Region Nine Development Commission Receives National Association of Development Organizations 2019 Impact Award
Region Nine Development Commission (RNDC) has received a 2019 Aliceann Wohlbruck Impact Award from the National Association of Development Organizations (NADO) for MedTech Connect.
MedTech Connect was motivated by the need to develop a conceptual framework that inventories and supports medical manufacturing activities in South Central Minnesota. The plan examines how and how well manufacturing and related industries leverage their geographic proximity to the medical manufacturing hub in the Twin Cities and innovations at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. Results from this report indicate that South Central Minnesota is poised for growth in the medical manufacturing sector and has led to RNDC applying and being awarded a grant from the Economic Development Administration (EDA) to conduct a feasibility study for a Manufacturing Resource Center in Waseca, MN.
NADO is a Washington, DC-based membership association of regional development organizations that promote programs and policies that strengthen local governments, communities, and economies through regional cooperation, program delivery, and comprehensive strategies. The association’s Impact Awards program recognizes regional development organizations and their partners for improving the economic and community competitiveness of our nation’s regions and local communities.
Award-winning projects were honored during NADO’s 2019 Annual Training Conference, held October 19-22 in Reno, NV. The 2019 class of award recipients consists of 100 projects from 66 organizations spanning 24 states. These projects are presented in an interactive “Story Map” developed by NADO and CivicLens that includes project summaries and partners. The Story Map is available online at: https://www.nado.org/impactawards/.
“The Aliceann Wohlbruck Impact Awards program is an opportunity each year for NADO to publicly recognize the important services that regional development organizations deliver to their local communities,” said 2018-2019 NADO President Scott Koons, executive director of the North Central Florida Regional Planning Council, located in Gainesville. “The projects awarded have made significant impacts on their regions and demonstrate the diversity of programs and resources provided by regional development organizations across the country.”
The NADO Impact Awards are presented in honor of the late Aliceann Wohlbruck who was NADO’s first executive director and served 24 years as a tireless champion for regional approaches to economic development in rural communities.
