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Great Falls Development Authority Receives National Association of Development Organizations 2011 Innovation Award

The Great Falls Development Authority http://www.gfdevelopment.org/ , based in Great Falls, Montana received a 2011 Innovation Award from the National Association of Development Organizations http://www.nado.org/ (NADO) Research Foundation for the Great Falls Montana Regional Diversification Project.

The Diversification Project included competitive market assessments of the region’s workforce, agri-processing and energy industries, and potential for entrepreneurial growth. It also included an analysis of the impact of the loss of the 564th Missile Squadron. GFDA led the effort in partnership with Cascade County and Sweetgrass Development. The findings are being used by GFDA to pursue market-driven opportunities to grow and diversify the region’s economy and support the creation of high wage jobs. The project was funded by the Office of Economic Adjustment of the US Department of Defense with support from the Montana Dept. of Commerce through a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) grant to Cascade County, and GFDA.

NADO is a Washington, DC-based association that promotes programs and policies that strengthen local governments, communities and economies through regional cooperation, program delivery and comprehensive strategies. The association’s Innovation Awards program recognizes regional development organizations and partnering organizations for improving the economic and community competitiveness of our nation’s regions and local communities. Award winners will be showcased during NADO’s 2011 Annual Training Conference, to be held October 8–11 in Miami, Florida.

"Creative projects like the Great Falls Montana Regional Diversification Project advance the economic growth and sustainability of our nation’s regions and communities. For more than 20 years, NADO’s Innovation Award has provided regional development organizations throughout the nation a unique opportunity to showcase their important work and their critical role in promoting economic development for rural and small metropolitan communities," said NADO President Tim Ware, executive director of the Mid-East Commission in Washington, North Carolina.

"This was a team effort of the entire region", stated GFDA President Brett Doney. "Thank you to the many business leaders and economic development partners who worked to make it a real market-based assessment that is already producing results." For more information about the award-winning project, contact the Great Falls Development Authority at 406-771-9020.

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Founded in 1967, the National Association of Development Organizations (NADO) provides advocacy, education, networking and research for the national network of 540 regional development organizations. NADO members provide professional, programmatic and technical assistance to over 2,300 counties and 15,000 municipalities.

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