Frederick Wins Two MEDA Awards

By Michelle Kershner

Frederick was presented with two Maryland Economic Development Association (MEDA) 2016 MEDA Awards, which celebrate the people, projects and programs bringing economic vitality to Maryland. Bert Anderson, owner of Everedy Square and Shab Row, was named the "2016 Volunteer of the Year" for his more than three decades of service to both Frederick City and County. MEDA also recognized The City of Frederick Department of Economic Development (DED) video, “Work Where There's Room to Play,”  as the "2016 MEDA Marketing Award Winner." 

“I am so proud of our team and partners and am delighted that Frederick is being recognized by MEDA for quality marketing and volunteerism in Economic Development," said Richard Griffin, Director of Economic Development for The City of Frederick.

An award ceremony was held on May 2 during the 2016 MEDA Annual Conference at the Hyatt Regency Chesapeake Bay in Cambridge, Maryland.

2016 Volunteer of the Year: Bert Anderson

Before "adaptive reuse" was a trend, Anderson was acquiring underutilized buildings for renovation and reuse in Downtown Frederick. He bought deteriorating buildings including houses, warehouses and factories, and transformed City blocks into dining and shopping destinations for visitors and residents.

"Bert Anderson has been at the forefront of progressive redevelopment and has given his time and talent for the benefit of the community for many years," said Griffin. 

Anderson was nominated jointly by the City and County economic development offices for his contributions. Anderson has served as a founding member of the Greater Frederick Development Corporation, which is now the Downtown Frederick Partnership. He currently serves on the City’s Economic Development Advisory Committee.

Learn more about Bert Anderson and his decades of volunteerism in Frederick.

2016 MEDA Marketing Award Winner: The City of Frederick, "Work Where There's Room to Play"

"Work Where There's Room to Play" was developed after a local IT non-profit, Tech Frederick indicated that recruiting top technology talent to the Frederick area was a priority.

The video has been viewed over 62,000 times on Facebook and has been shared
over 1,500 times.

The video had three objectives:

• Develop a tool to support the local tech industry
• Brand Frederick as a great place to live and work
• Drive traffic to Tech Frederick’s jobs page

Learn more about the "Work Where There's Room to Play" video.

Michelle Kershner is the Business Development Specialist for the City of Frederick Department of Economic Development.