The Business Development Board of Palm Beach County (BDB) and the International Economic Development Council (IEDC) recently announced that Wellington resident Kelly Smallridge, president and CEO of the BDB, was selected to the IEDC board of directors for a two-year term. The nomination was confirmed during the annual board meeting at the 2022 IEDC Annual Conference in Oklahoma City.
“Stepping into an international role as an IEDC board member, while representing Palm Beach County, is an absolute honor,” Smallridge said. “I look forward to helping shape the future of economic development on a global scale, supporting more than 4,800 economic developers through IEDC’s large organization.”
Smallridge is president and CEO of Palm Beach County’s public/private economic development agency, the BDB, where she has worked for 34 years. She serves as the longest-tenured economic development president in the State of Florida and has a solid track record in facilitating some of the largest job creation projects for Palm Beach County.
In 2013, Gov. Rick Scott awarded Smallridge with the Governor’s Ambassador Medal recognizing her hard work in creating jobs in Palm Beach County. In March of 2022, she was inducted into the University of Florida’s Academy of Golden Gators. Smallridge oversees all operations of the BDB, which is one of only five accredited economic development boards in the State of Florida. In 2004, she became the first female president of a South Florida economic development board after serving in many different capacities within the organization, including the lead role for recruitment, retention and expansion from 1988 to 2004.
In addition, Smallridge serves on the following boards: the Southern Economic Development Council, the International Economic Development Council, the South Florida Fair, the Homeless Coalition and the Education Foundation.
The IEDC is a nonprofit, non-partisan membership organization serving economic developers. With more than 4,800 members, the IEDC is the largest organization of its kind. Economic developers promote economic well-being and quality of life for their communities by creating, retaining and expanding jobs that facilitate growth, enhance wealth and provide a stable tax base. From public to private, rural to urban, and local to international, IEDC’s members engage in the full range of economic development practices.
