Ohio Regional Councils Honored with National Innovation Awards

Monday, 17 October 2011 10:17

Buckeye Hills Hocking Valley Regional Development District, The Ohio Mid-Eastern Governments Association (OMEGA) and Ohio Valley Regional Development Commission (OVRDC) received a 2011 Innovation Award from the National Association of Development Organizations (NADO) Research Foundation for the Connecting Appalachia Middle-Mile Fiber Optic Network project. Shown from left to right:  John Hemmings, Executive Director,Ohio Valley Regional Development Commission; Misty Casto, Executive Director, Buckeye Hills-Hocking Valley Regional Development District; Tim Ware, NADO President; Greg DiDonato, Executive Director, Ohio Mid-Eastern Governments Association (OMEGA) at the NADO Innovation Awards receiving the Trailblazer Award for the Connecting Appalachia broadband project.

Connecting Appalachia is a partnership between the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA, an agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce) and Horizon Telcom that will fill broadband coverage gaps in 34 rural Ohio counties with a 1,960-mile fiber optic backbone network.

When completed, the new world-class network will connect healthcare facilities, educational institutions, government agencies and businesses that need to upgrade existing broadband capabilities or be connected where no service is available.

NADO promotes programs and policies that strengthen local governments, communities and economies through regional cooperation, program delivery and comprehensive strategies.  The association’s Innovation Awards program recognizes regional development organizations and partnering organizations for improving the economic and community competitiveness of our nation’s regions and local communities.

The Connecting Appalachia project was also awarded the Trailblazer Award in which the award-winning projects were judged by a group of peers to recognize exceptional projects that demonstrate unique innovation. Award winners were showcased during NADO’s 2011 Annual Conference. Executive Director, Misty Casto, attended the conference and accepted the award on behalf of Buckeye Hills.

“Creative projects like Connecting Appalachia Middle-Mile Fiber Optic Network advance the economic growth and sustainability of our nation’s regions and communities.  For more than 20 years, NADO’s Innovation Award has provided regional development organizations throughout the nation a unique opportunity to showcase their important work and their critical role in promoting economic development for rural and small metropolitan communities,” said NADO President Tim Ware, executive director of the Mid-East Commission in Washington, North Carolina.

Buckeye Hills-HVRDD also won an Innovation Award for its BizNet Business Retention Program. Through a grant from The Ohio Department of Development, BizNet partners in a 12-county region made nearly 150 visits with key employers since the beginning of 2011. The goal was to help identify and assist companies with possible resources. BizNet also created a regional software tracking system and brand presence for ongoing use. The BizNet Report is available at www.buckeyehills.org/oaces/biznet.