DesignSeed, a collaborative group with the mission of creating jobs in rural areas, was presented the 2010 Innovator Award from Alabama by the Southern Growth Policies Board.
According to the policy board's website, "Innovator Awards are presented annually to one organization in each of Southern Growth's 13 member states in recognition of initiatives that are improving economic opportunities and quality of life in the region."
The site continues by explaining, "The 2010 Innovator Awards were chosen from creative initiatives in the region that aim to help communities recover from the recession."
DesignSeed is a partnership between Auburn University Outreach and the College of Architecture, Design and Construction, said Rick Cook, assistant vice president of Auburn University Outreach.
He said the idea was developed by one of Auburn's own students, Mark Smith. Mark Smith was a graduate student in industrial design when he helped develop the program as part of his thesis.
Smith said his father was directing an outreach program in a rural Alabama town, and the two of them often talked about how bad the economy was. When he was given the opportunity to help develop a program combining efforts of community outreach and job growth, he eagerly took on the challenge.
He went to Auburn's Outreach office to get some financial support and to five Black Belt cities in Alabama to gather information through interviews and taking photographs.
"I did 44 digitally-recorded interviews of community leaders, judges and business people -- you name it," Smith said.
One thousand postcard questionnaires were then distributed to gather even more information. Questions included things such as asking people if they would be willing to work for less money if child care was provided for their children.
"We haven't launched a business yet," Smith said. "We're very close."
Smith chose the name DesignSeed for the program and wanted to emphasize that designing products was the key component to what they were trying to accomplish, which is where the "Design" part comes in.
The "Seed" aspect was more of a philosophic approach.
"[This is] something we could plant out there that would start out small, but would have what it needed to grow," Smith said, comparing the idea to that of Johnny Appleseed.
The goal is to create a culture of entrepreneurship.
At the Southern Growth's Chairman Conference in Lexington, Ky., the program was presented with the 2010 Innovator Award. Smith said he was both honored and surprised.
"We were surprised because we haven't had a big win," Smith said. "But we're very, very honored, and it was humbling."
Smith said during the presentation, the presenter said the programs awarded were chosen because they were examples of how to grow the South from an economic perspective and serve as role models to other programs.
"It makes me and everyone involved want to work harder," Smith said.
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