July 2013
| Business World Magazine | 51
Anchorage Economic Development
Corporation (AEDC) has been
one of the driving forces behind the
gradual economic and social growth
of Anchorage, located in the north-
west state of Alaska. With constant
support from organizations such as
AEDC, Anchorage has been deemed
by the likes of Forbes.com as one of
the best cities for employment. Even
in the midst of a recession, the city
managed to maintain an average un-
employment rate of 5.6 percent. The
President and CEO of AEDC, Bill
Popp explains, “Anchorage was found-
ed 98 years ago, and started off as a
railroad camp during the building of
the Alaska Railroad. With significant
leaps and bounds and a few difficulties
it is what it is today.”
Popp, who has been working for
AEDC since 2007 plays a vital role in
setting up the strategies behind mar-
keting the city and Alaska to global
businesses and at the same time he sup-
ports local business growth within the
state. “We support companies pop-
ping up and as a result we see growth
