Greater Ohio Policy Center is excited to announce the winners of the 2019 Greater Ohio Sustainable Development Awards! The Awards recognize individuals and entities working to create vibrant and sustainable communities, cities, and regions in Ohio. The Awards will be presented at the Keynote Luncheon during the 2019 Greater Ohio Summit beginning at Noon on March 14th. 

Public Sector Leader Award

The Public Sector Leader Award will be awarded to Sen. Bob Peterson (R-Washington Courthouse), pictured above on the right. This award recognizes an entity or individual operating in the public sector who has exemplified outstanding leadership and innovation in advancing policies or programs that incentivize and enable community reinvestment and sustainable development. Sen. Peterson receives this award for championing of successful brownfields legislation in summer 2017. His amendment clarified that municipalities can issue revenue bonds to pay for brownfield remediation and use a variety of revenue capture strategies to repay the bond. This amendment has served as a revenue and jobs generator for the state, turning vacant, blighted land into profitable parcels of economic growth. Read more here.

Private Sector Champion Award

The Private Sector Champion Award will be given to Nehemiah Industries. This award recognizes an entity or individual operating in the private sector who has demonstrated a commitment to investing in Ohio’s communities and strengthening local economies. Their contributions foster a holistic approach to sustainable development, leading to environmental, social, and economic prosperity. From its inception, Nehemiah has practiced what they call “second chance hiring of hard to employ workers,” providing in-house wrap-around social services to ensure their workforce remains stable and supported. Nehemiah’s dedication to sustainable and equitable workforce development has since scaled up into a nonprofit business alliance committed to expanding second chance hiring opportunities for restored citizens. Read more here.

Nonprofit Luminary Award

The Nonprofit Luminary Award will go to the Ashtabula Lift Bridge Community Association. This award recognizes an entity or individual operating in the nonprofit sector that has employed innovative thinking in identifying and addressing local needs and opportunities. The Lift Bridge Community Association has led redevelopment efforts in the historic waterfront and Bridge Street districts in Ashtabula, winning the America’s Main Street contest in 2018. Through their efforts Bridge St. is repopulated with shops, restaurants, and a new hotel planned for construction in 2019. Read more here.

Catalytic Partnership Award

The Catalytic Partnership Award will be awarded to Detroit Shoreway CDO and the Greater Cleveland RTA for their work on the Aspen Place Development. This award recognizes a cross-sector partnership that has had a measurable positive impact in a community or region in Ohio, and represents a model for creative and effective collaboration. Communities are strengthened when sectors work together to meet common goals for sustainable development. Aspen Place is an affordable housing development in the Detroit Shoreway neighborhood of Cleveland that was made possible through a partnership between Detroit Shoreway CDO and the Greater Cleveland RTA. The housing development, which received funding from multiple state and local partners, is located on a former RTA-owned brownfield. The collaborative is also currently in negotiations to provide residential units with transit passes. This project innovatively links affordable housing to rapid transit access on a major neighborhood corridor, providing a hallmark example of equitable Transit-Oriented Development. Read more here.

 
More information about the 2019 Summit and the Greater Ohio Sustainable Development Awards is available at https://www.greaterohio.org/2019-summit