Leaders in the 505
505 Awards recognize contributions to economic development in the Albuquerque area
Deirdre Firth has served as deputy director for Albuquerque’s Economic Development Office since 1998, but likely few people outside the business community know about her achievements.
The inaugural 505 Awards, launched this year by the Albuquerque Economic Development Office and the Albuquerque Forward Fund, may help change that. Firth will be honored in November, along with three other local leaders and two organizations, for making “exceptional contributions” to economic growth and prosperity in the metro area, helping to generate improvements to the region’s overall economic strength, said Forward Fund Chair and AED Board member Leean Kravitz.
“She (Firth) is one of those unsung heroes who have worked through multiple municipal administrations and really gets things done with little or any credit for it,” Kravitz said. “We’re recognizing her with a public service award.”
The Forward Fund, which AED established in 2017 to receive charitable donations for marketing and development efforts, created the 505 Awards to raise awareness of the contributions of local leaders and organizations.
“We have multiple people in the community working toward common goals, but we’ve had no avenue until now to recognize and celebrate their efforts and success,” Kravitz said.
It’s a way to thank people and organizations for their hard work and commitment to Albuquerque, said AED President Gary Tonjes.
“The Albuquerque metro area has a wealth of talent, and our community is comprised of so many people who devote their time and money to make our city a better place to live and work,” Tonjes said in a statement.
The Forward Foundation received 110
nominations for this year’s inaugural awards.
Apart from Firth, the 2019 winning nominees include:
WESST, with a community leadership award
CNM Ingenuity’s Deep Dive Coding program, with an excellence in workforce development award
Albuquerque Economic Development Forum Executive Director Bob Murphy, with a lifetime leadership award
Garcia Automotive Group Executive Chairman Ed Garcia, with an advocate of the year award Cultivating Coders founder and President Charles Ashley III, with a rising star award
All the winners, who will be honored at a luncheon Nov. 5, have demonstrated true love, affinity and dedication to the local community, Kravitz said.
“That’s the consistent theme … : real dedication to seeing the metro area succeed,” Kravitz said. “They all have ‘selfless leader’ attributes, be they individuals or organizations. These are people who go above and beyond what might be expected of them.”