NNDA announces Pioneer Award 2017 winners

Northern Nevada Development Authority will host the Annual Pioneer Awards which have become a showcase for the many success stories in the Sierra Region of Nevada (Carson City, Douglas, Lyon and Storey counties). Wednesday, NNDA announced the winners of the Pioneer Awards 2017.

The NNDA Pioneer of the Year Award will be presented to Collie Hutter during the Pioneer Awards 2017 Banquet on March 31. Hutter is the Co-founder and Chairwoman of Click Bond, Inc., Carson City’s largest manufacturer. The company manufactures adhesive-bonded fasteners for planes, trains, boats, and more. Click Bond products are used in a wide array of industries including defense, naval, transportation, and energy.

Pioneer Awards will be presented to:

Battleborn Award for Leadership in Sustainability: Bently Enterprises (Minden) – Sustainability is the cornerstone of all Bently business practices which consistently incorporate the conservation of resources and protection of the environment

Boundary Peak Award for Nonprofit of the Year: Nevada Rural Community Partners (Carson City) – NRCP provides disadvantaged local youth with opportunities to participate in extracurricular activities, e.g., school sports or clubs, cheerleading, band, gymnastics, dance, science camps, Boy Scouts of America and Girl Scouts of America.

Silver Forge Award for Manufacturer of the Year: CGI, Inc. (Carson City) – At the request of NASA, CGI engineered a high impact electro-mechanical wrench used by astronauts to make repairs on the Hubble Telescope.

Kit Carson Award for Most Outstanding Entrepreneur of the Year: QuantumMark®, LLC (Reno) – This women-owned project management firm has become a recognized national leader in vital records transformation for its work guiding 11 states, including Nevada, through the modernization of their state systems.

Mark Twain Award for Marketing Campaign of the Year: In Plain Sight Marketing, LLC (Carson City) – More than $3,000 and 400 pounds of food were provided by the agency’s marketing campaign done for the Carson Valley Food Closet, which included an on-air interview with KTVN-TV.

Silver Apple Award for Best Education Initiative: Lyon County School District – Silver Stage High School collaborated with Western Nevada College, through its Jump Start College, to launch an onsite manufacturing training hub. It provides technical education for rural high school students who are receiving the necessary training to enter a job-ready workforce.

The Silver State Award will be presented to the High School Student of the Year from each county in the Sierra Region:

Carson City School District – Elise Brady, Carson High School; Douglas County School District – Scott Harrison, George Whittell High School; Lyon County School District – Jakeline Guerrero, Yerington High School; Storey County School District – Allison Hultberg, Virginia City High School

Each Silver State Award winner will receive a $1,000 scholarship to any Western Nevada College campus or program. NNDA would like to thank the Campagni Auto Group for their generosity in providing these scholarships.

Nine new and expanded businesses in the Sierra Region during 2016 will be celebrated during the banquet. Also, Nevada Builders Alliance will present their annual Golden Hammer Award to recognize the construction team whose project had the greatest impact on the area’s economic development.

NNDA Executive Director, Rob Hooper, said, “The NNDA Pioneer Awards highlight the strength and innovation of the Sierra Region economic ecosystem, which includes education and workforce development. Since economic development is about both the present and the future, I am delighted that the Sierra Region school districts elected to recognize our area’s youth through the Silver State Awards. Economic development is not about what is in it for me. It is also about future generations. “

The banquet will be held on March 31 from 6-9 p.m. at the Carson Nugget Ballroom. Banquet tickets sell out every year. For information and to reserve your seat, visit www.PioneerAwards.com.