More than 320 business and community leaders gathered for the 49^th Fayette Chamber of Commerce Annual Meeting and Awards Luncheon to honor excellence in business and community leadership. The Chamber’s annual celebration took place Friday, January 12 at Peachtree City Hotel and Conference Center.

A highlight of the luncheon was a feature video showcasing the Chamber’s efforts to accomplish its core mission in 2017. Members shared testimonials about how the community as a whole benefits from the Chamber’s work connecting members, advocating for a better business climate and engaging in community and economic development initiatives.

Outgoing members of the board of directors were recognized for their service. Incoming board members and officers were announced.

Outgoing Board Chair, Kimberly Schnoes announced the launch of the “Create Your Story” website, the catalyst of the countywide talent attraction campaign spearheaded by the Chamber. “The new website is a billboard for Fayette County, a place where visitors and potential residents can visit and see the great lifestyle that Fayette can offer.” The new talent attraction website can be found at www.fayettega.com.

After receiving the Chairman’s gavel, 2018 Board Chair Stephen Childs announced that the talent attraction marketing campaign that complements the website will launch in February. This advertising and public relations campaign will help large employers such as Panasonic and Piedmont Fayette Hospital attract specific talent needed in their industries.

The capstone of the Annual Meeting each year is the awards presentation for business excellence and community service. Several Chamber members and community members were recognized for work in 2017:

For their joint effort to bring Night Market-Peachtree City to the community, Young Professional of the Year was awarded to Daniel Bowman, Zack Brewer, and Tommy Ruth of Malt Maker Media and to Jason Bass of Jason Hunter Designs. This award was sponsored by Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.

For volunteer service to the Chamber and its members, Ambassador of the Year was given to Venis Sims, Edgewood Realty Group.

The Chet Wells Award honors leadership, dedication and passion to further the success of the Chamber and was sponsored by Georgia Power. This year’s recipient was Dawn Oparah of AVPRIDE.

Sponsored by Panasonic Automotive Systems Company of America, the Carolyn Cary Dreambuilder Award honors outstanding service to the Fayette County community. The Chamber gave this award to Neil Sullivan in recognition of his work supporting both the 2017 SPLOST and three ESPLOST campaigns.

The Nonprofit Award of Excellence honoring private, nonprofit organizations that demonstrate enhancement of the quality-of-life and betterment of the community was given to Clothes Less Traveled. This award is sponsored in perpetuity by Piedmont Fayette Hospital. Award nominees included: Bloom, The Eden Project, Fayette Senior Services, Midwest Food Bank, Operation Mobilization, The Ronnie Thames Foundation and Southern Conservation Trust.

Nominees for the Chamber’s Small Business of the Year were Capstone Educational Consultants, CMIT Solutions of Fayette/Coweta, Dirt1x and Vibrant Web Creations. This year’s winner was CMIT Solutions of Fayette/Coweta for displaying outstanding planning, operations and community involvement. This award was sponsored by Christian City.

Sponsored by Coweta-Fayette EMC, the Outstanding Business Person of the Year Award was given to Joe Domeleski, Country Fried Creative for excellence in business leadership and unselfish support of the community.

This year’s annual meeting was made possible by presenting sponsor, NCR Corporation. Platinum sponsors included Panasonic Automotive Systems Company of America and Piedmont Fayette Hospital. Pinewood Atlanta Studios and Malt Maker Media were Video Production Sponsors. Georgia Power was the Dessert Sponsor.