eSTEAM Sumter Festival honored with silver award

TheLINK Economic Development Alliance won a silver award for its eSTEAM Sumter Festival, a project in the category of special event of the International Economic Development Council, according to a news release. The honor was presented at an awards ceremony on Oct. 15 at the IEDC Annual Conference held Oct. 13-16 in Indianapolis, Indiana.

"This award is a big win for our community as it acknowledges what can be accomplished when we work together collaboratively. The eSTEAM Sumter Festival recognition from IEDC showcases that we're a world-class region with world-class people capable of meeting the needs of both new and expanding business and industry. This festival highlights many of our competitive advantages," said Erika Williams with TheLINK Economic Development Alliance in the release.

IEDC's Excellence in Economic Development Awards recognizes the world's best economic development programs and partnerships, marketing materials and the year's most influential leaders. Thirty-four award categories honor organizations and individuals for their efforts in creating positive change in urban, suburban and rural communities. Awards are judged by a panel of economic and community developers from around the world, following a nomination process held earlier this year. IEDC received more than 400 submissions from 12 countries.

Lee and Sumter counties joined together in 2014 forming TheLINK, the regional economic development organization charged with fostering job creation and increased earnings. Strengthening our talent pipeline is critical to this process as we showcase the region's assets for business recruitment and business success.

"The recipients of IEDC's Excellence in Economic Development awards represent the very best of economic development and exemplify the ingenuity, integrity and leadership that our profession strives for each and every day," said 2019 IEDC Board Chair Tracye McDaniel. "We're honored to recognize more than 100 communities for their excellent work, which forges new opportunities for our profession. We look forward to even greater participation from economic developers across the globe in the 2020 awards program."