Laura Brandt, Director of Economic Development for the Metro Denver Economic Development Corporation (Metro Denver EDC) and Lynn Myers, Vice President of Economic Development for the Denver South Economic Development Partnership (Denver South EDP), have been named to a prestigious list of the top economic development practitioners in North America.
Consultant Connect, a consulting agency that works with economic developers and site consultants, announced “North America’s Top 50 Economic Developers” on Jan. 19, 2015. The economic developers selected for the list were nominated by their colleagues in both the economic development industry and the site selection community to honor excellent practices, innovation, and success in building the communities they serve.
Brandt, with more than 30 years of experience in economic development, community organization, and marketing, leads business recruitment and retention activities for the Metro Denver EDC. The regional economic organization works in partnership with 70 counties, cities, and economic development groups from throughout Metro Denver and Northern Colorado to promote the region and attract new jobs and investment. During her tenure with the Metro Denver EDC, Brandt has been instrumental in major economic deals such as Panasonic Enterprise Solutions Company, Ardent Mills, Fidelity Investments, and Vestas. Prior to joining the Metro Denver EDC, Laura worked for City of Lakewood Economic Development.
“The fact that two economic developers from our region were selected is a huge coup,” said Tom Clark, CEO of the Metro Denver EDC. “Site selectors are skilled data and business analysts; they look for the same skill sets in the economic developers in which they work. Colorado has been well represented among the best in North America thanks to the relationships both Laura and Lynn have established and the high sophistication of their customer service.”
Myers has worked on behalf of the Denver South EDP, an organization of government and business leaders committed to the economic vitality and sustainability of the Denver South area, to expand several major companies to the area. Prior to joining Denver South EDP in 2007, Lynn served as an Arapahoe County Commissioner for seven years.
“Lynn has built one of the leading economic development programs in the country through her visionary work and by providing first-rate service to site selectors and our community partners,” said Mike Fitzgerald, President and CEO of the Denver South EDP. “The Denver South region and our state continue to benefit from having her lead our recruitment and development efforts resulting in major deals with companies such as Fidelity Investments, Arrow Electronics, ThyssenKrupp, and Ring Central for our area. Her efforts have resulted in thousands of jobs and an immeasurable economic impact on our community. She is truly an asset to the Denver South EDP.”
Along with the honor of being recognized as top performing economic developers, these recipients will also be featured on the podcast, From the Ground Up: North America’s Top 50 Economic Developers. Each of these industry leaders will be interviewed to share insights gained from their experiences in the field of economic development, what makes their communities unique, and their perspectives on the most important industry and leadership trends of the future.
“The list of North America’s Top 50 Economic Developers was developed as a way to acknowledge the work of these 50 economic development leaders and elevate the conversation around best practices in the industry,” said Ron Kitchens, managing partner of Consultant Connect. “Each leader named is absolutely deserving of this recognition for the work they do every day to build their communities. The insights they share on the podcast are invaluable and worth every minute of your time to listen in.”
The complete list of “North America’s Top 50 Economic Developers” can be found here.
Janet Fritz is the senor director of marketing and technology for the Metro Denver Economic Development. This post originally appeared on the Metro Denver EDC’s website.
[Photo by Jeff Turner]