The Covington Bicentennial Committee is pleased to announce that Norm Desmarais has been named Chairman, and Amanda Everhart Greenwell Vice Chair, of the Bicentennial Celebration for the City of Covington in 2015.
Both Desmarais and Greenwell have a strong connection and passion for the City of Covington and are active in the community.
Desmarais, who is one of the founding partners of TiER1 Performance Solutions, is also a resident of Covington, having recently purchased and begun restoring the historic Amos Shinkle House in the Licking River District with his wife Lisa. When he was first approached by former Covington Mayor, Chuck Scheper, he knew it was something he had to do.
“I am passionate about this city and see the potential in our future,” said Desmarais, who not only works in Covington, but calls it his home. “The people involved in all aspects of this city are passionate, humble, hardworking and self-less. I’ve never been part of a community like this before. It’s inspiring.”
Through her role as program manager at UpTech, Greenwell has spent recent months falling in love with Covington as she explored the city’s urban core in search of office space for her company, which recently announced it was moving to Pike Street. Greenwell sees Covington as the place to be for innovation and entrepreneurship and is eager to user her talents to promote the city.
“There is something exciting brewing in Covington right now,” said Greenwell. “I believe the bicentennial will serve as the stage this city needs to broaden its appeal and attract new people to discover the magic that exists here. I’m eager to recruit enthusiastic, spirited, sincere individuals to be a part of our planning committees who can help the Covington Bicentennial Celebration serve as a tipping point for this city.”
The celebration of Covington’s 200th anniversary will be year-long, comprised of multiple events and projects including a fully illustrated hardback book, a 60-minute documentary, an interactive exhibit, QR-coded tours of the city’s neighborhoods, and even interactive programs for K-12 students.
While the celebration itself is still more than a year away, much support will be needed to prepare and execute all that a celebration of this magnitude entails. As such, Greenwell and Desmarais are currently looking for volunteers to join them in bringing the celebration to life.
Sub-committees are forming now and individuals who are interested in getting involved are encouraged to contact Amanda at amanda@uptechideas.org for more information. An executive committee is currently working to create some of the foundational elements such as a website (www.cov200.com), social media presence, and marketing materials and hope to have more information available to the community soon.
For more information and updates on the Covington 200 Bicentennial Celebration, visit www.cov200.com and connect on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at COV200.
About Covington 200
Covington 200, facilitated by the Covington Bicentennial Committee, celebrates the 200th anniversary of Covington, Kentucky (February 8, 2015). The committee seeks to enhance and extend the understanding and image of Covington’s rich heritage and its Ohio River ties as a gateway city between North and South, East and West. To achieve this end, the committee will focus on fundraising, legacy projects and partnerships with existing events that will be permanent and long-lasting contributions to the understanding of Covington and its Community, both now and into the future. For more information, visitwww.cov200.com.
About Amanda Everhart Greenwell
Amanda Everhart Greenwell is UpTech’s program manager, a position she has held since August 2012. In addition to her work at UpTech, Amanda is the owner of Amanda Greenwell Photography. Passionate about paying it forward, she has utilized her photography business to start “The Give Back” project where she donates her services each month to a local nonprofit.
Amanda earned her Bachelor’s degree in marketing from Northern Kentucky University where she was actively involved in the Delta Gamma sorority. She was recently accepted to the 2014 Class of Leadership Northern Kentucky.
About Norm Desmarais
Norm Desmarais is one of TiER1 Performance Solutions founding partners and the Chairman of the Board. He currently sits on many boards and committees, including the Gateway Technical and Community College Foundation Board of Directors, Gateway Technical and Community College IT Advisory Committee, United Way 9/11 Advisory Committee, NKY SafetyNet Alliance Advisory Board, and the City of Covington Mayor’s Advisory Committee.
Norm holds a Bachelor’s degree in computer science from Fitchburg State College and an MBA in government contracting from Western New England College.