InBIA’s 2022 Entrepreneur Support Organization of the Year, Specialty and Prestigious Awards

Orlando, Florida—InBIA recognized two entrepreneur support organizations as the recipients of its most prestigious awards, the Randall M. Whaley and the Dinah Adkins Awards, during the 36th annual International Conference on Business Incubation, which was held June 26-29.  These awards were announced along with the Entrepreneur Support Organization of the Year and Specialty Awards.

The Randall M. Whaley award is InBIA’s highest honor.  Dedicated to the memory of Dr. Whaley, who served as InBIA’s first chairman of the board from 1985 to 1988, the award is InBIA’s only endowed award and is sponsored by the Friends of the University City Science Center of Philadelphia. The University City Science Center is the urban research park and incubator Dr. Whaley managed for many years.

The Dinah Adkins award pays tribute to the accomplishments and contributions of Dinah Adkins, a pioneer in the business incubation industry. In 1982, Adkins became the Executive Director of the Ohio University Innovation Center, one of the earliest incubators established in the United States. Adkins was one of the founding members of InBIA when it was established in 1985 and appointed as the association’s president and CEO in 1988, a job she held until her retirement in 2009.

In dedication to Julius Morgan, InBIA is launching the Diversity and Inclusion Award. Julius Morgan was a co-founder of the National Business Incubation Association (NBIA) and served as the first African American Director of its Board of Directors (1990-1996). He symbolized a new brand of business incubators – those bringing economic development to urban entrepreneurship ecosystems – and he is credited with bringing the Milwaukee Enterprise Center (MEC) into fruition. 

Riversands I-Hub is the recipient of the 2022 Randall M. Whaley Award. Based in Johannesburg, South Africa and founded in 2015, Riversands I-Hub has worked with over 300 businesses through its mixed-use 40,000 square meter facility, business finance, business seminars and business advisory services. To date, the organization has facilitated the creation of over 3000 jobs and continues to seek sustainable means to drive impact. 

Riversands I-Hub and LE CAMP are the recipients of the 2022 Dinah Adkins Awards. Major player in the entrepreneurial tech ecosystem in Quebec since 2016, LE CAMP is an accelerator-incubator dedicated to tech businesses, from market validation to international growth. Over the years, LE CAMP has developed a vast network of more than a hundred experts, coaches and partners to provide companies the best advices to accelerate their business success. 

Each year, the International Business Innovation Association (InBIA) honors entrepreneur support organizations and their clients that exemplify the best of the entrepreneurial industry. These organizations and their outstanding companies have made important industry contributions through their products, services, programs, and examples. The recipients of the 2022 Entrepreneur Support Organization of the Year Awards are:

• 2022 Entrepreneur Support Organization of the Year Award Technology & Science: LE CAMP
• 2022 Entrepreneur Support Organization of the Year Award Mixed-Use: Riversands I-Hub
• 2022 Entrepreneur Support Organization of the Year Award Rural: Ohio University Innovation Center
• 2022 Entrepreneur Support Organization of the Year Award Sector Focused: Social Enterprise Greenhouse

Specialty Awards recognizes excellence in specific activities and accomplishments. The recipients of the 2022 Specialty Awards are:

• 2022 Specialty Award Most Innovative Program: eFactory
• 2022 Specialty Awards Outstanding Client: TechTown Detroit and their client company Livegistics, Inc. 
• 2022 Specialty Awards Soft Landings: University of Arizona Center for Innovation
• 2022 Specialty Award Diversity and Inclusion: Bowie Business Innovation Center