Longmont EDP chief wins economic development award

LONGMONT — Jessica Erickson, CEO of the Longmont Economic Development Partnership, was recently awarded the 2020 Economic Development Achievement Award by the Economic Development Council of Colorado.

“Jessica has overseen the complete re-design and re-branding of the organization, focusing its efforts on a collective impact strategy that champions growth, prosperity, and inclusion,” according to a EDCC news release. “The organization has spearheaded projects that have led to the attraction and expansion of more than 150 businesses, resulting in $1 billion in new capital investment and the creation of more than 2,000 primary jobs.”

EDCC board chairwoman and Commerce City economic development director Michelle Claymore said in a prepared statement, “EDCC is proud to recognize and showcase the organizations and people who contribute to economic vitality in communities all across Colorado.”

Erickson’s award comes amid a period of transition for the LEDP.

The partnership had a staff shakeup this summer that saw the departure of several employees, including the group’s longtime chief operating officer. 

“Longmont EDP is a non-profit organization, and like most non-profit organizations we realized early on in the pandemic that our funding would likely be negatively impacted, and it has been,” Erickson told BizWest in an email last month. “We consciously made some very difficult decisions early on in order to shore up our reserves and secure the long-term viability of the organization, including furloughs, reduction of hours and the layoff of employees, as well as a short-term subleasing of some of our space to help cover our overhead.”

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