By Dave Gatton
May 19, 2008

The United States Conference of Mayors and its Executive Director and CEO Tom Cochran were honored May 1 at the Tenth Anniversary of the Inner City 100 by the Initiative for a Competitive City. The Conference received the 2008 National Inner City Economic Leadership Award for a decade of active promotion and support of the Inner City 100, which annually names the fastest growing inner city companies in the U.S.

“Mayors across the country were early and enthusiastic supporters of ICIC-s mission,” said founder of the ICIC and Harvard Business School Professor Michael Porter. “Mayors understand that competitiveness and business development are the on ly long-run solutions to building a healthy city. The partnership between the Conference of Mayors and the ICIC has helped to unleash a new movement that reveals the highly competitive nature of inner city businesses. We wish to thank Tom Cochran for the Conference’s strong support over the years,” he said.

“On behalf of the nation’s mayors, we thank the Inner City 100 for its progressive work of identifying and assisting fast-growth companies in our cities,” said Cochran. “Each company on the Inner City 100 list has a progressive, competitive, and successful story to tell. We thank the ICIC for its groundbreaking partnership with the Conference.”

Through the partnership, mayors have nominated more than one-third of the Inner City 100 winners. ICIC has been an active member of the Conference’s Council for the New American City, supporting such initiatives as metro economies, financial education, and attracting investment to underserved markets.

In addition to the Conference, the ICIC honored Merrill Lynch, Chevron, and Staples, as well as the Small Business Administration and the U.S. Department of Commerce for their continuing support of the Inner City 100.