Message From Deputy Assistant Secretary
Matt S. Erskine

August 2013 Newsletter

Dear Friends,

Partnership is in our DNA here at EDA. The success of our efforts is due to the hard work and co-investments of local and regional authorities, to the innovative thinking of the economic development community, and to the collaborative efforts of other federal agencies that have joined with us over the years. By working together, we leverage our individual strengths to make a larger impact in communities in need and regions across our great country.

This month in Innovate@EDA we see testimony to that fact. Joe McKinney, the new executive director of a long-time EDA partner, the National Association of Development Organizations, relates how his organization collaborates with EDA and professionals at all levels, helping locally-driven development efforts succeed. EDA successes detailed in this issue attest to the wisdom of the collaborative approach. From our work with the Northern Forest Center in New England, to our support for the city of Perryville, Missouri, to the building of information resources such as STATS America and the updated Economic Development Directory, EDA is engaged with local and regional partners who are, as President Obama stated recently, working to build a “a lasting, more durable America.”

Thank you for your interest in our work at the U.S. Economic Development Administration. And thank you for your partnership.