Evergy Economic Development Recognized on Global Stage
Evergy is one of the few utilities to become an internationally accredited economic development organization.
In 2025, Evergy once again has been recognized as an Accredited Economic Development Organization (AEDO) by the International Economic Development Council (IEDC). The Evergy Economic Development team was first accredited in 2016.
"The last two years have been banner years for Evergy’s Economic Development team which is no doubt a reflection of their ability to drive growth through strategy, relationships, investment and collaboration,” said Chuck Caisley, Executive Vice President and Chief Customer Officer at Evergy.
The AEDO program is a comprehensive peer review process that measures economic development organizations against commonly held standards in the profession. Evergy joins a roster of 85 organizations worldwide.
“Evergy is leading the way as one of only a very few utilities with this designation,” said Jason Klindt, Senior Director of External Affairs. “We understand that the only way Evergy grows is if the communities we serve grow. We are proud of this recognition from our peers.”
About the AEDO Accreditation Process
The reaccreditation process consists of two phases: a documentation review and site visits. Each phase is designed to evaluate information about the structure, organization, funding, program and staff of the candidate economic development organization.
Evergy’s leadership and external partners provided letters of support to the accreditation team, including the Kansas City Area Development Council, the Kansas Department of Commerce, the Missouri Department of Economic Development, multiple local economic development organizations and a letter from the CEO of TAB, a major customer.
Now more than ever, access to power is often the first question potential businesses are looking to address and ensuring that the utility is involved at the front-end of the process is essential to economic development success.