Akron Receives Small Business Advocate Award
The United States Conference of Mayors and the Partner America Program honored Mayor Horrigan for his dedication to Akron’s small business community
City of Akron Press Release
Published: 05-09-2018
Akron, Ohio, May 9, 2018 – Today, representatives from the Unites States Conference of Mayors (USCM), which is the official non-partisan professional organization of American cities, and Partner America, a program created by USCM, presented Mayor Horrigan with an award celebrating his administration’s work in addressing the needs of Akron’s small business community. The event, meant to honor not only Mayor Horrigan but also Akron’s determined and hard-working small businesses, was held at Applied Vision Corporation, a machine vision business created in 1997 by entrepreneurs Amir and Manijeh Novini that continues to grow and thrive in Akron.
Upon presenting the award, USCM Managing Director Jeffrey Bean complimented Mayor’s big picture thinking when it comes to small business support and attraction, specifically Horrigan’s focus on fostering an innovation-based economy, his commitment to investing in infrastructure, and his work to promote safe, strong and stable neighborhoods. Bean discussed that the quality of life in a city directly impacts how that city is able attract talent, retain a ready and knowledgeable workforce and ultimately help businesses grow.
In a well-established partnership with the City of Akron, representatives from eBay were also in attendance. Focusing on Akron’s budding retail industry, eBay was pleased to be a part of the event to celebrate the great momentum of the small business movement in Akron. Chris Librie, Senior Director of Global Impact and Giving at eBay, added, “We knew that Akron’s culture of entrepreneurship and community would make it a great fit for our first Retail Revival program in the U.S. Congratulations to Mayor Horrigan for this well-deserved honor for his commitment to fostering local entrepreneurship.”
Mayor credited this recognition to the talented business owners and entrepreneurs that are already embedded in our community. “Our small business community continues to grow because of the caliber of people we have here. I see the City’s role as assisting however we can, whether it is through incentivizing new housing, creating the Bounce innovation hub as a center of innovation, helping to address the skills gap, or simply removing barriers for budding companies. The true work that culminated in this award was done by our small business owners, who wake up every day with a goal to grow in their industry. I just hope our efforts have played a small part in helping them thrive.”
##
For further information, contact:
Ellen Lander Nischt
Press Secretary / Assistant Director of Law
166 South High Street, Suite 200
Phone: 3303752325
E-mail: [email protected]
