Tulsa Metro Chamber wins big with economic development awards

9.21.2011
Jim Fram, senior vice president for economic development for the Tulsa Metro Chamber, was awarded Fellow Member status by the International Economic Development Council for attaining unusual stature in the field of economic development and closely related disciplines. 

"The term 'unusual stature' characterizes a member's substantial contributions to the profession through service to IEDC and/or academic ventures directly related to the practice of economic development," said Dennis Coleman, IEDC chair. "Mr. Fram serves as a premier example of one who has made just such contributions, and we are proud to have bestowed Fellow Member status upon him."

A 25 year veteran of economic development and chamber of commerce management, Fram has served in senior management and CEO roles in economic development organizations and/or chambers of commerce in Arkansas, Texas, Nebraska and Oklahoma. As the senior vice president for economic development for the Tulsa Metro Chamber, he leads a team of professional economic developers who work in the areas of business attraction, business expansion, business development and business retention.

Following formal education at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, Fram graduated from the Institute for Organizational Management at Southern Methodist University and graduated from the Economic Development Institute at the University of Oklahoma. In addition to many professional awards and honors, Jim has earned both CCE (Certified Chamber Executive) and CEcD (Certified Economic Developer) status, one of only a dozen active professionals in the nation to hold both designations.

In 2001, Fram was selected by his peers as the Economic Development Professional of the Year by both the Tulsa Area Partnership and the Oklahoma Economic Development Council. He served as the Chairman of the Oklahoma Governor’s Economic Development Team in 2007. He also serves on the Board of the Heartland Basic Economic Development Course and is a past chair and current member of the International Economic Development Council’s Education & Certification Committee. Jim, his wife Kelli, and their two sons live in Tulsa.

Fram received the honor of Fellow Member at an awards ceremony during the IEDC Annual Conference, held Sept. 18-21, in Charlotte, N.C. At the conference, the Tulsa Metro Chamber also was honored with other awards for its economic development-related media and ad campaigns.

The Tulsa Metro Chamber received an Excellence in Economic Development honor for its Let's Do Business website in the category of Special Purpose Website for communities with populations of 200,000 – 500,000. Let's Do Business brings out-of-area spending back to the Tulsa region. More than 1,100 Tulsa-area companies participate in Let's Do Business and pledge, when possible, to do business with a local company.

The Tulsa Metro Chamber also received an Excellence in Economic Development Award for their Grow Metro Tulsa Ad Campaign in the category of Paid Ad Campaign for communities with populations of 200,000 – 500,000.

"We recognize the Tulsa Metro Chamber for providing successful strategies to promote new standards in economic development in this period of global recovery,” said Dennis Coleman, IEDC chair. “Our awards honor organizations and individuals for their efforts in creating positive change in communities. They are showing that they are at the forefront of the economic development profession and are using innovative and effective practices that can be replicated in other communities."

The Tulsa Metro Chamber also received an Honorable Mention for Excellence in Economic Development for their Tulsa's Future II Brochure and Honorable Mention for Excellence in Economic Development for their Grow Metro Tulsa ad campaign.

The Excellence in Economic Awards Program annually recognizes the world’s best economic development programs and partnerships, marketing materials and the year’s most influential leaders.

About IEDC
The International Economic Development Council is the premier membership organization dedicated to helping economic development professionals create high-quality jobs, develop vibrant communities and improve the quality of life in their regions. Serving more than 4,500 members, IEDC represents the largest network of economic development professionals in the world. IEDC provides a diverse range of services, including conferences, certification, professional development, publications, research, advisory services and legislative tracking.


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