TITLE: Congratulating the City of Richardson and the Richardson Chamber of Commerce on the recognition of the Richardson Economic Development Partnership as an Accredited Economic Development Organization by the International Economic Development Council.

SUMMARY: Congratulating the City of Richardson and the Richardson Chamber of Commerce on the recognition of the Richardson Economic Development Partnership as an Accredited Economic Development Organization by the International Economic Development Council.

FULL TEXT:
WHEREAS, The Richardson Economic Development Partnership, a joint effort of the City of Richardson and the Richardson Chamber of Commerce, has been recognized as an Accredited Economic Development Organization by the International Economic Development Council; and WHEREAS, One of only 32 economic development organizations worldwide to receive this designation, the REDP is the sole such group in the Dallas-Fort Worth area; in addition, the Richardson Chamber of Commerce holds five-star accreditation from the United States Chamber of Commerce, and the city now has the distinction of being the first community in Texas and the second in the nation to earn both these prestigious honors; the International Economic Development Council also presented the Richardson partnership with the 2011-2012 Gold Medal in the High Performance Economic Development category in recognition of the group's announcement of more jobs and capital investment created than any other economic development organization of its size in the United States; and WHEREAS, An effective engine for growth, the REDP has helped Richardson attract new investment and jobs through marketing, recruitment, and coordination with existing local employers; the organization's accomplishments of the past two years additionally include contributing to the launch of the Mayor's Office of International Business, playing a key role in the recruitment of the Virtual Computing Environment Company headquarters, and assisting in the structuring of an incentives package to retain the headquarters of Fossil, Inc., along with its 1,400 jobs; moreover, the REDP led a retail redevelopment initiative that has increased the value of 10 area shopping centers by more than $70 million; and WHEREAS, Most recently, developer KDC announced plans for a $1.5 billion transit-oriented mixed-use project in Richardson; insurance giant State Farm subsequently signed the largest office lease in the history of the Dallas area for 1.5 million square feet of space within the KDC project; and WHEREAS, The Richardson Economic Development Partnership has made tremendous contributions to the prosperity of the city, and the granting of this accreditation is a testament to the far-reaching impact of the organization's achievements; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 83rd Texas Legislature hereby congratulate the City of Richardson and the Richardson Chamber of Commerce on the recognition of the Richardson Economic Development Partnership as an Accredited Economic Development Organization by the International Economic Development Council. Carter Button Leach Speaker of the House I certify that H.R. No. 550 was adopted by the House on March 6, 2013, by a non-record vote. Chief Clerk of the House