Estes Park EDC Receives Excellence in Economic Development Award from the International Economic Development Council

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 20, 2017                                                               

WASHINGTON, DC (Sept. 20, 2017) – The Estes Park Economic Development Corporation won a Silver Excellence in Economic Development Award for its General Purpose Website, a project in the category of General Purpose Website of the International Economic Development Council (IEDC).

The honor was presented at an awards ceremony on Tuesday, Sept. 19, during the IEDC Annual Conference, which was held Sept. 17 - 20, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

“On behalf of the IEDC board of directors and Excellence in Economic Development Awards Advisory Committee, congratulations to the Estes Park Economic Development Corporation. Not only did they work to provide a necessary service to their community; but also, their participation in the awards program sheds light on their stellar projects which other communities can now use as a benchmark,”  said Michael Langley, FM, the CEO of GREATER MSP, Minneapolis–St. Paul, MN, and 2017 IEDC Board Chair.

The website communicates the community's economic development priorities, reflecting a regional strategy that was based on extensive stakeholder interviews and 790 e-survey responses. The survey research represents about 7 percent of Estes Valley's population. More existing and potential businesses are reaching out for assistance looking to do business in the Estes Valley.

Since inception of a marketing plan and social media content calendar 12 months ago, they have seen 75% growth in Twitter followers to 269 followers. Facebook has 53% growth in page likes to 368 likes, a 120% increase in page views and a 425% increase in post likes.

The Website enhances the credibility of our e-newsletters and the open rate for the newsletters is 46.08% while the industry average open rate is 1.2%. Newsletter Signups on the website has seen 57% growth month over month.

“This website would not have been possible without the support and input from our Board of Directors, Stakeholders and community” said Adam Shake, Estes Park EDC Director of Communications and Business Development. “We would especially like to thank Town of Estes Park Public Information Officer Kate Rusch, Town of Estes Park Police Operations Captain Eric Rose and Larimer County Workforce Center Business Training Coordinator Mike Kohler for their individual contributions to the website.”

Jon Nicholas, Estes Park EDC President and CEO stated that “I am grateful that this website was built completely in-house. While many organizations rely on outside consultants and website designers, Adam Shake brought the technical expertise and ability to build a website on a Squarespace platform that incorporates responsive design and offers high quality information and business services to our Estes Valley businesses on a variety of devices.”

“The awards process is a thorough, non-biased and multi-layered process. These are extraordinary accomplishments for all winners, and an overall great effort by all participants. We look forward to next year’s awards competition,” Langley said.

About the International Economic Development Council

The International Economic Development Council (IEDC) is a non-profit membership organization serving economic developers. With more than 5,000 members, IEDC is the largest organization of its kind. Economic developers promote economic well-being and quality of life for their communities, by creating, retaining and expanding jobs that facilitate growth, enhance wealth and provide a stable tax base. From public to private, rural to urban, and local to international, IEDC’s members are engaged in the full range of economic development experience. Given the breadth of economic development work, our members are employed in a wide variety of settings including local, state, provincial and federal governments, public-private partnerships, chambers of commerce, universities and a variety of other institutions. Among many activities which benefit the economy, IEDC’s members create high-quality jobs and develop vibrant communities. www.iedcONLINE.org.