JUN 11
inDC event
Are We Building DC as the Knowledge Capital of the World?
JUN 19
DC Revenue Bonds: Summer Jazz Happy Hour - 202.724.7206 to RSVP
JUL 30
BusinessPremier
2008 Small Business Awards
AUG 6
inDC event
What
are the Opportunities in a Diverse Marketplace?
OCT 2
WDCEP Annual Meeting & Development Showcase
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| Interview with with Chairman Gray
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| Last
week, WDCEP wrapped up its marketing mission to International Council of
Shopping Centers (ICSC) RECON meeting. Celebrating ten years of attending ICSC, the District delegation's
goal was to attract more retail to DC's neighborhoods. This year Mayor Adrian Fenty, Deputy Mayor
for Planning and Economic Development Neil Albert and several councilmembers
joined WDCEP in meeting with more than 65 retailers. READ MORE... |
WDCEP to Launch New Summer
Tech Series
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The
transition process of DC Tech's integration into the Washington, DC Economic
Partnership has gone well and is nearly complete. Coming up we have
several events planned involving technology and economic development, starting
Wednesday, June 11, from 8-10 AM, at WilmerHale (1875 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW,
DC 20006), with the first of our summer tech InDC series: Are We Building
DC as the Knowledge Capital of the World? Attend and you will hear how
businesses, the community, academia, culture, and the public sector come
together to build a knowledge capital. Join us on 6/11 as Vivek Kundra, DC's
Chief Technology Officer, Steven
Knapp, President of George Washington University, Anne
Armstrong, President of 1105 Government Information Group,
and Matt Vorhees, President of Anybill discuss how we can take advantage of the
District's knowledge assets.
To register click here. Out of
town June 11? Then you catch our second tech program: What are the
Opportunities in a Diverse Marketplace? Wednesday, August 6 at 8:00 AM. Tickets are $40 per event. READ MORE...
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Everything
You Need to Know About Doing Business in Washington, DC
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The
fourth edition of Doing Business in
Washington, DC will be released July 30 to a crowd of over two hundred
people at this year's Small Business Awards program at the Willard
Intercontinental. The much anticipated, free guidebook navigates entrepreneurs
through the nuts and bolts of starting a business in DC from permit
requirements to writing a business plan. It also offers great resources for
expanding or relocating businesses in DC. READ MORE...
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Mark Your Calendar...WDCEP Annual
Meeting & Development Showcase
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If
you heard about last year's meeting but missed it, mark your calendar for the
2008 WDCEP Annual, which will be held on October 2, 2008. The conference will
focus on five major areas of development occurring in the city: office,
residential, retail, hospitality and education and highlight the numerous green
projects in DC. READ MORE...
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WDCEP Celebrates Small
Business
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Join us for a celebration of DC small
businesses on Wednesday, July 30, 2008 at the Willard Intercontinental. WDCEP
will recognize three outstanding small businesses for their achievements -
Small Business of the Year, 100 Year-Old Business of the Year, and Small
Business Initiative of the Year. The event will feature keynote speaker Jair
Lynch of the Jair Lynch Companies. Watch your mailbox for your
invitation or click here
to register now. Special thanks
to our event sponsors the District Department of Small & Local Business
Development, McQuade Brennan LLP, BB&T, CareFirst
BlueCross BlueShield and
media sponsor Current Newspapers.
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| Download the Neighborhood
Retail Opportunities Guide |
WDCEP unveiled
the 2008 Neighborhood Retail
Opportunities guide at the ICSC RECON meeting. This user-friendly 112 page
guide provides local and national businesses with in depth market research on
234 available sites throughout neighborhoods in DC. The book may be downloaded
from www.wdcep.com and is available at the
Deputy Mayor for Economic Planning and Development's office and WDCEP
partnering organizations. Click Here to Download
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| See the Video...The Anacostia
Waterfront |
 Check
out the new video WDCEP, along with our video sponsors, produced to market the
enormous retail and development opportunities along the Anacostia Waterfront. The video was showcased at last week's
ICSC. We couldn't have done it without
the following sponsors: Akridge, Clark
Reality Capital, DRI Development, Faison, JBG Companies, PN Hoffman, and URBAN-city
Ventures, LLC. Click Here To View Video
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DC Development Opportunities
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 Mayor
Adrian M. Fenty recently announced the District has issued a
Request for Expressions of Interest (RFEI) to attract a master
developer to transform the former DC General Hospital campus and 50
acres of land into a new waterfront neighborhood that will be a
national model for green building and sustainable development. To view a complete list of development opportunities please click here.
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 This was the tenth year of DC attending
the conference, why did you think it was important to attend the ICSC RECON
meeting?
I felt it was
important for the Chairman and members of the Council to help promote the
District of Columbia as a great, sound place to do business. Retailers
and developers are re-assured by city officials' involvement. It was also
important to represent the views and interests of our residents. The
Mayor and Councilmembers being there together sends a message of unanimity of
purpose and that we are one city.
What other municipalities attended ICSC
and did you learn things about economic development from other city officials
(best practices, how to attract more development)?
We visited
several of the booths of other cities and had the opportunity to speak with
leaders about their approaches. Our booth was a source of enormous pride,
a demonstrable symbol of what an attraction the District has become for
economic development. The Washington DC Economic Partnership, led ably by
Steve Moore, deserves a great deal of credit for organizing and coordinating
such a successful effort.
How would you describe the experience?
First, the
District had a very solid delegation consisting of representatives from the
public and private sectors. Secondly, many meetings were held that could
result in additional economic development opportunities for the city.
And, thirdly, District representatives were able to convey with pride both the
progress and multiple opportunities of our great city as all areas are now
sources for economic growth and prosperity.
Did you find in your meetings with
retailers that they really want to be in the District of Columbia?
YES! Most
conversations with retailers were no longer us trying to attract and "sell" them
on investing in the District of Columbia, but rather them having a strong
interest in specific locations. I'm confident negotiations will continue
with several of the retailers.
Why do you think DC has become a great
place for both small and large retailers to do business?
DC is a great
place to do business for many reasons.
- The financial position and
stability of the city
- It's growing, diverse population
and increasingly popular tourist destination
- The large disposable income of
residents
- Variety of location options for
retailers in "The Nation's Capital"
- Numerous incentives available to
developers and retailers to operate in the District of Columbia
What would you like to see the DC
Delegation do at next year's ICSC retail conference?
I would like to
see the DC Delegation continue to build on the success of this year's ICSC and
work on the relationships we started with retailers.
We should start
preparing for 2009 soon so we will have a cohesive strategy to market the city
in a variety of ways i.e., as a financial center / knowledge center / insurance
center / fashion center / and tourist destination.
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Did you know?
- 500 RSVPed for the District Reception in Las Vegas
- 2,400 sq. ft.: size of the WDCEP's booth at ICSC
- Over 70 meetings were held in the WDCEP's booth at ICSC
- More than 270 people visited WDCEP's booth at ICSC
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