Niagara Bottling is a family-owned and operated beverage manufacturer with a legacy of innovation and efficiency dating back to 1963. As a leading private-label bottled water company, Niagara is committed to providing high-quality, affordable hydration while continuously advancing sustainable practices and cutting-edge manufacturing. Their customer-first approach and dedication to excellence have made them a trusted partner to retailers and communities across the nation.

TIP Strategies is a privately held Austin-based consulting firm committed to providing innovative strategy solutions for public and private sector clients since 1995. The firm’s core competencies are strategic planning for economic development, talent strategies, organizational development, resilience planning, and equity initiatives. Specific topics in which TIP has deep experience include entrepreneurship, target industries, workforce analytics, and defense industries and communities. During our 30 years in business, we have worked with more than 425 clients throughout the United States and around the world to develop innovative, publicly supported economic development strategies. Community leaders across the country have embraced the TIP model of Talent, Innovation, and Place to achieve successful and sustainable economies. Our approach places a premium on well-informed decision-making, sound planning practices, and a commitment to an equitable future.

Airbnb was born in 2007 when two hosts welcomed three guests to their San Francisco home, and has since grown to over 5 million hosts who have welcomed over 1.5 billion guest arrivals in almost every country across the globe. Every day, hosts offer unique stays and experiences that make it possible for guests to connect with communities in a more authentic way.

Amazon’s Economic Development team supports worldwide expansion by building relationships with economic development organizations, policymakers, permitting agencies, and community stakeholders. We directly support Amazon’s investments and we help integrate our businesses into the communities in which they locate. Our engagement is not transactional. We build long-term, collaborative partnerships with economic development organizations to advance job creation and economic growth.

DCI is “The Leader in Marketing Places." Since 1960, we have worked with more than 500 cities, regions, states, provinces and countries, helping them to attract investors, visitors, and talent. We specialize exclusively in three areas of place marketing: economic development, talent attraction and tourism including websites, branding, public relations, social/digital media, research, prospect development, travel trade, and special events. Current clients include a range of states (Michigan, Florida, North Dakota, Vermont, Missouri, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey), cities/regions (Charleston, Chattanooga, Cincinnati, Columbus, Houston, Research Triangle Region, and Jacksonville) and countries (Netherlands, Switzerland, Costa Rica and Georgia), to name a few. With a team of more than 60 place marketers, DCI is headquartered in New York City, with offices in Denver, Los Angeles and Toronto.

ResearchFDI Academy is an online platform designed to help economic development professionals enhance their expertise in Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). With flexible, self-paced modules, you can learn anytime, anywhere. The Academy offers expert-led content, real-world examples, and actionable insights into the FDI process, from lead generation to investor aftercare. Tailored for those in investment attraction, stakeholder engagement, and economic development, the Foreign Direct Investment Professional (FDIP) Certification provides a recognized credential to advance your career. Elevate your skills and confidence to attract and sustain investments and help your region thrive.

Placer.ai is the leader in location analytics, instantly generating foot traffic insights for any location in the U.S. Commercial real estate, retail, and economic development professionals are using the product daily to optimize their decision-making. Placer.ai provides a range of easily accessible reports on-demand including true trade areas, visit trends, customer journey data, demographics, cross-shopping, property rankings and more. The breadth of perspectives empowers local governments to understand consumer behavior, attract the best-fit business and enhance local business performance to drive economic growth.

Greater Sacramento, the capital of the world’s fifth largest economy, is situated within the Northern California Megaregion, sharing an economy and workforce with the San Francisco Bay Area. Here, companies recruit diverse, highly educated talent. There are 300,000+ four-year college students enrolled within a 100-mile radius and two nationally ranked educational institutions in the region, UC Davis and Sacramento State. The region is home to Aggie Square, a $1.1 billion mixed-used life science innovation district, and the California Mobility Center, a partnership of global leaders accelerating the commercialization of new technologies. Within the region, the Greater Sacramento Economic Council unites business and community leaders to create a cohesive economic development strategy with a focus on growth, sustainability, equity and competitiveness.

Axios Media delivers trustworthy news, expert insights and engaging information to get people smarter, faster on what matters most. The company was created around a simple proposition: deliver the cleanest, smartest and most efficient experience to our audience. Axios Local delivers smart, modern local news to 30 cities across the U.S. The daily newsletters are written by the best local reporters in each city in order to give readers exclusive scoops and consequential information about their cities.

CivicServe is the only purpose built Program and Project Management Software designed to support all economic development strategies such as incentive programs, BRE and other economic development activities. The platform has been built to support complex economic development workflows, digitize state and federal economic development reporting requirements, and automate compliance with redevelopment agreement obligations.

