The International Economic Development Council is bestowing five big honors on the Surprise Economic Development Department.

The department won five IEDC Excellence in Economic Development Awards during its annual conference Oct. 12 through 16.

IEDC’s Excellence in Economic Development Awards recognize the world’s best economic development programs and partnerships, marketing materials, and the year’s most influential leaders.

“The winners of IEDC’s Excellence in Economic Development awards represent the very best of economic development and exemplify the ingenuity, integrity, and leadership that our profession strives for each and every day,” said 2020 IEDC Board Chair and One Columbus CEO Kenny McDonald in a news release. “We’re honored to recognize the more than 100 communities whose marketing campaigns, projects and partnerships have measurably improved regional quality of life.”

Surprise’s winners include:

• Gold Award ­— City of Surprise and Ottawa University Collaboration, a project in the Partnerships with Educational Institutions category.
• Silver Award — “5 Elements of Surprise Recovery” community campaign, a project in the Innovation in Economic Development Week category.
• Silver Award — “Costco, It’s Your Birthday” retail attraction campaign, a project in the Multi-Year Economic Development Program category.
• Bronze Award — City of Surprise Virtual Ribbon Cutting Program, a project in the Digital Media category.
• Bronze Award -— COVID-19 Business Help website, a project in the Special Purpose Website category.

Thirty-five award categories honor organizations and individuals for their efforts in creating positive change in urban, suburban, and rural communities. IEDC received over 500 submissions from four countries this year.

At this year’s conference, Surprise Economic Development Director Jeanine Jerkovic moderated an entrepreneurship panel presentation, featuring experts from the University of Arizona Tech Park in Tucson; Sherboorke Innopole in Quebec; and the Tech Titans, based in Richardson, Texas. 

The IEDC is a non-profit, non-partisan membership organization serving economic developers.

With more than 5,000 members, IEDC is the largest organization of its kind.

Visit iedconline.org.