The Site Selectors Guild Announces Winners of the First Annual Excellence in Economic Development Awards

Online, January 19, 2012 (Newswire.com) - The membership of The Site Selectors Guild (Guild) recently announced the winners of the first annual Excellence in Economic Development Awards. The Guild awards recognize individuals and organizations for their contributions to investment attraction and job creation in their respective communities. The Missouri Partnership was recognized by the Guild for "Excellence in Economic Development at the State Level."

"This is a great honor for both [CEO] Chris [Chung] and the Missouri Partnership team," said Randell Wallace of Lathrop & Gage LLP and Missouri Partnership Board Chair. "We are thrilled and honored that Missouri has been recognized by the Site Selectors Guild for excellence in economic development at the state level particularly during a challenging time for economic growth in this country."

Site Selectors Guild membership will honor winners at an Awards Dinner taking place in conjunction with the Site Selectors Guild Conference, January 22-24th in Orlando, Florida.

"We are thrilled at this opportunity to formally recognize economic development professionals that are important to the site selection field," said Don Schjeldahl of The Austin Company and Guild Award Committee Chair. "Without the efforts of economic development professionals it would be virtually impossible for site selectors to do our job."

"Economic development project partners sometimes go far beyond the call of duty," added Schjeldahl. "When this occurs goods things generally result for the community, the site selector and corporate clients. It's time site selectors acknowledge these good works and that is the intent of the awards."

"Guild members believe these folks don't get the credit they deserve," said Robert Ady of Ady International Company and President of the Guild. "This is an extremely competitive industry, so when we come across organizations and teams who do extraordinary work, we truly appreciate their professionalism."

The Guild Awards are comprised of five categories defined using a formula involving population size and jurisdictional responsibilities. The Awards recognize best practice work in the following segments; Small Town EDO (economic development organization), County EDO, Metropolitan Area EDO, State EDO, and Special Jurisdiction EDO.

There is a sixth category, the President's Award, that is presented by the standing Guild president at the annual conference. The winner of the 2012 President Award will be presented by Robert Ady, president of Ady International Company, at the January 23rd award dinner in Orlando.

The winners of the 2012 Guild Awards are:

Category: Small Town EDO
Winner: Floyd Akers, Executive Director
Pflugerville Community Development Corporation
203 W. Main Street, Suite E
Pflugerville, TX 7866
[email protected]
Office: 512-990-3725 / Cell: 512-529-5459

Category: County EDO
Winner: Terry Murphy, Vice President - Economic Development
Muncie-Delaware County ED Alliance
401 South High Street
Muncie, Indiana 47305
[email protected]
Office: 765-751-9104 / Cell: 765-760-0188

Category: Metro EDO
Winner: Mark Herbison, Senior Vice President - Economic Development
Greater Memphis Chamber
22 North Front Street, Suite 200
Memphis, TN 38103
[email protected]
Office: 901-543-3516

Category: State EDO
Winner: Christopher Chung, Chief Executive Officer
Missouri Partnership
120 S. Central Avenue, Suite 1150
St. Louis, MO 63105
Office: 314-725.-0949 / Cell: 573-808-0089
[email protected]

Category: Special Jurisdiction EDO 2012
Co-winners: Tim Tidwell, Target Market Coordinator
TVA Economic Development
Tennessee Valley Authority
400 West Summit Hill, GRN-1D
Knoxville, TN 37902
[email protected]
Office: 865-673-2289 / Cell: 865-310-7675

AND

Co-winners: Brenda Pfeiffer, Project Manager
Tennessee Dept. of Economic & Community Development
312 Rosa L. Parks Avenue, 11th Floor
Nashville, TN 37243
Office: 615-253-1913
[email protected]

About the Excellence in Economic Development Awards

The mission of The Site Selectors Guild is to advance the profession of international corporate site selection by promoting the site selection profession and providing education, networking and other services to those involved in the site selection industry. The award program supports this mission by:

1.Promoting positive interaction between the site selector profession and Economic Development Organizations (EDO) for the purpose of exchanging ideas
2.Encouraging innovation by highlighting what site selectors recognize as EDO best practices
3.Introducing and advancing high standards for the site selector profession

Guild members draw on their experiences in working with EDOs to highlight, in a nomination process, how an EDO "made a difference" during the course of a site selection project. A special Guild committee reviews the nominations and selects winners who made a significant difference in the lives of the people involved in the project and the community as a whole. Principles being honored include:

• Ingenuity and creativity
• Mastery of process
• Going above and beyond
• Political acumen
• Personal, caring touch

About The Site Selectors Guild

The Site Selectors Guild is a professional association comprised of the world's most respected site selection consultants. The mission of The Site Selectors Guild is to advance the profession of international corporate site selection by promoting the profession and providing education, networking and other services to those involved in the industry.

All members of The Site Selectors Guild have been nominated and approved by their industry peers. As the first and only group of its kind, the Site Selectors Guild brings together a dynamic network of site selectors from around the world, combining their talent and expertise to create an invaluable resource, unmatched in its quality, for both corporations seeking site selection assistance and economic development organizations.

Founded in 2010 by twelve internationally acclaimed site selectors, The Guild facilitates direct contact between corporations seeking guidance in facility placement and qualified site selection practitioners.

For more information see www.siteselectorsguild.com.

About The Missouri Partnership
The Missouri Partnership is a public-private, non-profit corporation with the principal mission of recruiting new business investment to the state. Through collaborative efforts with state and local partners, the Missouri Partnership works to attract new companies and market the state's business advantages to U.S. and international companies. For more information, please visit www.missouripartnership.com.