Lightcast provides labor market data and analysis to help professionals make sound decisions in their regions. We tell stories with individual-level LMI data that are unmatched in the market. Our data, software, and consulting services help economic development professionals understand and communicate their communities’ workforce strengths, quickly respond to business inquiries, benchmark their regions against their peers, and boost their business services.

GIS WebTech provides the most advanced technology solutions available for economic development and site selection. The company’s all-new Guru technology, launched in April, helps economic development organizations attract, retain, and expand businesses within their communities. GIS WebTech is the fastest-growing provider and the only certified Esri partner serving the economic development market. GIS WebTech’s solutions are built natively on the Esri ArcGIS platform, the world’s most powerful mapping software, and include the most accurate demographic and workforce data available. For more information, please see www.giswebtech.com.

Whether it’s rebranding a region, drawing attention to a revitalized neighborhood, or promoting a new sustainable development, Violet PR helps clients make a difference. Through a combination of news stories, social media and compelling content, our New Jersey-based boutique public relations firm helps economic development organizations attract more investment, talent and supporters.

Fortune’s Economic Development Partnership Group connects regions with our global network of decision-makers through insights-driven content, targeted digital campaigns, high-impact events, and award-winning storytelling from Fortune Brand Studio—driving visibility, investment, and lasting growth.

Business Facilities is the leading full-service media brand specializing in the site selection marketplace. In print, online, and face-to-face, Business Facilities  has created a dynamic community that connects corporate site selectors with economic development organizations from across North America and around the world.

Business Facilities magazine is read by C-Suite executives, corporate real estate professionals, site consultants and other business leaders. Published six times a year, each issue profiles state, regional and international locations. BusinessFacilities.com is the share of market leader among all site selection websites, providing up-to-the-minute site selection news and industry-specific features. Business Facilities LiveXchange is an invitation-only matchmaking event that connects corporate executives and site consultants that have active projects with economic development organizations from across North America. 

Chmura Economics & Analytics is an applied economic consulting firm specializing in delivering advanced economic analysis. Data are at the heart of Chmura. As individuals, organizations, and communities, we rely on accurate, timely data to help make critical decisions and plan for growth and improvement. The team at Chmura is dedicated to developing tools and services with that need in mind. Whether developed through customized consulting projects, delivered via off-the-shelf reports, or compiled through our software tools such as JobsEQ®, our data help you answer complex questions and implement effective solutions. Chmura has the experience and expertise to transform data into information that drives effective strategy. 

Bludot provides a suite of software solutions for your BR&E needs. Built in partnership with on-the-ground economic development practitioners, Bludot's solutions help you manage and support your local businesses, track your projects, and run shop-local rewards programs. Within 2 years of launch, Bludot is used by over 100 jurisdictions across 27 states. Bludot is recognized on Govtech 100 and an SBIR grant awardee of USDA NIFA.

Livability highlights the nation's most vibrant small and mid-sized cities as a trusted voice for communities across America. Through Livability's custom content programs, relocating talent and business decision-makers discover your community and glean the insights they need to shortlist your area as one of the best places to live or to grow a business. Our newsstand-quality publications showcase your region’s advantages, while user-friendly digital experiences scale the reach of our eye-catching photography and unique, engaging articles telling the stories of America's best places.

Established in 1962, The University of Oklahoma's Economic Development Institute (OU EDI) provides the latest tools and knowledge to be successful as an economic development professional. You may complete all courses in-person or a portion online. This provides significant budget savings, schedule flexibility, and speeds completion of coursework. OU EDI is fully accredited by the IEDC and meets the education requirements to sit for the CEcD Exam.

OU EDI offers the only open enrollment CEcD Exam Prep course. By graduating from the comprehensive program, you also earn the OU EDI certificate which is widely recognized in the profession. Admission is based on completion of the IEDC BEDC “Basic” course, or two-years of industry experience. Contact us at 405-325-3136, edi@ou.edu, or visit pacs.ou.edu/edi/ for more information.

The Employee Ownership Expansion Network (EOX) is a national nonprofit organization focused on significantly expanding employee ownership across the United States by establishing and supporting a network of independent nonprofit State Centers for Employee Ownership. We see employee ownership as a critical tool to help reduce income and wealth disparity, increase community wealth, and create a more vibrant, participatory economy for workers regardless of race, religion, or socioeconomic status. Our free unbiased programming on succession planning using ESOPs, worker cooperatives, and employee ownership trusts is best delivered to organizations like chambers of commerce, economic development regions, community groups, and trade associations. Stop by our booth to see how we can be a resource for you to keep businesses from shutting down or leaving your region.