The City of Garden Grove’s Office of Economic Development has been awarded accreditation by the International Economic Development Council (IEDC), to become the only Accredited Economic Development Organization (AEDO) in California, and one of 69 internationally.

“This professional accreditation by the IEDC is a tremendous distinction for our City’s Office of Economic Development that singles out Garden Grove’s exceptional standard of excellence within our state and beyond,” said Garden Grove City Manager Scott Stiles.

The AEDO program is a comprehensive peer review process that measures economic development organizations against commonly held standards in the profession. The programs consists of two phases: a documentation review, and an onsite visit. Each phase is designed to evaluate information about the structure, organization, funding, programs, and staff of the candidate economic development organization.

“The City of Garden Grove displays the professionalism, commitment, and technical expertise that is deserving of this honor,” said IEDC President and CEO Nathan Ohle.

Maintenance of the AEDO status is required every three years and is accomplished through documentation submission and/or onsite visits by a team of the AEDO subcommittee.

The Office of Economic Development is a division of the Community and Economic Development Department, responsible for business attraction, retention, and expansion, and administration of the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and affordable housing programs.

The IEDC is the largest membership association serving economic and community development professionals in the world, with over 5,000 members nationwide and abroad.