The Pflugerville Community Development Corp. announced it has received the Advanced Economic Development Organization accreditation by the International Economic Development Council, making it one of only nine Texas organizations recognized by the IEDC.

The Advanced Economic Development Organization is a peer-reviewed process that holds economic development organizations against professional standards, according to the news release. The program is broken down into two phases in which qualifying candidates partake in a documentation review and an on-site visit, per the release.

To date, only 65 economic development organizations have been awarded this accreditation by the IEDC, according to the release. Through the peer review process, it aims to evaluate the organization's structure, funding and staff, among others.

“I commend the PCDC board and staff for the hard work and continued focus on excellence that is mandatory to receive this distinction,” PCDC Executive Director Amy Madison said in a statement for the news release. “The accreditation is not only a rare award from the IEDC, but also a positive nod from our community leaders, regional economic development partners and business associates who were part of the stringent assessment,” she added.

AEDO recipients will go through a review and maintenance process every three years to ensure its program continues its development practices, as required by all accredited organizations.

“I have seen the growth of our economic development corporation from its infancy years ago. I am not surprised we are where we are today,” Pflugerville Mayor Victor Gonzales said in the news release. “With the accreditation by the IEDC we have reached a new pinnacle in business excellence and quality of life in Pflugerville."