From Tribune staff reports
PINSON, Ala.–The City of Pinson earned one of the state’s top honors for economic innovation by being admitted to the Innovate Alabama Network and being awarded two grants as seed money to launch an innovation project.
This competitive designation is awarded to Alabama communities supporting innovation and the knowledge economy.
The program is administered by Innovate Alabama–a statewide public-private partnership focused on entrepreneurship, technology, and innovation. The organization was formed as a result of Governor Kay Ivey’s Alabama Innovation Commission in 2021 to implement the commission’s recommendations.
The Innovate Alabama Network serves as a comprehensive resource that connects communities, nonprofits, and higher education institutions across the state who are fostering innovation in their own backyard. Through this designation program, Innovate Alabama recognizes those who are shaping the state’s ecosystem.
Pinson’s Innovate Alabama Network designation comes with a financial award.
“It’s an honor to be recognized for the work Pinson is doing,” said City Operations Director Eric Winfrey. “We utilized the grant funding to expand and extend wireless Wi-Fi access through multiple access points to bolster connectivity in outdoor recreational parks and gathering spaces including Bicentennial Park, Triangle Park, Pinson’s Historic Rock School Center, Palmerdale Homestead Community Center, and the Pinson Sports Complex.”
The grant-funded network, designed and deployed by Pelham-based EFP Broadband, brings a positive impact on the over 7,000 residents of Pinson, hundreds of business owners, and the over 45,000 visitors and 200 vendors who come to the area for the annual Alabama Butterbean Festival and the thousands who come to other area attractions each year, like the Turkey Creek Nature Preserve and environmental education center.