ND SBDC HAS TIES TO SEVERAL GOVERNOR’S CHOICE AWARD WINNERS
ND SBDC HAS TIES TO SEVERAL GOVERNOR’S CHOICE AWARD WINNERS
As part of the Economic Development Association of North Dakota fall conference, Gov. Doug Burgum announced the recipients of the 2020 Governor’s Choice Economic Development Awards. The ND SBDC is excited to have a connections with three of the winners as well as a finalist in another category.
The City of Lisbon was awarded the Community Development Award for its efforts on the Hammelton Building. This award recognizes a development project that has increased the quality of life in a community. The Hammelton building was built in 1907 and was empty for more than 15 years. It has been transformed into a high-rise apartment complex with a bridal store, flower shop, event hall, and clothing boutiques. Elijah Holdings LLC, the current owners of the Hammelton Building, have been clients of the ND SBDC since 2017 and their project was recently featured among our 2020 success stories.
KayCee Lindsey, director of the Divide County Job Development Authority was recognized as the Rural Economic Developer of the Year. She serves as the ND SBDC Business Advisor in the Crosby satellite office of our Williston service center. We congratulate her on this honor and appreciate her as an outstanding member of our network.
Shawn Wenko with Williston Economic Development was awarded the Urban Economic Developer of the Year. Wenko is currently a member of the ND SBDC Advisory Board. He also works closely with our Williston service center, which consistently sees tremendous impact numbers for our state in business starts, jobs supported, and capital formation.
Another recently featured success story for the ND SBDC network was Phat Fish Brewery. Phat Fish was among the finalists for the 2020 Project of the Year – Urban.
”The 2020 Governor’s Choice and Main Street awards were very exciting to watch this year. The nominees in all categories had very innovative and inspiring projects that resulted in fantastic impacts for their communities and regions,” says Tiffany Ford, ND SBDC State Director. “Seeing so many ND SBDC program partners and clients being honored for their hard work and success was a great feeling. We congratulate the winners and also extend our heartfelt thanks to them – to our great clients that trust us to help them realize their goals, and to the champions supporting our efforts every step of the way! We are small but mighty!”
ND SBDC is a statewide outreach program of the Center for Business Engagement & Development within the Nistler College of Business & Public Administration at the University of North Dakota. Since its inception in 1986, the ND SBDC network has helped business owners and entrepreneurs start,
manage and grow their small businesses through confidential, individualized, professional business advising and training workshops. Services are provided at no-cost to clients thanks to funding from U.S. Small Business Administration, ND Department of Commerce, and local supporters across the state.
For more information on the ND SBDC programs or services, call (701) 777-3700, email leadcenter@ndsbdc.org, visit our website, ndsbdc.org or find on social media (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn).
