of economic development agencies, departments and entities, and the professionals who serve them,” said Chilcott. “And the new organization will provide education and technical assistance to address these critical issues.”
For practitioners of corporate real estate, that means access to even greater resources and research within the economic development community. It also means more lobbying clout for pro-business forces — including the commercial real estate development industry — in Washington, D.C.
CUED Board member Charlie Webb, vice president of economic development for the Greater Cleveland Growth Association, noted that the merger will also create a greater comfort level for the corporate end user. “The corporate real estate manager wants to know that the people he or she is dealing with step up to a certain level of competence, and the certification process of the newly formed organization will assure that,” said Webb. “We will also be updating our standards for certification of economic developers.”
In addressing “why the CUED and AEDC unification is a win for you, the members,” Chilcott said that the newly combined organization would offer “stronger advocacy and access at the federal level, improved access to resources and information, and expanded networks and alliances.”
Nowhere will this new clout be felt more than on Capitol Hill, where the new economic development organization plans to lobby Congress for major legislative initiatives aimed at driving economic growth toward areas of the United States that desperately need it.
“The new, larger organization will have more influence on matters of public policy,” said Chilcott. “It will have a larger voice and play a greater role in shaping the public debate on matters of economic development interest. … The new organization will also provide a unified voice to the business community and other organizations.”
While the members of CUED and AEDC approved the merger in a vote earlier this year, the two organizations will not have a combined meeting until 2002. The last AEDC annual meeting was held in New York on May 8. The final CUED annual meeting will take place in Philadelphia on Sept. 9-11.
The new organization is leasing office space in Washington to promote access and advocacy with Congress. The offices of AEDC in Chicago are closing, as are CUED’s existing offices in Washington.
Jeff Finkle of CUED is set to assume the title of CEO with the new organization, while Paul Lawler of AEDC will become the COO. Chilcott will serve as co-chair of the new organization along with incoming AEDC Chairman Jay Garner during the first year. AEDC Chairman-elect Rick Weddle will serve as the new organization’s chairman next for a two-year term.
For more details on the merger, go to www.cued.org.
