The Ohio Economic Development Association’s annual excellence awards program recognizes the achievements of individuals and organizations in Ohio in the areas of economic and workforce development. Submit your nominations today and have excellence in your community recognized state-wide! A panel of OEDA members will assess the nominations, determine finalists, and select an overall winner. Award winners will be announced at a ceremony during the OEDA Annual Summit to be held September 5 – 6, 2024, in Toledo, Ohio. Award finalists will be notified prior to the Annual Summit. Winners and finalists will be promoted on OEDA’s website and in an OEDA e-newsletter. This information may also be published by winners and finalists in the media and used for promotional purposes.
Award Categories (see descriptions on next page)
- Best Project
- Rookie of the Year
- Economic Developer of the Year
- Excellence in Economic Development Marketing
- Excellence in Workforce Development
- Excellence in Volunteerism
Eligibility Criteria
Nominees in all categories must be individuals or organizations that operate within Ohio and may be a community-based or non-government organization, a government agency, or a private for-profit organization. Please note that an entry may be deemed inapplicable if the judging committee feels that the entry does not fit the category selected by the nominator.
Nomination procedure
To nominate an individual or an organization for an award, please complete the appropriate nomination form(s) and submit with the requested information for each no later than August 1, 2024. Self-nominations are encouraged. Nominations are free for current OEDA members. The nomination fee for non-members is $50 per entry (nominator and/or nominee must be an OEDA member to qualify for no entry fee). The deadline for nominations is August 1, 2024. Non-members will be invoiced for the $50 fee per entry. Payment is due August 1, 2024.
Please submit your nomination(s) by August 1, 2024, by completing the form at the Link Below:
Questions? Please contact the OEDA office at 866-986-4041 or info@ohioeda.com
2024 Annual Summit Award Categories
Project of the Year
The Best Project Award recognizes outstanding and innovative projects in economic and business development that retain or generate jobs and investment. This can be anything from a retention project to a new facility construction, redevelopment (brownfield or otherwise) or a historic project. The award determination is not dependent on the number of jobs created or retained or the amount of total investment. Rather, this award will showcase a unique approach to the project, which can include public-private partnership, local collaboration, innovative financing and/or incentives. The project must have been completed in the last 18 months, however there are no time limits or constraints on the total timeline of the project (especially in the case of brownfield redevelopment, infrastructure projects, etc.).
Rookie of the Year
This award recognizes an individual who has been an economic development professional in Ohio for less than two years. The purpose of the award is to identify someone who has “hit the ground running” and made extraordinary contributions to local or state workforce and economic development in his/her career. The Rookie of the Year award encourages, recognizes, and celebrates one who has met the challenges of providing economic development early in their career and who demonstrates the ability and commitment to positively impact the state’s economic growth.
Local Champion of the Year
This award recognizes an individual in a community who has been a strong and effective champion for local economic development activities. The individual could be a volunteer, businessperson, local official, educator – not including anyone who is a full-time economic developer but who has been supportive of the local economic development program. Whether in workforce, attraction, site selection, EDO leadership or other way: This should be a person who stands out for their support.
Economic Developer of the Year
The Economic Development Professional of the Year award is to recognize an individual who has been an economic development professional in Ohio for at least the past year. The purpose of the award is to identify someone who has assisted in making a significant impact in their organization/community through their efforts as an economic developer. The Economic Development Professional of the Year award encourages, recognizes, and celebrates the individual who has met the challenges of providing economic development and, who demonstrates the ability and commitment to positively impact their community’s and/or the state’s economic growth, and contribute to the advancement of the economic development profession in Ohio.
Excellence in Economic Development Marketing
This award recognizes successful marketing/marketing campaigns. Examples include target marketing studies, branding, websites, direct mail, consultant events, public relations campaigns, and advertising. Nominations for this category are accepted based on the size of the community/area being marketed. Recognition may be awarded for one or all size categories.
Excellence in Workforce Development
This award recognizes unique approaches to any aspect of workforce development and recognizes a person or organization that has developed innovative practices and programs. The strategy(ies) should provide direction, guidance, and motivation to Ohio’s workforce and business community.