The Ohio Economic Development Association (OEDA) recently honored Uptown Consortium, Inc. (UCI) with its 2019 Excellence in Innovation award for UCI’s work on the Uptown Innovation Corridor. The award recognizes an organization that is uniquely approaching economic development and developing innovative practices and programs.
OEDA hosted the award ceremony during its Annual Summit in Columbus on October 9. Beth Robinson, UCI’s president and CEO, and Brooke Duncan, UCI’s Community Development Manager, attended to accept the award.
“It’s very gratifying to be distinguished in this way,” said Robinson. “I must also thank our institutions that provided the capital and the leadership to allow us to do our work, as well as our community partners—we have strong partnerships with the Avondale Community Council and especially the Avondale Development Corporation lead by Russ Hairston.”
The Corridor is a series of mixed-use developments where small and large companies can co-locate to collaborate and innovate with one another and with Uptown’s anchor institutions. As the Corridor’s master developer, UCI works with international design firm Sasaki as well as Avondale community organizations, the City of Cincinnati, UCI’s development partners and others to realize its vision for a world-class innovation district.
“The Uptown Innovation Corridor’s focus is to improve the economic prospects for our entire region by focusing on attracting talent, retaining talent, and also connecting our research capabilities to the growth of our city,” said Neville Pinto, PhD, President of the University of Cincinnati and Chairman of UCI’s board.
During the Summit, Robinson also presented on a panel focused on high-leverage developments with Andrea Enders, Director of Business Development at REDI Cincinnati, about the Corridor and its impact on the Greater Cincinnati region.
To date, more than 1 million square feet of new space totaling more than $1 billion of investment has been completed or is currently underway in the Corridor. When fully implemented, the Corridor master plan anticipates $2.5 billion of project investment, more than 3 million square feet of mixed-use development and the potential to create 7,500 jobs.
For more information about OEDA’s 2019 Annual Excellence Awards, visit www.ohioeda.com.