The City of Columbia along with Columbia Empowerment Zone, Inc. celebrates National Economic Development Week: May 6 – May 11. On Tuesday, May 7, 2019, Columbia Mayor Steve Benjamin and City Council proclaimed the City of Columbia to honor and recognize May 6 – May 11, 2019, as National Economic Development Week.

Columbia Mayor Steve Benjamin presented the official proclamation to Felicia Maloney, Columbia Empowerment Zone, Inc. executive director, at Columbia City Hall.

The City of Columbia is joining the International Economic Development Council (IEDC) in celebrating the fourth National Economic Development Week. IEDC is a nonprofit membership organization serving economic developers. It is the largest organization of its kind with more than 5,000 members.

The mission of Economic Development aims to influence development and restructuring of a community’s economy to enhance its well-being by creating, retaining, and expanding jobs that facilitate progression, enhance wealth, and provide stable tax base.

The goals and values of Economic Development are workforce, loans and incentives, blight/façade/reuse, accountability, integrity, inclusion, outcomes and stewardship.

The Columbia Empowerment Zone, Inc. forms partnerships that produce outcomes that influence the growth of the City of Columbia by creating, retaining, and reinvesting wealth opportunities into communities.