Wilkes EDC has been selected as one of America's "top 25" economic development organizations by ENGAGE!, and has been invited to participate in a three-day session organized by ENGAGE! annually. Wilkes EDC director Don Alexander will be joining 24 other economic developers from across the country to engage in identifying emerging trends in economic development-related activities and brainstorm developing strategies for responding to those trends.

Specialists in various aspects and industries affecting or effected by economic development will also participate, and will present deep focused discussions on issues from their respective areas of expertise. This marks the second year that Alexander has participated representing Wilkes EDC, and he is eagerly looking forward to this year's gathering. According to Alexander, "last year's session was filled with new knowledge, information, and strategies. I couldn't wait to come back and start implementing strategies based on all that new knowledge I gained. There were even some strategies that were so interesting and exciting that I couldn't  wait until I came back!"

Following the session on social network media marketing (Web2.0) for economic development, for example, the potential for reaching core audiences became immediately clear. Alexander came back to his hotel room after dinner and worked that night to launch Wilkes EDC's LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter sites. In doing so, Wilkes EDC became the first economic development organization in North Carolina to employ Web2.0 in its overall marketing mix.