The international accolade recognizes the organization’s
work supporting RYSE Creative Village.
ATLANTA — Sometimes the impact of economic development work can take a while to become evident. A handful of years after Georgia Tech’s Enterprise Innovation Institute (EI²) helped connect RYSE Creative Village with Develop Fulton, the resulting collaboration received international recognition.
Develop Fulton won a 2026 Gold Excellence in Economic Development Award from the International Economic Development Council (IEDC) in the Neighborhood Development category for its support of RYSE Creative Village. The award was presented at IEDC’s annual conference, held in October in New Orleans as the organization celebrated its 100th anniversary.
Georgia Tech’s connection to the project dates back to 2022, when RYSE Creative Village was a client of the former Georgia MBDA Business Center, an EI² program that assisted minority and small business owners with accessing capital, boosting profitability, and scaling their companies.
RYSE Founder and CEO Jay Jackson was working to acquire a property in Southwest Atlanta, the former Preston Arkwright Elementary School, which had been vacant since 2004. The vision was to turn the site into a content production studio and space for creatives and entrepreneurs.
Jennifer Pasley, the Business Center’s then-project director, worked with Jackson to secure financing. When the project’s funding fell short, Pasley introduced RYSE to Develop Fulton, presenting an opportunity for support. That connection ultimately helped RYSE secure a $250,000 grant.
“Jennifer brought a valuable combination of economic development knowledge, strategic thinking, commitment, and relationship building,” said Jackson. “Having an institution like Georgia Tech recognize the potential of your project and actively help open doors can make a tremendous difference.”
Said Pasley, project director for EI2‘s Georgia Rural Health Tech Catalyst Fund, “It has been our pleasure to work with RYSE and Develop Fulton in this underserved community.” She and Donna Ennis, associate vice president for Community-based Engagement Programs at EI2, attended the IEDC conference and awards celebration in New Orleans to celebrate the success of the collaboration that started years earlier.
According to Kwanza Hall, Develop Fulton’s chairman and a former Atlanta City Council member, the award is “a powerful validation of what can happen when economic development is about more than a single project. RYSE Creative Village demonstrates how strategic investment can strengthen a neighborhood, support entrepreneurs and creators, generate economic activity and build an ecosystem where talent and opportunity can grow together.”
For EI², the accolade illustrates an oft overlooked element of economic development: making connections that plant seeds for ideas that later yield big results.