Team NEO Announces Awards Finalists
5/4/2010 1
AKRON & CLEVELAND, Ohio, May 4, 2010 — Team Northeast Ohio will recognize local economic development efforts that helped retain companies, create jobs and bring foreign investment to the region during the calendar year 2009 at the upcoming Team NEO Economic Development Plus Awards dinner being held June 23, 2010 at 5:30 pm at the John S. Knight Center in Akron, Ohio.
“In 2009, Northeast Ohio communities and economic development organizations completed 115 projects that created more than 3,200 jobs and more than $1 Billion in capital investment,” said Tom Waltermire, Team NEO’s Chief Executive Officer. “It is important to celebrate the ‘wins’ that are helping to diversify and advance our economy, and it is critical that the region honor the unsung heroes – the economic developers, communities, and non-profit organizations – who fight daily to make progress.”
Team NEO received a record 74 applications from 10 counties for the fourth annual celebration. The judging panel selected the following finalists:
Asset Creation
+ Canton Commerce Development, LLC, Canton Regional Chamber of Commerce, City of Canton, Stark Development Board – Project: Mills Business Park
+ Case Western Reserve University – Project: Advancing Biomedical Imaging Cluster
+ GaREAT Sports Complex – Project: Creating New Complex
+ Kent State University – Project: Centennial Research Park
Business Attraction
+ City of Cleveland – Project: Steel Warehouse
+ Team Lorain County, City of Oberlin, City of N. Ridgeville and Lorain County Growth Partnership – Project: GreenField Solar Corp.
+ Youngstown-Warren Regional Chamber, The City of Youngstown – Project: VXI
Business Expansion
+ City of Medina – Project: Sandridge
+ City of Orrville – Project: Orrvilon
+ City of Westlake – Project: Hyland Software
Business Retention
+ City of Cleveland, Village of Cuyahoga Heights, City of Independence and Cuyahoga County – Project: Alcoa
+ City of Hudson, Summit County, Greater Akron Chamber – Project: Little Tikes
+ Team Lorain County, City of Avon Lake, Lorain County Growth Partnership– Project: Immediate Pharmaceutical Services
Foreign Investment
+ Global Cardiovascular Innovation Center Project: 2009 Results
Fostering Entrepreneurship
+ City of Akron, University of Akron, Akron Global Business Accelerator
Project: 2009 Impact of AGBA
+ Braintree Business Development Center – Project: Expansion
+ University of Akron Research Foundation (UARF) – Project: Supporting University Ventures
Minority Business Development
+ JumpStart Inclusion Advisors – Project: New Minority Program
+ ShoreBank Enterprise Group – Project: Evergreen Cooperative Development Fund
Public-Private Partnership
+ Ford Motor Company, United Auto Workers, Cuyahoga Community College – Project: Training Program for Plant Workers
+ Ohio Bioproducts Innovation Center, Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, City of Wooster, Ohio State University, Wayne Economic Development Council– Project: Quasar Energy Group
+ Vocational Guidance Center, Cuyahoga County Board of Developmental Disabilities, and Ohio Rehabilitation Services Commission – Project: Pathways II
Workforce Development
+ Alliance for Working Together and Lakeland Community College – Project: National Association of Manufacturers Credentialing System
+ Eastern Gateway Community College – Project: New College Formed
+ Lorain County Workforce Development Agency, Lorain County Community College, Lorain County Joint Vocational School, Employment netWork – Project: Make Your Layoff Payoff
All finalists will be recognized, and one winner in each category will be announced at the June 23 awards dinner. In addition, Team NEO will honor Dr. Roy A. Church with the annual H. Peter Burg Regional Vision Award at the event. The award honors a regional leader whose vision and collaborative leadership have significantly impacted Northeast Ohio’s economy. Dr. Church of Lorain County Community College will be honored for his commitment to maximizing our region’s resources, proven by his wonderful leadership of Lorain Community College and his impact on the entire Northeast Ohio region. Most recently, Dr. Church played a vital role in the creation of the Mahoning Valley’s Eastern Gateway Community College. The award commemorates H. Peter Burg, the late chairman and CEO of FirstEnergy Corporation, a regional leader who was the founding chairman of Team NEO.
The 2010 Economic Development Impact Awards are presented by PNC. Additional sponsors include: The Sherwin-Williams Company, Akron-Canton Airport, Andrews Osborne Academy, Ben Venue Laboratories, Thompson Hine and The University of Akron. Table sponsorships, tables of 10 and individual tickets for the event are available for sale at www.ibmag.com . For more information about the awards and Team NEO, visit clevelandplusbusiness.com.
Team NEO advances Northeast Ohio’s economy by attracting businesses worldwide to the 16-county Cleveland Plus region. The organization is a joint venture of the region's largest metro chambers of commerce. Since 2007, the organization has attracted 33 new company expansions or relocations, 3,200 new jobs and $100M in annual payroll to Northeast Ohio, leading to a total annual regional payroll benefit of $260M.
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