Windsor-Essex recognized internationally

Media Release
WindsorEssex Economic Development Corporation

Windsor-Essex Recognized Internationally...Winning Two Bronze Awards! 

Windsor-Essex County, Ontario, - October 8, 2013 – Today, the International Economic Development Council (IEDC) announced the award winners of the IEDC – Excellence in Economic Development at their annual conference held in Philadelphia, PA. The WindsorEssex Economic Development Corporation won two Bronze Awards for the following economic development tools: Manufacturing Capabilities Database (buywindsoressex.com) and the Economic Development Corporation’s corporate web-site (choosewindsoressex.com).

The Manufacturing Capabilities Database is an interactive searchable database that itemizes and promotes the capabilities of regional manufacturers and related services. It’s available to search by all and especially useful to manufacturers and related service providers. Positive feedback has been received from users such as, Trade Commissioners, procurement specialists and supply chain development companies looking to invest in our region, and for companies looking to find new suppliers. Since its launch in 2010 there have been over 175,000 visits and over 200,000 individual searches being accessed through the web, by phone and by tablet from countries such as, Canada, US, England, India, China, Japan, Italy and Pakistan.

The re-design and refresh of the choosewindsoressex.com web-site also included the delivery of a mobile enabled site, with the number one objective to continue to build brand identity, awareness and interest in the Windsor-Essex region while improving accessibility, search engine optimization, increasing traffic and improving the overall user experience. Promising trends we’ve seen since launching the refreshed site – visits increased by 24.2%, unique visitors increased by 15.8% and page views increased by 50.5%. The web-site caters to investors, small business owners and entrepreneurs and current and potential residents and stakeholders. The Google translate feature allows our content to be viewed in 65 different languages ensuring the web-site is accessible globally.

“A key strategy for the Economic Development Corporation team is to look for and create opportunities that will profile and promote the capabilities of our region. It’s terrific to win these international awards such as the IEDC Excellence in Economic Development, because it helps us to position the region on the international stage, and heartening – to be told we’re on the right track!” said, Sandra Pupatello, CEO of the WindsorEssex Economic Development Corporation.

About the International Economic Development Council (IEDC) - The IEDC is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping economic developers do their job more effectively and raising the profile of the profession. IEDC with offices in Washington, D.C. is the world's largest professional organization for economic development practitioners, with more than 4,500 members across the United States, as well as Canada, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and other nations.