Beth A. Bowman, IOM, CCE, President and CEO of the Greater Irving-Las Colinas Chamber of Commerce and the Irving Economic Development Partnership was named one of North America’s Top 50 Economic Developers by Consultant Connect, a consulting agency designed to bridge the gap between economic developers and site consultants. Bowman joins economic development professionals from across North America, from Kansas to Toronto to Puerto Rico in receiving the award.
“I’m honored to be named by Consultants Connect as one of North America’s top 50 economic developers,” said Bowman. “This is an individual honor, but the recognition should go to our team at the Greater Irving-Las Colinas Chamber of Commerce and Irving Economic Development Partnership. They are an amazing group of hardworking professionals that I am privileged to lead on behalf of our great community. I’d also like to thank our Board of Directors, led by Chairwoman Janie Perelman and our member-investors for their energy and partnership in making Irving-Las Colinas an amazing place to do business, work, and visit!”
In FY 2021-2022, the Irving Economic Development Partnership ended the year with 45 recruitment, retention and expansion wins, including the construction of the new global headquarters of CHRISTUS Health, a Catholic, not-for-profit healthcare system, Caterpillar, Wells Fargo, QTS and the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences, LLC. In all, Irving-Las Colinas also attracted over $500 million in capital investment, retained 2,780 jobs and attracted 5,856 jobs in the fiscal year.
“On behalf of the Board of Directors and our 2,000 member-investors, I want to congratulate Beth Bowman and her amazing staff on this recognition,” said Janie Perelman, Chairwoman of the Board of the Greater Irving-Las Colinas Chamber of Commerce. “Economic development is an ongoing business and we are proud that Beth has been recognized with such a distinguished group of professionals from across North America.”
The economic development professionals selected for the list were nominated by colleagues in both the economic development and site location consulting industries for excellent practices, innovation and success in building the communities they serve.
Each Top 50 honoree was featured individually on Consultant Connect’s Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter channels, where award recipients had the opportunity to share industry knowledge, leadership insights and career wisdom with fellow professionals. Each recipient received their award at Consultant Connect’s ECONOMIX event in Columbus, Ohio in December.
“Releasing the Top 50 list is one of Consultant Connect’s favorite times of the year because we are so passionate about recognizing economic development leaders’ transformative work. This year’s group faced hurdles unlike any other Top 50 group has seen over the past year, and we are honored to provide a platform for them to be recognized for the passionate commitment they’ve made to their communities,” said Carla Sones, managing director of Consultant Connect. This annual list recognizing North America’s Top 50 Economic Developers is designed to acknowledge top leaders in this field and elevate the conversation around economic development and job creation.”
