Macomb County Planning and Economic Development officials were rewarded with three national awards for its Lake St. Clair Coastal study, a talent-attraction effort and a career-exploration project with Center Line middle schoolers.

The department received the recognition in the annual National Association of Counties Achievement Awards announced recently.

“Receiving national recognition for our department’s programming is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our talented team,” said Vicky Rowinski, director of county Planning and Economic Development. “All of our efforts are aimed at our mission — to ensure our community prospers and people thrive. The three NACo awards demonstrate that we are achieving just that and I’d like to thank all the individuals in our department who make it all possible.”

One award was for the well-received, first-ever Lake St. Clair Coastal Study that was released in 2023, establishing a baseline of water assets and quality-of-life amenities within a 12.1 square-mile area along the lake’s shoreline. It is now being used to market the region, address deficiencies and opportunities, and support funding requests that will strengthen the natural asset and its surrounding areas, planning officials said.

Another award was for a nationwide advertising campaign to attract skilled workers to fill the increased need for employees in science, technology and engineering (STEM) for the area’s growing aerospace and defense industry. The goal was to tell the county’s story “while planting a seed in the minds of young and skilled workers to move to our community and work in our A&D sector,” officials said.

Officials could not track the number of recruits or relocations that was achieved but said, “We can look to our digital metrics to understand how the information resonated and possibly inspired a potential move to Michigan.” The campaign drew 112,300 clicks, 12.2 million impressions, 210,000 website views and 86,200 website users, with 8,550 returning users, officials said.

Finally, the department was recognized for partnering with Center Line Public Schools to provide professional guidance for “the digital design and communication pathway at Wolfe Middle School,” officials said. The department’s marketing team assisted three Academy Explorer 6 Digital Design classes in completing their semester-long project of creating marketing materials for two local nonprofit organizations: Gleaners and Forgotten Harvest.

The county Prosecutor’s Office and Public Works also received NACo awards.