August 28, 2024 – Brownsville, TX — The Brownsville Community Improvement Corporation (BCIC) has been recognized for the fourth year in a row, this time receiving five prestigious awards at the 2024 International Economic Development Council (IEDC) Excellence Awards. This achievement highlights BCIC’s mission to enhance Brownsville’s quality of life through equitable and innovative economic development initiatives. With these additional awards, BCIC has become the most awarded economic development organization in Rio Grande Valley history.
BCIC will be recognized and honored at the IEDC 2024 Annual Conference in Denver, CO, on September 15-18. The Excellence in Economic Development Awards program covered 26 categories, scored by 163 judges. This year, 64 Gold, 87 Silver, and 87 Bronze winners were selected from 146 organizations. Awardees represented a diverse group from Australia, Canada, Puerto Rico, and the United States. Each category highlights transformative projects that have had a profound impact on communities, regions, and nations.
Gold Awards:
- Special Event – RGV Startup Week: Recognized for its outstanding success in bringing together entrepreneurs, business leaders, and the broader community to stimulate innovation and business development across the Rio Grande Valley.
- Postsecondary Education Partnership – RGV Startup Week: Honored for its collaboration with the University of Texas - Rio Grande Valley, particularly in creating opportunities for students to engage with local businesses and gain hands-on experience in entrepreneurship.
Silver Award:
- Recovery, Resiliency & Mitigation – Recovery Fund: Awarded for BCIC's efforts in creating a resilient economic environment through its Recovery Fund, which provided crucial support to businesses in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Bronze Awards:
- Annual Report – FY 2022 & 2023 Annual Report: Commended for its comprehensive and transparent reporting, which showcased BCIC’s significant economic development achievements and its impact on the community.
- Innovative Financing – eBridge Fund: Recognized for its role in facilitating access to capital for businesses that typically struggle to secure traditional financing, thus driving entrepreneurship and job creation in the region.
"The Brownsville Community Improvement Corporation is setting the standard of excellence for economic development with its entrepreneurship and innovation, financing, and community development projects. This award highlights BCIC’s commitment to its community and demonstrates the transformative impact of economic development,” said Nathan Ohle, IEDC President and CEO, “It is with great pride that IEDC presents these awards to BCIC, celebrating their leadership and innovation in the field of economic development.”
Every year IEDC looks specifically for economic development organizations, government entities, initiatives, and programs that have demonstrated consistent, exemplary performance in the economic development profession, leading the execution of projects that have a significant impact on revitalizing communities and playing a major role in shaping and improving the practice of economic development.
"Our mission has always been to empower the Brownsville community through strategic and innovative economic development initiatives,” said Cori Peña, President and CEO of BCIC. “These accolades reflect the dedication and visionary leadership that drive our work at BCIC and are a testament to the hard work of our entire team, reflecting the transformative impact we are making in Brownsville. I'm grateful for the community's trust in us as they inspire us to continue leading toward a brighter future and creating opportunities for all.”
Jill Dominguez, Chair of the BCIC Board, added: “These awards underscore why BCIC is at the forefront of economic development in the Rio Grande Valley. They are the result of our commitment to making Brownsville a thriving hub for innovation, resilience, and economic growth. I couldn’t be prouder of what we have achieved together.”
BCIC commitment to Brownsville has been recognized in the past, with some of the projects scoring its second award this year. In the 2022 IEDC Excellence Awards, BCIC received a Bronze Award for Entrepreneurship for the eBridge Center for Business and Commercialization project, and a Silver Award for Neighborhood Development for the Business Improvement and Growth Program (BIG). More recently, in the 2023 awards, the partnership between BCIC and UTRGV ECC was honored with a Gold Award for Partnerships with Educational Institutions, and the eBridge Fund also received a Bronze Award for Best Use of Federal Economic Development Resources.
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About BCIC
The Brownsville Community Improvement Corporation (BCIC) is a Type B economic development organization dedicated to connecting people, organizations, and economic resources to elevate the quality of life in Brownsville. For more information about available programs, visit www.brownsvillecic.com. For media inquiries, please contact Nelson Amaro, Director of Marketing & Communications, at namaro@bcic.us.
About the International Economic Development Council
The International Economic Development Council (IEDC) is a non-profit, non-partisan membership organization serving economic developers. With more than 4,300 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 the 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 IEDC succeeds, its members create high-quality jobs, develop vibrant communities, and improve the quality of life in their regions. Learn more at www.iedconline.org today!
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