BECKLEY, WV (WOAY) – The New River Gorge Regional Development Authority held its annual awards banquet to celebrate accomplishments, valuable connections, and explore regional impact opportunities.
They honored many: from awardees, to small businesses, development partners of the year, redevelopment partners of the year, community partners of the year, and their West Virginia client showcase.
“We’re in the trenches of this work all year long, and we feel like so many folks don’t get recognized for this,” Executive Director Jina Belcher said. “We really want to take this opportunity to just celebrate what comes out of today, what happens throughout the year, and how we can really let the community know there are so many people doing this work in the background, and to celebrate and let them know they’re recognized and noticed.”
According to Belcher, it’s her favorite time of year.
“We do so much throughout the year that we see on paper and maybe on Facebook and through the media,” said the executive director. “But when we get to be with them in person and see and feel the energy around the growth and impact they’re having, it makes every day and this work really worth it. And my team and I are really grateful for that.”
