Economic Development News

Department Receives Achievement Awards for Innovative Programs

The Carroll County Department of Economic Development recently won 2007 Achievement Awards from the National Association of Counties (NACo) for three of its' programs that promote quality and effectiveness.

The programs are: 1) Fresh Start Farmers' Market, a partnership with the Dept. of Health that provides Women, Infants & Children (WIC) recipients their own market to purchase locally grown produce with vouchers provided by WIC. 2) Four Partners One Purpose, a small business education program delivered by Carroll Community College, the Small Business Development Center and Start-up Carroll and underwritten by Economic Development. 3) Partnership for Technology Driven Economic Development, a dynamic partnership with the Carroll Technology Council which enhances technology cluster development through a supportive business climate and provides educational programs and business development resources for existing technology companies.

"We have put forth some very creative programs recently" said Lawrence Twele, Director of Carroll County Economic Development. "It is great to see our ideas and efforts, as well as the efforts of our partners, recognized by a national organization."

To earn a NACo Achievement Award, a program must be innovative, produce measurable results and promote government accountability. It also must either provide or improve service, increase citizen involvement in or understanding of government, improve working conditions for employees, facilitate policy making or promote cooperation between governments. Winning programs are encouraged to participate in NACo's peer-to-peer network so counties across the nation can share ideas and experiences.

"NACo has been issuing awards for 38 years for excellence in county government" added County Commission President Julia W. Gouge, who also sits on the Board of Directors for NACo. "I am proud of our staff's accomplishments. These awards are a feather in our cap."

Information and summaries of award-winning programs are available at www.naco.org.

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