Hamilton’s city manager was selected Sunday to be a recipient of the first-ever “Forty Under 40” awards, recognizing exceptional talent in the economic development profession.

City Manager Joshua Smith, 39, was chosen from a pool of more than 150 candidates by a five-member selection committee. Selections were based on each candidate’s contributions to the economic development industry.

The awards program was managed by Development Counsellors International, a New York-based firm that specializes in economic development marketing and placemaking. The award was presented during the International Economic Development Council Leadership Summit in Orlando, Fla.

DCI’s “Forty Under 40” award was designed to discover the economic development profession’s rising stars and to promote best practices in the economic development industry.

Smith and Steve Fritsch, director of the Regional Business Development Team NEO in the Cleveland area, were the only two Ohio professionals selected.

“The people chosen by the selection committee represent a bright future for the economic development world,” said Andy Levine, DCI president. “They are a new breed of results-driven placemakers. We’re very pleased to see Joshua among the winners.”

“I believe that government should create an environment which promotes business success and growth,” Smith said. “Our City Council has embraced the importance of creating this environment and has worked diligently towards the creation of a strategic plan, to ensure we can successfully execute strategies which will drive job creation, capital investment and creative density into our community.”

Smith was recognized for his involvement in the newly created real estate development fund, the CORE (Consortium for Ongoing Reinvestment Efforts) Fund, which leverages private dollars focusing on redevelopment of Hamilton’s downtown and urban core.

“The newly created CORE Fund and the soon to be launched business attraction agency, Hamilton Inc., clearly illustrate how the entire community believes in what we are trying to accomplish,” he said. “I may have received the award, but none of these things could have happened without a talented team and several great partners in these initiatives, including the Hamilton Community Foundation, the Greater Hamilton Chamber of Commerce, Hamilton’s Vision 2020 Commission, First Financial Bank, SoMoLend and others.”

Smith was also recognized for Hamilton’s efforts to provide 100 percent renewable energy to its customers by 2015 while building a comprehensive economic development strategy around it.

“Our utility team has done a tremendous job of managing costs while being very aggressive in pursuing clean energy options which will dramatically decrease our carbon footprint, while providing our community a competitive economic advantage,” he said.

The award also acknowledged Hamilton’s Business Development Team, created in 2011, which is a customer-focused initiative aimed at assisting start-ups and small businesses through streamlining the city’s various permitting processes.

According to those who have worked closely with Smith, the award is well-deserved.

Jim McGraw, a partner at economic development consulting firm Keating Muething & Klekamp, assisted with the creation of the CORE Fund.

“We work across the U.S. in all kinds of cities and regions, large and small. We are very familiar with all the skill sets of economic development professionals and have seen them all in action,” McGraw said. “Joshua Smith is that special, gifted individual who can create and drive an agenda for Hamilton through his amazing leadership and tireless passion that the community will follow. He is a true champion for his city. He makes others believe in what can be and he delivers on his promises. He has already become a critical asset for Hamilton. He is an amazing city manager with one of the brightest futures we have witnessed anywhere. It is a privilege to watch him work.”

“Joshua has assembled an incredible team that believes in his vision and shares a mutual passion for making Hamilton an award winning city,” said Dave Jursik, a partner with Historic Developers who have recently renovated the Historic Mercantile Lofts and the former JournalNews Building. “Historic Developers congratulates Joshua and the city of Hamilton on this award….”

This is not Smith’s first professional award since he came to Hamilton a little more than two years ago. In 2012, the Greater Cincinnati Chapter of American Society for Public Administration awarded Smith the Administrator of the Year Individual Contributor Award.