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DevelopmentAlliance.com is promoted as "The Site Selectors'
Portal for Community Information", but it remains unclear how many business
advisors or executives use it for this purpose. It remains a vehicle
for banner ads by Site Selection magazine advertisers, but doesn't seem to
have developed over the years.
This portal was set up around 2000 - 2001 for reference by executives as
a joint venture of IEDC and
Site Selection magazine
(published by Conway Data) enabling economic
development organizations to publish consistent data about their areas for
a small fee. This was expected to become a tool to help executives and
their advisors identify potential business locations through the data
attributes of an area, with as many as 1200 potential data elements provided
selectively by local contacts such as those IEDC economic development
members which may choose to participate.
Since each participating organization can choose which data
to update, and the data sources and timing may differ, there can be material
omissions or other problems. As a global tool, there is the further
complication that the standard data elements were based largely upon what is
available in the US, which is not consistent elsewhere. Issues beyond
the scope of such data may be critical to project location decisions.
It remains under development, but has useful links already, mainly
promoting
existing Conway Data content or information about IEDC members (see
www.iedconline.org ).
The portal was designed and developed by Conway Data, and is closely tied to
their services, including their efforts to promote their new IAMC
association and its events. When this portal was created, Conway Data
was still responsible for the event management and publications of the IDRC
association, which merged with NACORE to become CoreNet. Conway Data
lost that relationship after the CoreNet merger.
Only a few areas have published their own "community profile" data
elements so far via the portal, so most of the available data is "community
demographic" statistics consolidated from openly published sources, or
content published by Conway Data which may require a registration process or
fee to access. An IEDC initiative to develop consistent "data
standards" several years ago in consultation with some of the leading
location consultants serves as the basis for the "community profiles".
Users should recognize that Conway Data operates a SiteLeads
service to distribute reader responses about potential investment project
plans to their many economic development advertisers. Registration or
requests for area information through their website, including enquiries
which may originate through this portal, may result in enquiries from
advertisers other than the specific areas of interest unless project
confidentiality is explicitly requested through contact with the reader
service staff at Conway Data. There are various other publishers in
this niche which similarly offer free area information as a reader service
process, because any responses help them to attract more advertisers.
This supports their publications or websites, so project enquiries may be
widely distributed to as many advertisers as seem to be relevant. This
may be worth keeping in mind whenever project confidentiality is important.
The site is also being promoted through an advertising deal with Forbes
magazine in cooperation with the marketing programs of several leading
IEDC members.
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Jeffrey A. Finkle,
CEcD
President & CEO
IEDC -
International Economic Development Council
734 15th Street,
NW, Suite 900
Washington, DC
20005
TEL
(202)223-7800
FAX
(202)223-4745
e-mail :
mail@iedconline.org
website :
www.iedconline.org
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| Relationship Disclosure
There is no relationship at this time beyond good awareness of their services
through periodic contact for several years as their portal and GDI Solutions
were developed. For details about their services, please contact
them directly, and let
them know
how you found them!
GDI Solutions has periodically purchased advertising and
participated in events with both Site Selection magazine and IEDC at the same rates
available to others. GDI Solutions is a member of IEDC, and may become
a sponsor in the future. We do not sell their services, nor do they
sell ours.
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Relationship leader at GDI Solutions for potential clients
:
Bruce Donnelly
Please advise regarding any necessary corrections to this
Service Profile.
GDI Solutions is not, and does not intend to become, a
party to the DevelopmentAlliance.com joint venture between Conway Data and
IEDC, nor responsible for their services or transactions. We are
independent.
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| Scope of Services -
Refer to their website for details. Information is
not available about any projects which they may have supported directly.
Note that neither Conway Data nor IEDC are directly
engaged in the planning and support of specific corporate investment
projects. Conway Data is a publisher which reports on this niche, and
maintains various websites and databases to support readers and advertisers,
while IEDC is an association of economic development professionals.
Neither provides advisory services directly to help companies select new
business locations. They just publish information and provide a
channel, through this portal and their own websites, to do basic research
and website links or request information from their advertisers or members.
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Biographic Information
Not available at this time.
Published research, promotional materials, or articles
Refer to the portal or the separate websites of IEDC and
Conway Data.
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| Alliances with other firms
- see their website
Conway Data is organizing the IAMC association (Industrial
Asset Management Council)
IEDC has a promotional deal with Forbes magazine for
shared advertising with members, as well as some other alliances, such as
for market research in major cities. IEDC is supported by many
sponsors and members involved in business attraction, retention, and other
aspects of community development or services related to this field.
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Feedback from participants or clients
- not available at this time We may selectively
share feedback from executives with direct experience working with a service
provider. We do not propose to publish all such feedback, but may
quote such feedback when authorized to do so by the executive involved, and
when the comments seem appropriately reliable and relevant to other
executives. There is also a separate service for publication of
testimonials
when appropriate.
We welcome
feedback from executives who have worked with this
portal or the other services offered by these organizations for their own
corporate investment project plans. |
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