The Buda Economic Development Corporation, or Buda EDC, earned an International Economic Development Council accreditation, making it one of 12 Texas communities to earn the Accredited Economic Development Organization, or AEDO, distinction.
The gist
The distinction recognizes economic development organizations that demonstrate professional excellence, high performance and accountability across the world, according to a Buda EDC news release.
Receiving the AEDO distinction indicates the organization’s high quality of operations to businesses, site selectors and residents. The Buda EDC is one of the 10 smallest organizations by population out of the 101 accredited organizations worldwide to receive the distinction.
“AEDO isn’t an award for one project,” said Buda EDC CEO Jennifer Storm in the release. “It’s the accreditation of the entire organization. It means experienced economic development professionals from across the nation looked under the hood and determined that this organization operates at an internationally recognized standard of professional excellence.”
The accreditation gives businesses considering Buda for development an additional reason to invest in the city, according to the release.
“This recognition tells every business looking at Buda that they’ll find a strategic, transparent and results-driven partner here, one that holds itself to internationally recognized standards,” Storm said in the release. “We voluntarily went through this process because the businesses and families who call Buda home deserve nothing less.”
The process
The International Economic Development Council completed a detailed review of the organization's documents and an on-site peer evaluation by experienced economic development professionals before awarding the Buda EDC the distinction, according to the release.
The Buda EDC has made decisions to align with AEDO best practices in recent years, according to the release, including:
Supporting catalytic developments
Investing in infrastructure and site readiness
Prioritizing business retention through direct engagement with local employers
Investing in quality-of-life and tourism amenities
Expanding target industries to include technology, aerospace and dual-use technologies
Many core areas of the Buda EDC were evaluated, including strategic planning, financial stewardship, business retention and expansion, business recruitment and stakeholder engagement.
