Story By Druw Giamalva
The community of Boaz came together for a special event last Thursday evening as the Boaz Chamber of Commerce celebrated their annual awards banquet.
The awards banquet would see six awards given out which included the Parson Pride Award, Educator of the Year, Emerging Business of the Year, Business of the Year, Industry of the Year, Citizen of the Year and Volunteer of the Year.
The awards banquet began with the Parson Pride Award that was given to Drew Noles. Noles was presented the Parson Pride Award by Dr. Joe Whitmore, the president of Snead State Community College.
“What a night,” Noles said. “We are honored and very blessed to receive this award. Boaz has always been my home, and it is so special to us. Snead has been such a special part and place in our lives. Those memories are so special, and I have been lucky to work with the campus ministry and to be able to just pour into those kids to tell them that there is somebody who loves you and somebody really cares about you. I love having the opportunity to do that. Thank you all for this opportunity and what a wonderful night it is.”
The next award given out was the Educator of the Year Award which was given to Boaz Intermediate School Assistant Principal Meagan Buttram. Boaz City Schools Superintendent Ashley Walls presented the Educator of the Year Award to Buttram.
“Thank you all very much, I am blessed and honored to receive this award,” Buttram said. “I have been a product of Boaz since 1994. There are so many people in this room, students that I have taught. I did this for the kids. I have enjoyed every single day that I have been teaching. I am living the dream, and I love Boaz. Thank you all very much and I hope you all have a great night.”
Next up was the Emerging Business of the Year which went to The 19th Hole. The award was presented by Charles Wilson to the 19th Hole owners Laura and Heath Wilson.
“I have always loved Boaz,” said Laura Wilson. “I see a lot of friends that we’ve met through The 19th Hole and a lot of us have had the opportunities to open our business in other places or new job places, but we keep choosing Boaz. I think that is really special. When God placed it on our hearts in 2020, which is kind of crazy, but it took a long time. We put everything on the line. I am very proud of what we did. Thank you all for supporting us since day one. It really means a lot.”
The next two awards were the Business of the Year and the Industry of the Year that went to Chevrolet of Boaz and Pinnacle Manufacturing respectively. The Business of the Year Award celebrates an outstanding business that continues to grow, lead, and make a positive impact on Boaz. The Industry of the Year Award recognizes an industry leader whose innovation, growth, and leadership have made a significant and lasting impact on the economic development of the Boaz region.
The next award was the Citizen of the Year Award that was given to Jamie Bliss. Bliss is a director for Neighborhood Bridges Boaz, a non-profit organization that supports Boaz City Schools by meeting the needs of students and families. Bliss was presented the award by Jennifer Elrod.
“I appreciate it so much,” Bliss said. “The funny thing is, when I graduated Boaz, I said I was leaving Boaz, and I was never coming back but there is no other place that I would rather be. Boaz is growing. This award isn’t just mine but really it is everyone else’s award. Thank you all very much.”
The final award of the night was the Volunteer of the Year Award that was given to Peoples Independent Bank’s Pam Osborn. Osborn was presented the Volunteer of the Year Award by Joshua Beck.
“A lot of people deserve this,” Osborn said. “This is thanks to Peoples Independent Bank that has allowed me to be out in the community and I love it. Thank you very much for this. I really appreciate it.”
