Congratulations to the 2019 NADO Impact Award Recipients

NADO Announces 2019 Impact Awards

Congratulations to the 2019 NADO Impact Awards recipients!  The Impact Awards program honors NADO members for their creative approaches to advancing regional community and economic development and improved quality of life.  These projects have made significant impacts on their regions and demonstrate the diversity of services and program delivery provided by regional development organizations across the country.

The projects were recognized at a special reception during NADO’s 2019 Annual Training Conference,  held on October 19-22  in Reno, NV and are featured in an interactive online Story Map below.  For additional information, contact NADO Research Foundation Associate Director Brett Schwartz at [email protected].

Click the image to view the Story Map and learn more about each award-winning project!

The 2019 class of award recipients consists of 100 projects from 66 organizations spanning 24 states:

Arkansas

  • Southwest Arkansas Planning & Development District, Explore Success – a Regional Career Expo and Job Fair for Youth in Southwest Arkansas

California

  • Sonoma County Economic Development Board, Sonoma County Connections

Florida

  • Apalachee Regional Planning Council, Apalachee Online
  • Central Florida Regional Planning Council, Florence Villa Community Plan
  • Central Florida Regional Planning Council, Landowner Assistance Expo (LAX 2019)
  • North Central Florida Regional Planning Council, Visit Natural North Florida Travel Show Program
  • Northeast Florida Regional Planning Council, Public/Private Regional Resiliency Committee
  • Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council, Suncoast Parkway 2-Transportation Corridor Land Use Study
  • Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council, Assisting Small Businesses When Disaster Strikes:Disaster Recovery Coordinator Project

Georgia

  • Coastal Regional Commission, Darien Downtown Plan
  • Coastal Regional Commission, U.S. Bike Route 1 Designation for Coastal Georgia
  • Georgia Mountains Regional Commission, City of Toccoa Historic Resource Survey
  • Georgia Mountains Regional Commission, GMRC Story Map
  • Georgia Mountains Regional Commission, Georgia Renewable Power Project
  • Middle Georgia Regional Commission, Impacting Senior Hunger – Grocery Access with Safe Food Transport Pilot Project
  • Middle Georgia Regional Commission, Monroe County Sheriff Online Crime Mapping System
  • Middle Georgia Regional Commission, Perry, GA Downtown Parking Assessment
  • Northwest Georgia Regional Commission, Collaborative Planning Brings Success in Whitfield County
  • Northwest Georgia Regional Commission, Murray County Joint Comprehensive Plan Update
  • Northwest Georgia Regional Commission, Whitfield Civil War Conservation Program
  • Southern Georgia Regional Commission, Improved Communication through a Regional Mapping Portal
  • Southern Georgia Regional Commission, Healthy Living for Southern Georgia Seniors
  • Southern Georgia Regional Commission, City of Nicholls Zoning Ordinance
  • Three Rivers Regional Commission, Three Rivers Annual Caregiver Conference 
  • Three Rivers Regional Commission, Regional Plan Update 2019-2039 
  • Three Rivers Regional Commission, Superior Recreation Products Incumbent Worker Project 

Iowa

  • Southeast Iowa Regional Planning Commission, Homes for Iowa

Kentucky

  • Green River Area Development District, Frozen Meal Program for Homebound Seniors
  • Pennyrile Area Development District, Fort Campbell Strong

Louisiana

  • Acadiana Planning Commission, InvestAcadiana: The Acadiana Regional Opportunity Zone Initiative

Maine

  • Eastern Maine Development Corporation, Eastern Maine Development Corporation Economic Opportunity Response Team (EORT) for Regional Development
  • Northern Maine Development Commission, US Bike Route 501
  • Southern Maine Planning and Development Commission, Revitalizing the Region: SMPDC’s Brownfields Program

Minnesota

  • Headwaters Regional Development Commission, Northern Minnesota Entrepreneur Academy
  • Region Five Development Commission, R5DC Solar Schools
  • Region Nine Development Commission, MedTech Connect

