The first Real Estate Innovation Award, a new annual recognition created by the Grant Center for Real Estate and Economic Development at Coastal Carolina University, has been awarded to Murrells Inlet 2020, a nonprofit organization that promotes environmental awareness, infrastructure development, community involvement and responsible economic development in the Murrells Inlet area of South Carolina's Grand Strand.

The award, presented Sept. 30 at CCU's Economic Growth and Real Estate Summit at the Hilton Myrtle Beach Resort, launches an annual program that recognizes area real estate innovations across private and public sectors. The prize is designed to honor area businesses and organizations that combine development with informed land practices for the betterment of the communities they serve.

Murrells Inlet 2020 led efforts to expand bike and walking paths connecting the Intracoastal Waterway to the inlet's salt marsh. These recreational paths improve existing bike lanes and provide better access to the local section of the East Coast Greenway, a 3000-mile-long urban trail that runs from Maine to Florida. Now in the planning stages, the multipurpose path expansion was adopted as a priority project for Murrells Inlet 2020 based on a ranking of open-ended survey responses conducted last year.

The Grant Center for Real Estate and Economic Development, housed in CCU's E. Craig Wall Sr. College of Business Administration, serves as an information hub for real estate and economic data for the Grand Strand region, acting as a bridge between CCU and the community. Led by Rob Salvino, associate professor of economics at CCU, the center provides an industry-focused, collaborative environment where students, faculty members and the real estate industry gain and share knowledge, information and international real estate business experiences. Learn more at Wall College of Business.

Murrells Inlet 2020 has been operating since 1997 and has facilitated more than $3.3 million in grants for projects in Murrells Inlet. Visit Murrells Inlet 2020 for more information.