More than 500 guests attended Orange County Partnership”™s 25th birthday celebration and annual awards dinner, with networking and award-giving on the menu.
With more than 20,000 jobs created and a total capital investment of more than $414 million since it was created, OCP President Maureen Halahan said the county has been moving forward, despite the recession, albeit not as quickly as she would like. Notwithstanding the financial crunch, several companies have expanded in 2011. Among them is Orange Regional Medical Center, which opened its new hospital”™s doors in August. The hospital received the Partnership”™s Quality of Life award.
Continental Organics”™ co-founders, Michael Finnegan and Tom Endres, were on hand to receive the Alliance for Balance Growth”™s Golden Shovel Award. Both U.S. Army veterans, they hope to fill at least half of the 120 jobs they plan on creating over the next five years with veterans. Their aquaponic farm is under construction in New Windsor and expects to open in early 2012.
Lou Heimbach, former county executive who started OCP, was presented with the Spirit of Innovation Award. Leadership Orange presented long-time vice president of the Orange County Chamber of Commerce, Dan O”™Brien, with its own annual award. O”™Brien plans to retire “at home,” he laughed. “No, I”™m not moving anywhere.”
After an overview of the partnership”™s 25 years of driving economic growth in the county, Lowell Catlett, economic professor at New Mexico State University”™s College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences gave the keynote speech, focusing on the positives, despite a downturn economy.