Mississippi

  • Central Mississippi Planning and Development District, Vicksburg – The Mississippi Center for Innovation and Tech Transfer
  • Central Mississippi Planning and Development District, Tougaloo College Master Plan
  • East Central Planning and Development District, Saving Wechsler
  • Northeast Mississippi Planning & Development District, Marshall County/Niagara Bottling, LLC/Public Water Improvements
  • Northeast Mississippi Planning and Development District, City of Corinth Drainage Improvements
  • Southern Mississippi Planning and Development District, Road Assessment and Maintenance Planning Program
  • Three Rivers Planning and Development District, In-School Gateway Youth Program

Missouri

  • Boonslick Regional Planning Commission, Tight 360 Apprenticeship Program Addresses Workforce Development Needs in the Boonslick Region
  • Northwest Missouri Regional Council of Governments, Nodaway-Holt Wastewater Treatment Facility Feasibility Study
  • Northwest Missouri Regional Council of Governments, Mosaic Child Care and Education Center – Maryville (formerly SSM Health Preschool Child Care Center)

Montana

  • Great Falls Development Authority, Great Falls Region Food & Ag Development Center
  • Great Falls Development Authority, Great Falls Region Bridge Loans

Nebraska

  • South Central Economic Development District, HomeNE Learning Network
  • Southeast Nebraska Development District, York Comprehensive Development Project 

New Mexico

  • Northwest New Mexico Council of Governments, Zuni Mountains Trail Project

New York

  • Southern 8 Tier Regional Board, Southern Tier Industry Summit

North Carolina

  • Kerr-Tar Regional Council of Governments, Visit NC Farms Mobile App for the Kerr-Tar Region
  • Land of Sky Regional Council, Building Regional Economic Resilience
  • Land of Sky Regional Council, Mountain Area Careers
  • Land of Sky Regional Council, Congestion Management Process (CMP)
  • Lumber River Council of Governments, Dementia Friendly Communities
  • Lumber River Council of Governments, Southern Coastal Plain Ground Water Monitoring Program
  • Lumber River Council of Governments, Temporary Disaster Employment Program
  • Mid-East Commission, Community Connections Network
  • Mid-East Commission, RAMP East
  • N.C. Department of Transportation, 2019 NCDOT Mobi Awards
  • Piedmont Triad Regional Council, Diabetes Age Well Services
  • Piedmont Triad Regional Council, Triad Talent Alignment Strategy
  • Piedmont Triad Regional Council, Healthy Opportunities of the Piedmont
  • Upper Coastal Plain Council of Governments, Regional Simulation Partnership
  • Western Piedmont Council of Governments, 2019 Catawba Early Head Start Community Assessment
  • Western Piedmont Council of Governments, Western Piedmont Council of Governments Code Compliance Division
  • Western Piedmont Council of Governments, Parenting the Second Time Around

Oklahoma

  • Northern Oklahoma Development Authority, City Central Building Renovation in Ponca City, Oklahoma

 Oregon

  • Mid-Columbia Economic Development District, Maupin Fiber Project
  • Mid-Columbia Economic Development District, Everybody Rides/Todos Arriba
  • South Central Oregon Economic Development District, Rural Klamath Connects Rural Tourism Projects in Klamath Basin
  • Southern Oregon Regional Economic Development, Inc., SOREDI Quest

Pennsylvania

  • North Central Pennsylvania Regional Planning and Development Commission, North Central Regional Impacts Dashboard

South Carolina

  • Appalachian Council of Governments, Appalachian Council of Governments Regional Data Center
  • Catawba Regional Council of Governments, JET – Job Endurance Training
  • Santee-Lynches Regional Council of Governments, Operation Summer Salvation
  • Santee-Lynches Regional Council of Governments, Getting on the Right Side of Growth: Kershaw County’s Black River Road Corridor
  • Santee-Lynches Regional Council of Governments, Central Carolina Scholars Program
  • Upper Savannah Council of Governments, Ready to Roll
  • Upper Savannah Council of Governments, Seniors Raising Children
  • Waccamaw Regional Council of Governments, Promoting Aging In Place by Enhancing Access to Home Repairs and Modifications
  • Waccamaw Regional Council of Governments, Pathways2Possibilities Career Expo

