The Daily Record presented the Innovator of the Year Award to Harford County Public Library at a reception and dinner in Baltimore on October 18. Harford County Public Library was one of 26 organizations presented with the award in 2017. It was the fourth time the library received this honor.
The Daily Record began the Innovator of the Year awards in 2002 as a way to recognize Marylanders and Maryland-based companies for their innovative spirit – for creating new products, new programs, new services or new processes that have helped their companies, industries or communities.
For this year’s honorees, their innovative achievements took place between January 2016 and July 2017. Innovator of the Year nominees were asked to complete an application that explained their innovation and the impact it has made on Maryland. The nominations were judged on four basic criteria: originality, power, challenge and value.
Specifically, Harford County Public Library was honored for the new Children’s Department at the Bel Air Library. Geared toward those from birth to middle school, the Children’s Department features a NatureMaker Tree, an Innovation Lab-type area for middle schoolers called StreamWorks, plus a town square with a Harford County heritage focus, a reading garden and story time pagoda, tech bar, camp fire, enhanced collections, comfortable reading areas and more.
Harford County Public Library was honored with an Innovator of the Year Award for Little Leapers (2013), Little Leapers 3.5 (2014) and the Innovation Lab (2015).
“We are so honored to be named an Innovator of the Year for the fourth time,” said Mary Hastler, CEO of Harford County Public Library. “This award is possible because of the collaboration of our amazing library staff. Our goal for the library is always to provide innovative, unique and educational offerings to our customers.”
Suzanne Fischer-Huettner, publisher of The Daily Record, said “Innovators are constantly creating, improving and creating again. They make a huge difference in people’s lives, in the economy and in the success of our region. The Daily Record is pleased to recognize this year’s Innovators of the Year and their passion, creativity and drive that result in new products and processes that have a positive impact on Maryland and beyond.”
About The Daily Record
The Daily Record, a multimedia news source, publishes a print and online edition five days a week and breaks news daily on its website, TheDailyRecord.com. In addition, The Daily Record publishes more than 30 special products a year including Path to Excellence: A Women’s Guide to Business, Doing Business in Maryland and Cyber Report. The Daily Record also honors leading Marylanders through seven annual awards events including Maryland’s Top 100 Women, Influential Marylanders and Most Admired CEOs. Its Digital Marketing Solutions helps customers with social media, search engine marketing and optimization, retargeting, email marketing and more. The Daily Record is part of BridgeTower Media, one of the country’s leading business-to-business media companies with 44 print and digital publications in more than 20 U.S. markets.
2017 Innovators of the Year:
Arbit, Inc.
Richard Bendis, BioHealth Innovation Inc.
Bright MLS
CareFirst BlueCross Blue Shield
City Garage
Comcast
Cool & Associates LLC
Course Arc
Josiah Dykstra, Ph.D., National Security Agency
Joshua Edwards, WCPS Clear Spring High School
Glam Tech – Lucki Fit LLC
Goucher College
Harford County Public Library
Allan Kittleman, Howard County Government
Maryland Association of Community Services
National Aquarium
Northwest Hospital
Karen Pecora-Barbour, The Barbour Group, LLC
Perineologic
Samuelson Children’s Hospital
Startup Maryland
Team Grasmick – The LYNX School
TEDCO
Thread
Trivalent
Volunteering Untapped
