April 22, 2014 - Nine Knoxville entities - ranging from an individual developer who's overhauled much of a North Knoxville block to a drywall company that created two dozen jobs with a building renovation project - were honored at Tuesday's annual Equity Awards Breakfast, presented by the City of Knoxville's Community Development Department.

Mayor Madeline Rogero, HUD Director of Community Planning and Development Mary Wilson and City Community Development Director Becky Wade congratulated the honorees and touted the commemoration of National Community Development Week, April 21-27.

In Knoxville, the week includes a series of events showcasing projects of the City's Department of Community Development and its nonprofit partners.

Tuesday's Equity Award honorees were recognized during the breakfast at The Standard, 416 W. Jackson Ave.


The award winners, by category, are:

Fair Housing Outreach, Education and Enforcement

Equality Coalition for Housing Opportunities
The coalition works closely with housing practitioners, promoting equal opportunity in the housing industry.

Knoxville College
The college has promoted fair housing and cultural diversity through research and public presentations on housing equality, race relations and health disparities.

Legal Aid of East Tennessee
This service provides free legal assistance to citizens who cannot afford a private attorney and enforces housing equality provisions.

Access and Inclusion of People with Disabilities

Kelso-Regen Associates Inc.
The company, a member of the Construction Specification Institute, has been involved with the City's annual Accessibility Symposium since its inception.

Knoxville Area Employment Consortium
The consortium was created for the purpose of connecting qualified job seekers with disabilities to hundreds of available jobs.

Council on Disability Issues
The council was created through the Mayor's Office in 1984 to provide a connection between people with disabilities and the City of Knoxville.

Economic Development

Dewhirst Properties
The company was honored for extending construction and contracting opportunities to two small businesses.

Knoxville Drywall
The company renovated the former Chariots of Hire building, which led to the creation of 25 new jobs.

Patrick McInturff
This Fourth and Gill neighborhood leader was honored for developing four properties and three new businesses, including the K Brew coffee shop at Glenwood Avenue and Broadway.