Ponca City, OK - Ponca City Development Authority (PCDA) received two 2020 Excellence in Economic Development Awards from the International Economic Development Council (IEDC) this week. The awards were presented for the Industry “Trade Show Brigade” as well as the City Central project. Both awards were presented at the virtual IEDC Annual Conference which began on Tuesday, Oct.ober 13, 2020.

“We could not do this type of program without the direction of the PCDA Board of Trustees and buyin from our existing industries” stated Laurence Beliel, Director of Business Retention & Expansion for PCDA after receiving notice of the award. “Businesses utilizing the Trade Show Brigade are responsible for their travel and lodging while participating in a Ponca City – PCDA sponsored booth space, such as at the Design 2 Part Show. This allows for B2B networking, building larger contract sales and more partnerships in our industrial community when companies return to Ponca City. While it is great to represent a winning program, the real winners are the Ponca City companies taking advantage of this B2B program opportunity.”

City Central is a six story, multi-tenant office building owned by PCDA and renovated with a matching grant from the Economic Development Administration (EDA) of the U.S. Department of Commerce. City Central was originally opened as a bank building in 1975 and changed ownership several times before being donated to PCDA in 2016 along with an additional donation of $200,000 to assist with muchneeded renovations and updates. The building and monetary donation were the basis of the application for the EDA matching grant.

“This type of large building renovation could not be accomplished without support from our partners,” stated David Myers, Executive Director of PCDA. “The City of Ponca City assisted with grant writing expertise from Rhonda Skrapke, the original donation of building and monetary funds, the EDA grant itself and the support of the building’s existing and new tenants made this award possible. “

Recipients of IEDC’s Excellence in Economic Development Awards demonstrate to an experienced panel of judges that they are at the forefront of the economic development profession. They are recognized as the world’s best economic development programs and partnerships, marketing materials, and the year’s most influential leaders. These awards honor organizations and individuals for their efforts in creating positive change in urban, suburban, and rural communities.

For more information on PCDA, community development programs and business incentives, visit www.goponca.com