April 29,2015
Across the country, 50
communities have advanced to the first round of the America’s Best
Communities competition, a $10 million initiative to stimulate economic
revitalization in small towns and cities. Each community will be awarded
$50,000 to develop comprehensive strategies to accelerate the revival
of their local economies and improve quality of life.
Frontier
Communications, DISH Network, The Weather Channel and CoBank — the
competition’s sponsors — on Wednesday announced the winning communities
that have advanced into the quarterfinals of this innovative
competition.
The 50 quarterfinalist communities will now have six
months to shape and refine their revitalization plans for the chance to
win up to an additional $3 million to bring their ideas to life. For a
complete list of the 50 communities selected to advance, please see the
slideshow above or click here.
In the months ahead, the
communities will have a new partner to rely on for guidance and support.
The America’s Best Communities Adopt-a-Community Program has brought
together 50 major companies from across the U.S. Each will be paired
with a community to serve as their strategic mentor, and they will
contribute $15,000 of the $50,000 in prize money awarded to the
community that they will be advising. These corporate partners will
forge partnerships with local leaders to help construct successful
business plans to strengthen their communities. For the full list of
corporate sponsors, please click here.
“As the largest
telecommunications company focused on rural America, we recognized the
economic impact that new, strategic investments often have on the
revitalization of small towns and rural cities,”
Frontier
Communications Executive Chairman Maggie Wilderotter said. “We launched
America’s Best Communities to inspire innovation and foster sustainable
local growth, while driving increased investment here at home, in
America’s emerging markets, our rural communities. We congratulate the
50 winning communities that have proven they have what it takes to be
America’s best.”
“At The Weather Channel, we’ve gotten to know
the resilience and tenacity of America’s small towns and rural
communities while covering their preparation and recovery from
life-changing weather events," said David Kenny, chairman and CEO of The
Weather Company. “We’re proud to be a part of this innovative
partnership, and we congratulate the 50 communities that now embark on
the next chapter
“DISH Network has always been determined to help
America’s small towns and cities grow stronger and more vibrant,” DISH
Network EVP and General Counsel R. Stanton Dodge said. “The America's
Best Communities contest reinforces our company’s commitment, and we’re
thrilled to congratulate the 50 communities that have won $50,000 to
start building a brighter tomorrow.”
“We are firmly committed to
growing rural America at CoBank, and the America’s Best Communities
competition will provide rural towns and cities with a much-needed
injection of capital to invigorate their local economies,” CoBank CEO
Bob Engel said. “Congratulations to all of the communities that have won
new financial support to invest in their economic recovery.”
The
50 quarterfinalist communities have six months to complete their
comprehensive Community Revitalization Plans to be considered for
additional investment. In early 2016, 15 semifinalists will be selected
to attend the America’s Best Communities summit to present their
strategies, with eight finalists then awarded $100,000 to continue
implementation of their plans.
In April 2017, America’s Best
Communities will name its three competition winners — those with the
most innovative proposals being effectively implemented. The winning
community will be awarded $3 million, with $2 million for second place
and $1 million for third.
No comments:
Post a Comment