The Florida Economic Development Council (FEDC) held its annual convention at Orlando's Rosen Shingle Creek Resort this week. Themed "To Innovation and Beyond", the conference drew over 200 economic development professionals from throughout the state to discuss the latest trends, challenges and best practices in our industry. Central Florida was prominent throughout the dialogue, as representatives from the EDC, UCF, Florida High Tech Corridor Council and our development community led a variety of panel discussions and break out sessions.
A highlight of the annual conference is presentation of the Eunice Sullivan Professional of the Year Award, which recognizes the achievements of an outstanding economic developer within the state of Florida. This year that award went to Ray Gilley, president and CEO of the Metro Orlando EDC. In presenting the award, Mary Jane Stanley, CEO of the Pasco County EDC and last year's Sullivan Award winner, recalled that Ray recently told her, "You can't be effective if you don't have passion." She then highlighted the passion he has brought to his 25+ years in economic development, citing such achievements as answering the Governor's call to chair Workforce Florida; establishing the FEDC PAC to help align efforts of economic developers from around the state; leading Metro Orlando EDC initiatives, which have resulted in the creation of 32,000 jobs in our region since he took the helm in 2001; and serving as an active member, including chairing, the FEDC Board of Directors. Ray's peers from around the state admire him as an effective consensus builder and the consummate team player.
And awards for Central Florida didn't end there. Harvey Massey, recipient of the EDC's 2009 James B. Greene Award, was also honored as FEDC Volunteer of the Year for Florida's East Central Region; and Tracy Turk, EDC Senior Director in Seminole County, was named FEDC Regional Director of the Year.
The Metro Orlando EDC is widely considered the state's leader in web-based marketing. Two awards in the FEDC Marketing Materials Competition reflected this. The EDC's Marketing and PR team took top honors for the re-vamped website, OrlandoEDC.com, and for the EDC's comprehensive social media initiative, which includes Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, and Twitter components. Congrats also to the EDC's marketing partners in Tavares, Florida, who won an award for their Event Video, which chronicled the City's efforts to support the relocation of the Sunnyland Antique Boat Festival to Wooton Park and demonstrates how City events support downtown revitalization efforts. The video can be seen at tavares.org.