Tennessee

  • Southwest Tennessee Development District, Senior Volunteer Transportation Network
  • Upper Cumberland Development District, Dale Hollow Rural Planning Organization
  • Upper Cumberland Development District, Automation and Robotics Training Center at Motlow Community College McMinnville Campus

Texas

  • Alamo Area Council of Governments, Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Services
  • Alamo Area Council of Governments, Area Agencies on Aging
  • Heart of Texas Council of Governments, HOTCOG Air Quality Monitoring Program
  • Lower Rio Grande Development Council, Explore RGV
  • Texas Association of Regional Councils, Rebuild Texas Fund Regional Disaster Recovery Program
  • Texoma Council of Governments, Texoma Behavioral Health Leadership Team
  • Texoma Council of Governments, Getting Ahead
  • Texoma Council of Governments, Fannin County Food Project

Vermont

  • Two Rivers-Ottauquechee Regional Commission, Creative Economy of East Central Vermont

Virginia

  • Cumberland Plateau Planning District Commission, Cumberland Plateau Regional Opportunity Program (CProp)
  • New River Valley Regional Commission, Old Prices Fork Elementary Redevelopment Project
  • Roanoke Valley-Alleghany Regional Commission, Bike, Walk, & Disability Assessments
  • Southside Planning District Commission, Southern Virginia Food Hub dba Makers Market

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Applications cannot be saved and returned to at a later time. It is recommended you compile all of your information in advance in a word processor and cut and paste into the application below.

2023 Impact Awards

The primary applicant must be a NADO member. Project partners, both NADO and non-members, can be recognized under "Project Partners" below.

Primary Project Contact:
This person will be the designated point of contact for all future awards-related correspondence.

Organization Address

Project Location (if different from Organization Address)

Executive Director

Additional Organizational Information
Please upload your organization's logo which will be included on the winning project award certificate.

Project Information
This title will be printed on the award certificate for winning projects and in all 2022 NADO Impact Award materials and cannot be changed.

Project Summary & Questions
Please craft clear, thoughtful, and engaging responses to the following questions. Use the following sections to tell us how your project has made an impact, such as its use of creative funding mechanisms, efforts to create efficiencies or reduce costs, unique partnership models, and emphasis on building resilience and/or enhancing your region's quality of life.

For award-winning projects, the information provided below may be used verbatim to inform project descriptions that will be published in the 2023 NADO Impact Awards materials and included on the NADO website.

Please submit at least one photo showing your project in action. Please keep file size to a minimum (<2Mb) and use JPEG format. If uploading multiple files, ZIP files prior to submitting. If you have trouble uploading images they can be directly emailed to Brett Schwartz at [email protected]. Include the project title they correspond to in the subject line of your email.

Note: Submitted photos may be used in NADO Impact Awards materials and in other NADO published materials with credit to your organization. Please also consider submitting photos for NADO's 2023 Photo Contest, which will be held this summer.


CLICK THE LINK BELOW TO SUBMIT THE APPLICATION - PLEASE BE PATIENT! IF YOU DO NOT SEE A CONFIRMATION, YOUR APPLICATION WAS NOT RECEIVED.
Your application is not submitted until you are directed to a confirmation page. If you have any questions or are unsure if your application has been submitted, please contact Brett Schwartz at [email protected]

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Joe McKinney serves as Executive Director of the National Association of Development Organizations (NADO). Headquartered in Washington DC, NADO provides advocacy, education, research, and training for the nation’s 500+ regional planning and development organizations.

Joe has thirty-one years of experience having served in city, county, regional, national association, and government management since 1991. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Public Policy Analysis from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and is a candidate for a master’s degree in Public Administration from UNC-Chapel Hill.

McKinney has provided congressional testimony on numerous occasions regarding the importance of regional development organizations in helping shape the nation’s economic growth. He is nationally recognized for promoting innovative solutions in areas such as planning and economic development, workforce development, transportation and transit, and aging services.

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