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Chamber of Commerce salutes community's top 2007 contributions
Director Donna Hardy welcomed the guests and acknowledged special guests, and Blake Thompson, President of the Chamber Board of Directors, made closing remarks. The featured speaker for the evening was Professor Eddie Smith of Clemson University. Introduced by fellow Clemson alum Jim Roberts, Smith talked about how fortunate the residents of Washington-Wilkes were. "Rich in history, rich in diversity, rich in wholesomeness and Southern-ness," he said, "it's no wonder Disney has tried to recreate what you have here." One of the county's largest employers, Pliant Corporation, was named as Wilkes County's Big Business of the Year for its ongoing contributions and community involvement through the years. Plant manager Jim Lewis accepted the award for Pliant.
Nominated for Small Business of the Year were Washington Farmers Market, Talk of the Town, Kettle Creek Arms, The Sandwich Shop, Georgia Realty Sales, and Hendricks Florist. Talk of the Town and Georgia Realty Sales tied in the voting, and business owners Robert Geiger accepted for Talk of the Town and Deborah Rainey for Georgia Realty. Sue Davidson was chosen for Volunteer of the Year for her work minding the Chamber of Commerce office when the Chamber staff was out. Other Volunteer of the Year nominees included Molly Newsome, Bobbie Griffin, David Toburen, and Bill Cronic. Debbie Wells was the pick for Citizen of the Year for her leadership in the arts community and other efforts. Nominees for Citizen of the Year included Bradley Barber, Carolyn Reynolds, Ashley Barnett, John Horton, Jim Burton, and Mark Waters The Chamber introduced a new award for this year. The Pioneer Award went to long-time downtown merchant Boots Gunter, whose Kettle Creek Arms Sporting Goods is celebrating 35 years in business this month. Entertainment by the "Distant Cousins" featuring Dr. Stan Coe and band was sweetened with the music of James and Rebecca Gray. Dinner was provided by Cornelia Davis and The Home Café.
The annual dinner was sponsored by Farmers & Merchants Bank and by Farmers State Bank.
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