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In 1977, a plan that would forever change how the Orlando region
works to attract and grow local industry was put into place. The
Industrial Development Commission (IDC) was formed with four staff
associates, 110 individual members and a great vision for the
future. The IDC united the efforts of three groups that were doing
similar economic development-type work—the Orlando Chamber of
Commerce's Committee of 200, the Central Florida Development
Committee and the Orlando/Orange County Industrial Development
Board. The group was primarily focused on the attraction and
recruitment of targeted industries.
While the IDC originally served Orange County and the City of
Orlando, a regional focus was always the vision of its leadership.
In 1981, Seminole County folded its economic development functions
into the IDC; Lake County joined the partnership in 1987; and
Osceola County came on board in 1989, the same year that the
organization's name changed to the Economic Development Commission
of Mid-Florida (EDC).
In 2001, the organization was renamed the Metro Orlando Economic
Development Commission and the community brand, "Putting
imagination to work", was launched. Today, with a staff of 32 and
approximately 350 private- and public-sector investors, the EDC is
focused on attracting, retaining and growing targeted industries
that have the potential to create high-wage, high-value jobs and to
diversify the region's economic base.
In terms of responsibilities and functions, the EDC markets the
four-county Metro Orlando worldwide as a thriving location for
business investment and growth. To prepare this community to
compete most effectively, especially within the current challenges
of the global economy, the EDC is working to advance a
comprehensive regional economic development strategy designed to
identify and target future drivers of job growth and enhance
competitiveness through the updating of legislative, regulatory and
incentive factors. On behalf of the region, the full-service
organization spearheads comprehensive business intelligence, public
relations and marketing outreach, film and television production
attraction and permitting, local business retention and expansion,
lead generation and prospect/project management. Some of the many
services provided by the EDC to clients and government partners
include: site selection, permitting, licensing, local and state
incentive coordination, real estate identification, vendor
identification, demographics and research, ongoing compilation of
economic indicators, workforce recruitment and training, community
tours, trade show representation, film permitting, public relations
and advertising.
In addition, the EDC has launched a number of important, and
somewhat unique, economic development initiatives. In 1986, the
organization added film and television production to its line-up of
focus areas and the Metro Orlando Film & Entertainment
Commission was born. Three years later came the establishment of an
industry retention team that specifically worked to help local
businesses grow and to regularly assess and help meet their needs.
In 1995, the region witnessed the creation of the Metro Orlando
International Affairs Commission (MOIAC)—a community program
managed by the EDC dedicated to bringing global investment to the
area and to enhancing local exporting opportunities. Today the EDC
also manages the Metro Orlando Miltary Affairs Advisory Council
(MAAC) and bioOrlando; both initiatives are designed to
help retain and accelerate growth of two important local industry
sectors. To ensure close working ties with another important local
industry, EDC offices are co-located with the Manufacturers
Association of Central Florida (MACF).
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