Pasco EDC Receives Two Excellence in Economic Development Awards

September 25, 2025

The International Economic Development Council recognized Pasco EDC with two awards.

PASCO COUNTY, FLORIDA (September 25, 2025): Pasco Economic Development Council (Pasco EDC) received two 2025 Excellence in Economic Development Bronze Awards from the International Economic Development Council (IEDC). The awards were bestowed for the organization’s work in the Email Newsletter and Recovery, Resiliency & Mitigation categories that impacted over 500,000 residents. The awards were received at the IEDC 2025 Annual Conference in Detroit, Michigan, earlier last week.

“We are honored to be recognized by IEDC with two Excellence in Economic Development awards. Our team works hard to maintain relationships with Pasco County businesses through the Pasco EDC Business Retention and Expansion program, and it is exciting to see the Pasco Biz Connect campaign being recognized as a part of their efforts to support business growth in our community,” shared Bill Cronin, Pasco EDC President/CEO.

The following Pasco EDC projects were recognized:

1. The Email Newsletter Award in the bronze category recognized the Pasco Biz Connect campaign.
   1. This campaign promotes the Pasco EDC Business Retention and Expansion (BR&E) program by utilizing themed monthly email newsletters, social media, and new website features, including a new blog page and resource library, to provide relevant content to the business community. The campaign has shown tremendous success and surpassed the entire previous year's social media engagements only halfway through the campaign's second year, additionally the campaign maintained an email click through rate of 16 percent, well over the industry average of 2.6 percent.
2. The Recovery, Resiliency, and Mitigation Award in the bronze category recognized Pasco EDC's emergency communication efforts during the 2024 hurricane season.
   1. The Pasco EDC team worked with local, state, and federal agencies to share important recovery and mitigation updates and resources with the community. The past year's storms were the worst to hit the area in over 100 years, and our team worked together with our partners, including Pasco County Government and Florida SBDC at USF, to disseminate all information in a timely manner to businesses. During the 2024 hurricane season, there were over 1,000 clicks in Pasco EDC emergency communication emails which included links to various partner resources. During this same timeframe, Pasco EDC social media posts relating to emergency communications reached over 144,000 impressions.

“Pasco EDC is leading the field of excellence in economic development with its programs. These awards shine a spotlight on Pasco EDC’s commitment to its community and showcases the significant impact of economic development,” said Nathan Ohle, IEDC President and CEO. “IEDC is honored to present this award to Pasco EDC to celebrate both their leadership and innovation in the field." 

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About Pasco Economic Development Council
The Pasco Economic Development Council is committed to developing Florida's most competitive climate for business growth by providing businesses that seek to start, move, or grow in the North Tampa Bay area, a comprehensive suite of programs that can help them to reach their full economic potential.  Since 1987, Pasco EDC has fostered a strong partnership funded by corporate and public investors focused on the economic vitality of Pasco County.  Discover more at www.pascoedc.com.

About the International Economic Development Council
The International Economic Development Council (IEDC) is a non-profit, non-partisan membership organization serving economic developers. With thousands of members, IEDC is the largest organization of its kind. Economic developers promote economic well-being and quality of life for their communities by creating, retaining, and expanding jobs that facilitate growth, enhance wealth, and provide a stable tax base. From public to private, rural to urban, and local to international, IEDC’s members engage in a full range of economic development practices. Given the breadth of economic development work, our members are employed in various settings, including local, state, provincial, and federal governments, public-private partnerships, chambers of commerce, universities, and a variety of other institutions. When we succeed, our members create high-quality jobs, develop vibrant communities, and improve the quality of life in their regions. Learn more at https://www.iedconline.org/.