Greetings! 

This year, at the annual luncheon fundraiser, the Economics Center presented Duke Energy with the Service to the Community award.   

This award is given to an organization with a deep commitment to incorporating economic research into its business practices.  The depth of Duke's commitment to economic research is demonstrated in the wide variety of projects they have supported.   Not only does Duke conduct and utilize economic research for its own purposes, but it has been instrumental in helping other organizations use economic research.

For example, Duke Energy has provided critical data for Economics Center projects such as the Budget and Revenue Outlook for the City of Cincinnati.  They also supported two different projects utilizing economic analyses -- the Evaluation of People Working Cooperatively (PWC) and the Energy Efficiency Market Study for the Greater Cincinnati Energy Alliance (GCEA). PWC, a well-established organization, is looking to quantify the results of its efforts in providing housing for low income families.  In the second instance, GCEA, a local start-up, is attempting to better understand the market potential for its services. In both cases, the organizations seek to articulate its value to stakeholders.

To learn more about Greater Cincinnati Energy Alliance (GCEA) and People Working Cooperatively (PWC), click here.

These projects exemplify the wide variety of analyses that constitute "economic research". Additionally, these projects demonstrate that increasingly economic research is a cornerstone of internal evaluation and external communication.