McKinney Receives “Top 50 in North America” Award 

ATLANTA, GEORGIA – November 30, 2023 – Today at the Coca-Cola Roxy Theater in Atlanta, Georgia, Norman Economic Development Coalition (NEDC) President and Chief Executive Officer Lawrence McKinney, CCE, CEcD, IOM received “North America’s Top 50 Economic Developer Award” from Consultant Connect – an international association of site selectors.

The top 50 list is produced annually to recognize North America’s most accomplished economic development professionals and is awarded at the annual Economix Convention. The organization, which focuses on connecting economic developers with site consultants, compiles its list of honorees based on nominations by their peers in both the economic development and site location consulting industries. Those included on the list reflect outstanding utilization of best practices, innovative initiatives, and success in building the communities they serve.

“The Consultant Connect team looks forward to releasing the Top 50 list every year because we believe that the work of economic developers is transformative to communities,” said Carla Sones, president of Consultant Connect.

As president of the coalition, McKinney has significantly restructured NEDC locally in community development, and nationally, as an organization seeking excellence, said Patrick Grace, CEO of Oklahoma Electric Cooperative and Chairman of the NEDC Board of Directors. “This recognition by an international firm and Lawrence’s peers reconfirms what we already knew,” Grace said. “It also reinforces that Lawrence, and the team he is building, are in the right community, on the right track, at the right time.”

McKinney’s 37 year career includes leading communities in Georgia, Florida, and Oklahoma, as well as strategic consulting for many dozens more throughout the United States. During that

span, he’s facilitated the creation of thousands of jobs, raised more than $100 million for community development, and has received numerous awards including the Kentucky Colonel Award, the Community Spirit Award, and Businessperson of the Year. When asked what his greatest accomplishment is McKinney said, “It’s hard to beat the smile on a person’s face when they land a job at a company you helped locate or expand in a community. For years to come they will be able to support themselves and/or a family, as well as give back to the community they call home. Any recognition I’ve received simply pales in comparison to that.”

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