Huron East council recognized its economic development officer with her 10-year service pin at Tuesday night's council meeting.
But the pin was much more than recognition of the time she's been there, it was about what she's done in that time.
Jan Hawley said she's proud of several economic development projects she's been involved in over the years in Huron East.
She said the most rewarding project was the Win This Space competition. Hawley said she heard about it from a woman in Uxbridge and thought it would work well in Huron East. So in 2015, she launched competitions in Seaforth and Brussels and they were a huge success.
“We had 28 entries, 24 of those took all of the training and a lot of them are in business today, so that has to be the most rewarding of all of the projects I've been involved in.”
Word of that success spread quickly and similar Win This Space contests were held in several other communities in Huron County and beyond and Hawley now mentors other communities that are interested in trying it.
Hawley said she spoke with members of the business communities in Guelph and Fergus last year and they're preparing to go forward with Win This Space contests this year.
Hawley said a contest like Win This Space does a couple of things; it provides employment in the community and the opportunity for someone to start their own business, but it also has a very positive impact on a community's downtown core. She added she is very happy to have been able to play a part in bringing it to Huron East.
Jan Hawley. Economic Development Officer, Huron East (Photo by Bob Montgomery)