Denton graduates as Economic Development Master Practitioner

Lisa Denton, AEDC Executive Director, graduates as one of the nation’s first Economic Development Master Practitioners from the Advanced Economic Development Leadership Program, the most advanced program of its kind. Pictured with Denton are program faculty Dr. Bill Smith, University of Southern Mississippi; Neal Wade, University of Alabama; and Nan Johnson, Clemson University.

Press release

Athens Economic Development Corporation’s Executive Director Lisa Denton, recently graduated from the inaugural class of the Advanced Economic Development Leadership Program, as one of the nation’s first Economic Development Master Practitioners.

The newly established program is designed to enhance and expand the skills base of today’s economic development professionals, and it is the only program that is sponsored by four leading universities – The University of Alabama, Clemson, TCU and Southern Mississippi. The level of experts and educators, coupled with core classes that are taught in an immersive, experiential setting, make it the most advanced program of its kind.

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Kicking off a new Athens Leadership Institute class

By Michael V. Hannigan/HCN

Wednesday night, I began a year-long journey with 19 other men and women.

We were introduced to each other and the folks we’d be working with in a beautiful outdoor setting just north of Athens. There were laughs, hamburgers, drinks, cake and even Blue Bell ice cream.

It was a lot of fun.

But through the jokes and photos, one sentence kept floating through my mind.

“The Athens Leadership Institute (ALI) is a program of the Athens Chamber of Commerce that endeavors to train both existing and emerging leaders in the knowledge and skills they will need to make a real difference in the community in which they live.”

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Athens EDC receives state, international awards

Press release

Last week, Athens Economic Development Corporation received two awards at the Business Retention & Expansion International Annual Conference, along with receiving two additional awards at the Texas Economic Development Council Mid-Year Conference.

AEDC was recognized by BREI for the Freeport tax exemption project receiving the Award of Excellence for outstanding community with a population under 20,000, as well as receiving the 2018 Impact Award.

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Freeport Tax Exemptions relieve 95 percent of tax rate on qualifying inventory

By Sherri Skeeters/AEDC Business Development and Marketing Director

After a year and a half of perseverance, AEDC has leveraged community buy-in from Athens’ three highest taxing entities to grant the Freeport Tax Exemption  with the help from a professional tax problems lawyer firm.

On May 1, the Henderson County Commissioner’s Court voted to rescind the court’s 1989 resolution to deny exemption of Freeport goods to businesses in Henderson County, after approving revenue protection agreements with 12 qualifying companies in Henderson County regarding this same topic we found this article on what is the decreasing revenue tax trend.

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