Juanita Powell Baranco, executive vice president and chief operating officer of The Baran Company, LLC, received the 12th Annual Blanchard Award for Outstanding Stewardship and Ethics in Business Monday afternoon at The Forum, hosted by the Leadership Institute at Columbus State University. 

The Blanchard Award recipient is selected annually by committee and presented during The Forum each year.

“Throughout her career in business and public service, Juanita has been a no nonsense leader who has championed the rights of women and African-Americans while modeling the highest ethical behavior and philanthropy,” said W. Todd Groce, president and chief executive officer of the Georgia Historical Society and Blanchard Award committee member. “For all these reasons, it is a pleasure to present this award to my friend Juanita Baranco. She is richly deserving of this honor.”

Established in 2009, The Blanchard Award for Outstanding Stewardship and Ethics in Business recognizes outstanding stewards of business ethics and corporate responsibility for success in these areas. The award’s symbol—and Georgia state tree—the live oak, is a perennial and universal symbol of rectitude.

Past recipients include:

·  James H. Blanchard, 2009

·  B. Franklin Skinner, 2010

·  Ray C. Anderson, 2011

·  William B. Turner, 2012

·  Robert S. Jepson Jr., 2013

·  Thomas G. Cousins, 2014

·  Daniel P. Amos, 2015

·  Henry “Hank” M. Huckaby, 2016

·  Dan Cathy, 2017

·  Neely Young, 2018

·  Steven T. Butler, 2019