OCBC 14TH ANNUAL
TURNING RED TAPE INTO RED CARPET AWARD NOMINATION CRITERIA FORM
Turning Red Tape into Red Carpet Award Nomination Form Due: Extended to Tuesday, December 3, 2024 at 5pm PST.
Winners Announced and Recognized at OCBC’s Annual Dinner: Thursday, February 27, 2025 in Anaheim, CA.
Entry Submission Instructions:
- All nominations must be submitted through the online form linked below. Nominations will not be accepted via email, postal mail, Word Doc, PDF, etc. If you would like a downloadable, PDF version of this form to assist in gathering information needed for your nomination, please click HERE. The form must be completed all at once as there is not the capability to save the information and come back.
- Nomination Deadline: Extended to December 3, 2024, 5 pm PST
- Nomination Fee: $125 per entry
You will select a method of payment for the entry fee at the end of this form; once again, only online submissions are accepted. If you select credit card, you may pay then via credit card. If you select check, you may make the check payable to OCBC – 2 Park Plaza, Suite 100, Irvine, CA 92614. Checks must be received by December 20, 2024.
- Winners will be recognized at OCBC’s 2025 Annual Dinner in Anaheim on February 27. All nominees will be able to purchase special, discounted tickets to attend the Annual Dinner once award nominations have closed.
- For questions, please contact: George Boutros, Government Affairs Manager, [email protected] or 714-462-7517.
CATEGORY DESCRIPTIONS AND JUDGING CRITERIA
Economic Development Award (formerly Program Awards) Judging Criteria:
The Economic Development Award recognizes outstanding and innovative programs in economic and business development that retain or generate jobs and investment on an ongoing basis. This award honors comprehensive initiatives that drive economic growth through business retention and expansion, integration of innovative technology, sustainable development, and community revitalization. Honorees must demonstrate measurable impacts such as job creation, enhanced business success, environmental sustainability, modernized infrastructure, and anything else that has contributed to the overall economic vitality and resilience of our Orange County community. Economic Development Awards will be judged based on the following criteria:
- Extent of the economic impact on its community, such as an increase in the overall tax base, the creation of new jobs, or criteria relevant to the goals of the program.
- Achievement of its stated objective with measurable results. Projects should be completed before being nominated; applicants should rely on actual, not expected or projected, outcomes.
- Development of strong relationships with key stakeholders and widespread support in the community.
- Innovation, originality, and cost effectiveness.
- Relevance and transferability of elements to other communities.
Economic Development Awards (formerly Program Awards) Category Examples:
- 2023 Winner – City of Hope Orange County: Hope is at Work: To combat our state’s dire nurse staffing predicament, City of Hope Orange County teamed up with local colleges and business consortiums in 2022 to recruit over two dozen physician experts and 300 skilled nurses and other employees for City of Hope Orange County Lennar Foundation Cancer Center.
- 2023 Honorable Mention – OC Community Resources – OC Community Services: The Orange County Veterans Employment Program: The Orange County Veterans Employment Program (VEP) provides a variety of wraparound and career services designed for active military who are near separation, or who have recently separated, and for their eligible dependents.
- 2023 Winner – City of Santa Ana: My First Home Down Payment Assistance Loan Program: The City of Santa Ana committed $3 million with its unprecedented Down Payment Assistance Program to help provide homeownership opportunities for lower income households. Last year, 21 families were able to make homeownership a reality.
- 2023 Winner – OC Community Resources – OC Community Services – Office on Aging: Access to Technology Program: The Orange County Office on Aging (OoA) Access to Technology Program (ATT) aims to reduce social isolation and increase access to virtual services for older adults and people with disabilities by providing access to technological devices (i.e., iPads), broadband service, and training.
- 2023 Winner – OC Community Resources – OC Parks: Capistrano County Beach and Doheny State Beach Sand Replenishment Project: To address coastal erosion, the Capistrano County Beach and Doheny State Beach Sand Replenishment Project replenishes about 45,000 cubic yards of sand along a 1-mile stretch of beach using repurposed sand from flood control efforts by Orange County Public Works (OCPW).
Public-Private Partnership Award Judging Criteria:
This award recognizes outstanding collaborative projects that have significantly enhanced economic development within communities. Winners represent efforts in which larger private contributions have been added to smaller, vital public commitments. Nominees should demonstrate:
- The extent to which public and private sector participants have formed a true partnership or joint venture in planning, developing, and financing the project.
- Direct economic benefit to the community (such as jobs and tax base). Be sure to include metrics when demonstrating results.
- Spin-off impact of the project.
- Creativity in packaging and marketing the project.
Public-Private Partnership Category Examples:
- 2023 Winner – Anaheim Public Library: Foster Youth Initiative 2022: Partnering with CASA OC, Orangewood Foundation, and Covenant House, Anaheim Public Library provided 652 “We’re Here for You” library cards to foster youth and youth in need who do not have a permanent address and/or cannot obtain a parent’s signature.
- 2023 Honorable Mention – City of San Juan Capistrano: Salida Del Sol: The City of San Juan Capistrano partnered with Jamboree Housing to develop a Permanent Supportive Housing community and a new city hall on the current city hall site. The project will provide onsite supportive housing with services for 40 formerly homeless individuals and veterans.
Leadership in Public Service Award Judging Criteria:
This award recognizes an elected or public official who has served as a committed advocate for economic advancement in the public sector. Nominees must have demonstrated sustained and effective efforts to mobilize community groups and industry leaders in the development of programs and projects, played a key role in the planning and designing of new economic development activities, and displayed dedication and commitment to Orange County as a leader and advocate for the business community.
Leadership in Public Service Award Category Example:
- 2023 Winner – California State Senator Josh Newman 29th District: California State Senator Josh Newman helped secure an $8.5 million grant through the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz) allowing RevHubOC to convene leading OC public, private, and non-profit organizations under NorthSTAR to build a social enterprise ecosystem for under-represented and under-resourced communities.
Please click the link leading to the category award you would like to submit a nomination for below. You may submit more than one entry in each category. Nominations will now close December 3, 2024 at 5pm PST. Please contact OCBC Government Affairs Manager, George Boutros, [email protected].