North Carolina Research Campus, and UNC Charlotte will be the
Charlotte Regional Partnership's 2009 Jerry Award recipients. UNC
System President Erskine Bowles, who served as former President Bill
Clinton's White House chief of staff, will present the keynote
address. Business and civic leader Ruth Shaw, current chair of UNC
Charlotte's board of directors and former CEO of Duke Power Company,
is serving as honorary chair of the event.
Ronnie Bryant, president and CEO of the Charlotte Regional
Partnership, said no one is more deserving of the 2009 private-sector
award than David Murdock. "He not only was instrumental in creating
hundreds of jobs in Gaston County at the Dole Fresh Vegetables plant,
but his vision for a collaborative, public-private research facility
focused on health and wellness has come to fruition in Kannapolis at
the North Carolina Research Campus. Both endeavors have and will
continue to generate thousands of jobs and attract businesses that
will help drive our regional economy."
Similarly, Tony Almeida, Charlotte Regional Partnership board chair,
said that UNC Charlotte is the ideal choice for the public-sector
award. The university is one of eight on the NCRC and is North
Carolina's only urban research university. Through its centers and
institutes, UNC Charlotte marries academic research and real-world
challenges. The university not only creates solutions, but generates
an educated workforce that attracts businesses.
"The innovation, creativity and intellectual capital that both the
NCRC and UNC Charlotte contribute to our region are key economic
drivers that contribute to our global competitiveness," Almeida said.
The Jerry Awards recognize individuals or organizations that have made
significant, ongoing contributions to economic development within the
16-county Charlotte USA region.
The Charlotte Regional Partnership's 2009 Annual Awards Luncheon will
be held May 28th at the Charlotte Convention Center at 11:30 a.m.
A nonprofit, public/private economic development organization, the
Charlotte Regional Partnership allocates and leverages regional
economic development resources to sustain and enhance the economic
growth, vitality and global competitiveness of the Charlotte region.
The 16-county region encompasses Alexander, Anson, Cabarrus, Catawba,
Cleveland, Gaston, Iredell, Lincoln, Mecklenburg, Rowan, Stanly and
Union counties in North Carolina and Chester, Chesterfield, Lancaster
and York counties in South Carolina.
