A few years ago I shared the top ten reasons why commercial and industrial real estate professionals should work with an Economic Development Organization (EDO). Recognizing that we are running at an even more accelerated pace in commercial and industrial real estate development and we only have so many hours in the day to get deals done, I’ve shortened it to the top five. #5 LOCAL KNOWLEDGE: Economic development Organizations (EDO)s know their communities. We have access to all the local information that you can’t get from data tools or online. EDOs know who just laid-off skilled workers, who closed, who expanded, who has training programs and dollars. Economic developers are also usually aware of buildings and sites that aren’t on Loopnet, CoStar, or come by way of word of mouth from your peers. We can also provide customized data and information packages on inventory, demographics, wages, and local employers. Better yet, we can tell you how to access our local and regional talent pool.