GACOC holds annual awards ceremony

BY MOLLIE S. WATERS

The Greenville Standard

 

The Greenville Area Chamber of Commerce (GACOC) held its 13th Annual Banquet and Awards Ceremony on March 31 at 6:30 p.m. in the Wendell Mitchell Conference Center on the Lurleen B. Wallace Community College’s Greenville Campus.

The program began with a welcome and introductions by GACOC Director Tracy Salter, then the awards were presented by members of the GACOC staff, executive board, and board of directors.

The first award was the New Business of the Year for 2021 Award, which went to River Region Vision Source.

The New Business of the Year for 2022 Award was given to Greenville 24-Hour Fitness.

Small Business of the Year Award went to McFerrin’s Jewelry, while Wintzell’s Oyster House won the Large Business of the Year Award.

The next award was the Milestone Award, which went to Powell Tractor Company, which has operated in Greenville for 50 years.

Greenville Chevrolet won the Distinguished Business of the Year Award.

The late Angie K. Long was recognized with the Spirit of Greenville Award. Long was a long-time supporter of Greenville through her work with the Greenville Area Arts Council and the Butler County Humane Society.

Two Unsung Hero Awards were presented. The 2021 award went to The Joseph Ministries, which serves the community with a local food pantry and clothes closet, and the 2022 award went to The Shepherd’s Table, which is a food ministry organization.

Citizen of the Year went to Greenville’s Chief of Police Justin Lovvorn.

The final award of the night was the John D. Murphy Award. Murphy was a former Greenville businessman.

The award went to Murphy’s widow, Susan S. Murphy, who passed away recently.

Susan Murphy was involved in many aspects of the community by serving in civic organizations, such as Civitan and Kiwanis, and assisting with the Department of Human Resources.

Congratulations to all of this year’s recipients.