The Arizona Association for Economic Development (AAED) announced the recipients of its annual Economic Development Distinguished by Excellence (EDDE) awards.

The awards were presented during an evening awards dinner at the AAED Spring Conference in Tucson.

rsz_aaedThe prestigious EDDE awards honor individuals and companies who have made significant contributions to the advancement of the organization and also to the economic growth within the state of Arizona. Recipients are selected from a pool of nominations made by members of AAED. Overall seven EDDEs were presented.

>> The William Lampkin Award for Long Term Excellence in Economic Development was given to David Krietor, CEO of Downtown Phoenix, Inc.

>> Nicole Snyder, an associate with DWL Architects + Planners, was cited as Member of the Year.

>> Barry Broome, president and CEO of Greater Phoenix Economic Council (GPEC), received the Economic Developer of the Year, Large Community Award. The award for Economic Developer of the Year, Small Community, was presented to Andrew Clegg, formerly of Central Arizona Regional Economic Development Foundation.

>> Levi Esquerra, director for the Center for American Indian Economic Development at Northern Arizona University, was recognized as Economic Developer of the Year – Tribal Communities.

>> The award for Large Organization of the Year was presented to Northern Arizona Council of Governments (NACOG).

>> Vada Phelps, executive director of the Southeast Arizona Workforce Connection, covering Cochise, Graham and Greenlee counties, was named Workforce Practitioner of the Year.

AAED was originally founded in 1974 as the Arizona Association for Industrial Development (AAID). The organization, which was dedicated to expanding the industrial and economic base of Arizona, changed to its current name in 1991 to better reflect its broader mission.

The strategic vision of AAED is to be the leading advocate of responsible economic development for all of Arizona by leading the facilitation of public/private cooperation and fostering teamwork to address the growth and quality of life issues that face Arizona.