March 2018
In This Issue
Spotlight: University of Florida University Center Program Empowers Women in InnovationWith diversity critical to the success of innovation in the U.S., research cited by the University of Florida (UF) shows that there is still a significant disparity in the numbers of women entrepreneurs and innovators. 
To help fill the gap and boost our national competitiveness, the UF EDA University Center (UFUC) created the Collaboratory for Women Innovators to help inspire, educate, and empower women to attain leadership roles in all phases of the innovation life cycle. The Collaboratory has developed a concrete, replicable plan for overcoming these barriers and changing the paradigm. Success Story: Purchase of Business with EDA Revolving Loan Fund Assistance a Smooth Process for New Owner of Durango, Colorado’s Waxed Salon Owner Jenna Morrison, seated, with the crew at Waxed
For Jenna Morrison, business ownership was not a lifelong goal attained after years of planning. It was an unexpected opportunity in which she has found her footing, and hasn’t looked back since. Morrison is the owner of Waxed, Durango’s only fully esthetic service-focused salon. From hair removal to eyebrow sculpting, Waxed offers a full menu of services for their 2,000-plus-and-growing client base. When Morrison learned that the previous owner wanted to sell in the fall of 2016, she said having someone else take over the business was never an option. Highlight: Women-led Economic Development Districts Making a Difference in EDA’s Denver RegionEDA-funded Economic Development Districts (EDDs) - multi-jurisdictional entities, commonly composed of multiple counties and in certain cases even cross-state borders - play a vital role in leading the locally-based, regionally driven economic development planning process that leverages the involvement of the public, private and non-profit sectors to establish a strategic blueprint for regional collaboration. Many of the EDD’s in EDA’s Denver Region are led by women and they are using their unique perspectives to drive the planning process in their organizations’ service areas. Read about some of the work they are doing to create economic opportunity in their regions:
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 CEDS Central Website LaunchedThe CEDS Central website serves as the resource and training archive for materials developed by the National Association of Development Organizations (NADO) Research Foundation (NADO RF) as part of its EDA-funded Stronger CEDS, Stronger Region program. Check out the free materials archived here include reports, case studies, videos, webinars, and presentation materials on planning, developing, and implementing the CEDS.  SelectUSA/EDA Webinar PostedThe SelectUSA USG Webinar featuring how EDA works to support local, bottom-up, regionally-focused strategies designed to attract and support foreign direct investment has been published. View the webinar. Treasury, IRS Issue Guidance On Opportunity Zones to Spur Private Investment in Distressed CommunitiesOpportunity Zones advance President Trump’s goal that the benefits of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act reach across the entire country and boost economic development and job opportunities. The U.S. Department of the Treasury and the IRS have provided guidance to states, the District of Columbia, and any U.S. territory on designating Opportunity Zones.  EDA Vista Corp Program Builds Regional CapacityEDA’s unique partnership with the Corporation for National Service combines the local resources and overlapping missions of both organizations to build prosperity in regions across the country. Learn more about the EDA VISTA Corp Program. Performance Measurement and Program Evaluation Page LaunchedCheck out EDA’s new Performance Measurement and Program Evaluation page to find out about EDA’s performance goals and specific performance metrics. |
