Chamber’s economic development division earns international recognition

4.17.2012
The Tulsa Metro Chamber’s economic development division has received one of the highest distinctions for a program of its kind, accreditation through the International Economic Development Council’s Accredited Economic Development Organization process. The Tulsa Metro Chamber’s economic development program is the 31st recipient worldwide of the honor.
 
IEDC reports that Accredited Economic Development Organization status denotes an organization is a leading authority on economic development-related issues. The awards ceremony for the Tulsa Metro Chamber took place during its annual meeting for the Tulsa’s Future regional economic development plan.

“The Tulsa Metro Chamber displays the professionalism, commitment and technical expertise that is deserving of this honor,” IEDC President and CEO Jeff Finkle said.

The AEDO program is a comprehensive peer review process that measures economic development organizations against commonly held standards in the profession. The program consists of two phases: documentation review and an onsite visit. Each phase is designed to evaluate information about the structure, organization, funding, programs and staff of the candidate economic development organization.

“I am tremendously proud of this accomplishment and of the commitment displayed by all Tulsa Metro Chamber staff who work tirelessly to elevate our economic development program to a level competitive with any in the world,” said Jim Fram, the Chamber’s senior vice president of economic development.

Tulsa’s Future Chair and President and COO of Public Service Company of Oklahoma Stuart Solomon said: “This process has given us meaningful evaluation of our programs as we strive to attain the highest levels of effectiveness in our regional economic development efforts.”

The economic development team’s recognition follows the recent announcement that Tulsa Metro Chamber was awarded the five-star accreditation from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, becoming the only five-star accredited chamber in Oklahoma and earning the distinction of being the third-largest metropolitan area, behind Chicago and Orlando, to have a five-star accredited chamber. The Tulsa Metro Chamber is currently the only chamber in America to hold accreditations for general chamber programs and AEDO accreditation for economic development programs. Both accreditation programs entail rigorous application and review processes.

“It is truly a significant honor to be the only chamber program in the country to have accomplished this dual accreditation status,” said Tulsa Metro Chamber President and CEO Mike Neal. “This places the Tulsa Metro Chamber in elite company as a leading business organization.”


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