Gaston County's Economic Development Commission (EDC) has won two awards for marketing and strategic partnering.

CSX Transportation presented EDC Director Donny Hicks with a Partnershipping Award recognizing "outstanding Industrial Development achievements by individuals who demonstrate the ability to influence the location of rail-served industries to our transportation system."

Hicks invested special effort to get a rail spur approved to serve Buckeye Technologies' new $100 million nonwoven paper production facility in Stanley.

"CSX also deserves a tribute for making this a success," Hicks said. "Without their full cooperation, we would not have been able to meet Buckeye's major rail shipping requirements."

The EDC also won an award from the Southern Economic Development Council for a plexiglas memento of appreciation created for the EDC to give to Buckeye officials. The memento, designed by the EDC's marketing agency Lawrimore Communications, features multiple levels of images, with an appreciation message to Buckeye floating in the middle of the clear plexiglas and the Buckeye logo appearing on the "frosted" back side.