The East Tennessee Economic Council is now accepting nominations for the 2017 Muddy Boot Award and Postma Young Professional Medal, a press release said.

In 1973, the founders of ETEC (then the Roane Anderson Economic Council or R-AEC) created the Muddy Boot Award to reflect the efforts of the Manhattan Project founders of Oak Ridge, who worked through adverse conditions to build the community, the press release said. Each year since then, ETEC has honored individuals or groups of people who have continued to help build and bolster the community’s economic base. The award has been presented to elected officials, business leaders, representatives of the U.S. Department of Energy, and others.

The objective is to recognize an individual—not an institution—for significant and long-term contributions to the East Tennessee region with respect to the federal government programs and its spin-offs by leveraging the federal presence to create private sector jobs, the press release said. Participation in the community beyond the workplace is essential.

The 2016 recipients included Mike Belbeck, Covenant Health; Chuck Fleischmann, U.S. Congressman, Third District; Frank Munger, recently retired from Knoxville News Sentinel; and Mike Pasqua, recently retired from SAIC/Leidos. [Read more…]