Here is a nice item:

The International Economic Development Council (IEDC) has named Jason Crawford as the recipient of the 2008 New Economic Developer of the Year Award. This prestigious award recognizes outstanding achievement by a young, emerging leader in the economic development profession.

Crawford works as the City of Santa Clarita’s Economic Development Manager, a job he was appointed to in 2007. Prior to his current position, Crawford served as the City’s Economic Development Associate responsible for leading the film and tourism programs, both of which have been recognized as the Best Economic Development Program(s) in California by the California Association of Local Economic Developers (CALED).

A panel of economic development experts, consisting of members from both the public and private sectors, selected Crawford as the 2008 IEDC award recipient. The award will be presented to Crawford at the organization’s 2008 Annual Conference, slated for later this year.

“We are very proud of Jason and the work he has done here in Santa Clarita. This prestigious award is well-deserved and we look forward to seeing what Jason will do next,” commented Ken Pulskamp, City Manager.

During his tenure in Santa Clarita, Crawford has been responsible for several successful economic development projects including: attraction and coordination of premier tourism events such as AMGEN Tour of California, the AT&T Champions Classic, and Loose Goose Wine Festival; establishing the Santa Clarita Film Office as one of the state’s most respected and successful; in addition to establishing Santa Clarita’s Enterprise Zone, a California business incentive program designed to potentially save local businesses millions of dollars.

“Whether it’s creating jobs through business development, attracting events that bring in visitor dollars and are fun for our community, or attracting the retail offerings and restaurants I know our residents want, my goal is to make Santa Clarita Southern California’s ideal city to live, work, and play,” explains Crawford.