PHOTO: This year's Fort Payne 'Women in Business' awardees have been announced! Martha Harris, Mary Davis, and Vanessia Fike will be honored at the Chamber's annual luncheon. (The Fort Payne Chamber of Commerce)

By Staff Reports (Individual biographies provide by The Fort Payne Chamber of Commerce) 

FORT PAYNE, Ala. — The Fort Payne Chamber of Commerce has announced their 2017 Women in Business Awardees! The Fort Payne Chamber of Commerce will honor this special group in Fort Payne at the annual Women in Business Luncheon, to be held on Tuesday, August 8th at 11 am at the DeKalb Theatre. This year’s guest speaker will be none other than Miss Alabama 2017.

The Fort Payne Chamber recognizes Women in three categories: Women Owned Business Award, Women in Management Award, and the Community Service Award.

Martha Harris will be recognized for the Women Owned Business Award. For the past 16 years, she has served as President of Harris Lands. Leasing homes and commercial buildings are the primary functions of the company. In addition, the company sells Hancor polyethylene pipe for roads, ponds, and chicken houses. Two other commercial property leasing companies are also owned by Martha: KADD Properties and Harris Mini Storage rentals.

The Women in Management award is presented to Mary Davis, Childcare Resource Network Executive Director.For the past 45 years, Mary has moved mountains within our state in order to enhance the lives of children. She has always been at the forefront in seeking legislation to improve the state regulations for day care centers.

Through her leadership, early care and education opportunities for children and their parents have grown at the community, state and national levels.

She is the Administrator of four Child Development Centers within our area.  She serves on advisory boards that work to strengthen the availability, accessibility and affordability of child day care services for families who need and want care. Mary has authored several publications to educate and advocate for the continuous improvement of childcare services.

Vanessia Fike has been selected for the Community Service Award. She gives her parents credit for instilling her love of service to others.  Her support of Relay for Life is her way of keeping the memory alive of her sister. Conni’s wish was to live so that she could bless and give. Vanessia strives to give and bless as many people as possible.

There are so many other organizations that have received Vanessia’s energy and concern to serve.  In fact, the Chamber’s facebook page received over 4,000 likes and shares when we announced her winning!

Join the Fort Payne Chamber as they recognize these three women who truly have made a difference in our community. Tickets for the August 8th luncheon at are available at the Chamber office, located at 300 Gault Avenue, North in Fort Payne. Miss Alabama 2017, Jessica Procter will be providing the entertainment. 

Procter will be representing Alabama in the 2018 Miss America competition. Over the next year, Procter will be fulfilling the roles of Miss Alabama, and will be speaking to Fort Payne’s Business Women in Fort Payne on August 8th.Procter won the competition out of 48 contestants, and is currently a 21-year-old senior at the University of Alabama, and will have to put her academics on hold to fulfill her duties as Miss Alabama. She is currently majoring in interdisciplinary studies and psychology. She represented the Leed’s Area in the competition, and her hometown is listed as Tuscaloosa.