Tom Dodds goes a courting for sister cities

NEWS RELEASE

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION

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Tom Dodds, CEO of the Sault Ste. Marie Economic Development Corporation, promoted the community this week on the global stage.

He took part in a panel discussion on developing community partnerships at the International Economic Development Council annual conference. Dodds focused on the importance of building relationships between cities as a means to advance economic and business development.

During his presentation, he highlighted a number of regional successes as examples, including Ontario’s North Economic Development Corporation, a partnership between the five major cities in Northern Ontario.

Dodds also cited the “Two Nations - One City” sister city agreement between the Twin Saults, along with the economic development collaboration that resulted from it.

Signed in 2012, the sister city agreement is designed to promote economic, educational and cultural exchanges, and other cooperative ventures to enrich the lives of citizens.

The initiative led to a formal partnership between the Economic Development Corporations of the Twin Saults. Under their Joint International Relations and International Growth Committee, the two organizations are now working together on a number of endeavours, including the facilitation of a health care initiative between their respective hospitals, shared marketing and business development activities, and mutual tourism promotion of the Great Lakes Circle Tour.

“In economic development, forging partnerships is a proven recipe for success,” said Dodds. “We’ve seen considerable progress in our partnership with Sault Michigan and were thrilled to be invited to the International Economic Development Council annual conference to share our success story. Being here also gives us an opportunity to promote Sault Ste. Marie and our competitive advantages to industry professionals and business leaders from around the world.”

The International Economic Development Council is a non-profit, non-partisan organization serving economic developers. With more than 4,500 members worldwide, it’s the largest organization of its kind. For more information, visit www.iedconline.org. Also online: www.sault-canada.com.

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