The chamber hosts its yearly Citizen, Business and Industry of the Year Banquet Thursday at noon at the Pell City Civic Center and the nominations for the awards are in.
Awards winners will be named in the Citizen of the Year, Large and Small Business of the Year and Large and Small Industry of the Year categories, said Pell City Chamber Executive Director Lynn Batemon.
“There are so very many people and businesses that do way more than anyone knows to help our city be the wonderful place that itis for us to live, raise families, and make a living,” Batemon said. “So many of their efforts were never meant to be seen but were just a way of helping others or adding to the quality of life here. We use this banquet as a way of giving back to many of them and recongizing their efforts and letting them know how much we appreciate them.”
The list of nominees for Citizen of the Year is as follows:
Pamela Jones Adamson is nominated by Goodgame Company. She has one daughter, Cassady Luster, and three grandchildren, Kayla, Adyson, and Peyton.
Adamson is marketing director for The Daily Home and the St. Clair Times newspapers. She previously worked for Dothan Eagle, as a sales representative, from 1980 to 1988, when she joined the advertising sales department of The Daily Home.
She serves as chairman of Pell City’s Hometown Block Party and for the Leadership Pell City Alumni Association.
Within the past five years, Adamson has served as president of the Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, two terms on the Chamber Board of Directors, as co-chair of the Pell City Christmas Parade, is a Leadership Pell City graduate, Relay for Life volunteer, a Pell City Animal Shelter supporter, has been chairman of the Hometown Block Party since 2001 and was a Kids Kastle volunteer. Adamson has also received the 2007 Greater Pell City Chamber of Commerce Energizer Bunny Award.
“Ask a Pell City resident, what are two of the most important events in the city each year to families, and they likely will tell you the Hometown Block Party and the Christmas Parade,” she said. “They are a time of bringing together the citizens of our town for fun and fellowship, and I have enjoyed playing a central role in both of them. I have co-chaired the Christmas Parade for six years, raising needed dollars from area businesses to ensure that Santa and all the rest are able to make their way down Cogswell Avenue on that special December evening.
“Since 2001, I have chaired the Hometown Block Party and am doing that once again this year,” she said. “It is heartwarming to me personally to see how the event has grown since its inception in 2000, the year Leadership Pell City created it, and I raised the funds to bring quality entertainment to the downtown area that same year. Since then, I have overseen its evolution into a regional drawing card, bringing not only Pell City residents together, but bringing people from other communities in as well for an evening of entertainment for the entire family. These are the kinds of events that enhance the quality of life a city can offer all its citizens, and I am both proud and humbled to have played a role in their success.”
Linda Crow is nominated by Brannon’s Office City. She is married to Richard Crow and has one child, Braden James Crow, a fifth-grader at Williams Intermediate School.
Crow loves spending time with family and friends, being creative and making a positive impact in her community. She was the owner of La Ti Da, a gift and home décor boutique in downtown Pell City, until June of this year. Crow is from Marietta, Ga. She started in retail work at a very young age. After earning a bachelor’s degree in marketing, she entered the women’s apparel industry and managed multiple operations in the Southeast.
Crow is a board member for the Pell City Chamber of Commerce and an active member of the Pell City Business and Professional Women. She is a member of Pell City First United Methodist Church and serves on the administrative council.
Prior to moving to Pell City, Crow was a member of the Junior Auxiliary in Meridian, Miss. and served as a volunteer for the Key Chapter of The American Red Cross. She also served on numerous fundraising committees for Lamar School.
“My most significant contribution to the community has been my volunteer work,” she said. “I try to stay involved as much as possible while including my family and teaching my son the importance of community service.”
She said she positively impacted the community by sharing the basic principle of the 3/50 Project. This is a movement to strengthen locally owned brick and mortar businesses our nation was built on. She accomplished this by visiting businesses door to door, holding meetings and simply explaining the concept to customers. She continues to thank customers for shopping locally.
Jacque Weaver Owen was nominated by the Pell City Civitans. She and her husband, Darrin, have three children, Jacqueline Elisabeth, David Lee and William Graham (Will).
Owen is a realtor for Fields/ Gossett Realty as well as the financial secretary for Cropwell Baptist Church. In 2008, she received the St. Clair Association of Realtors Horizon Award and in 2009, she received the St. Clair Association of Realtors Star Award for sharing time and resources.
She has served as a board member for the Pell City Civitan Club and for Toys for Children. She has served the St. Clair Association of Realtors as a board member in 2009 as well as its secretary in 2010.
Her community involvement includes Eden Westside Baptist Church, the St.Clair Realtors’ Association as vice president and is a member of the National Association of Realtors.
Owen feels that her most significant contribution to her community during the past year would be her involvement in the Toys for Children Campaign. Close to 500 children were helped through this program, and without the assistance of the program, none of the families would have had the means for providing Christmas gifts for their children, she said.
Rosemary Ogden was nominated by The Animal Shelter of Pell City, Inc.
She and her husband, Art, have two children, Carrie Shaw and Scott Rice. She is employed by the City of Pell City as animal control officer. She has also worked for the city of Bernardino, Calif. as animal control officer and for the Calimesa Veterinary Clinic as front office manager from 1994-2004.
She received Distinguished Service Awards for 2006 and 2010.
Ogden provides information to the community to assist in becoming more aware of responsible pet ownership.
Karen Ellison Bain was nominated by Pell City Business and Professional Women and TCS Corporation. She has two children, Adam Bain and Alex Bain.
Bain is retired from the Pell City School System, where she has served as system director of student services, assistant principal and as a special education teacher from 1984-2007. She is now employed with Fields Gossett Realty.
Bain’s community involvement includes serving as treasurer of Business and Professional Women, as a charter member of the Pell City Civitans, for the board of directors of the St. Clair Association of Realtors and she is a member of First Baptist Church.
As a member of BPW, she has played a major role in fundraising to provide over 14 scholarships for women and young girls in St. Clair County. BPW has made major contributions to Toys for Children, women’s shelters and various other community projects.
As an active member of the Civitans, Bain played a major role in raising funds, purchasing toys and distributing toys for the Toys for Children program. As chairperson for this program in 2011, Bain has expanded it to include all community organizations. She has also been very active with the St. Clair Realtors Association in raising money for the Children’s Advocacy Center.
Large Industry
CenturyLink - As the local provider for broadband, voice and digital TV service in the Pell City area, CenturyLink and its predecessor companies have a long history of commitment to community development and involvement.
CenturyLink’s commitment to wide-scale deployment and highly-reliable service is the result of much hard work from dedicated employees who live and work in Pell City. While most of the employees are on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week and 365 days a year to ensure that our services are running smoothly, they still find time to give back to the community through activities such as the Pell City Block Party, Relay for Life and the Pell City Youth Baseball Association, just to name a few.
Garrison Steel – Garrision Steel has successfully completed the steel construction on St. Vincents/St. Clair Pell City Medical Office Building. The company is presently fabricating the Veteran’s Administration Pell City Nursing Home and will construct that project by summer. Half of their workforce is from Pell City and the surrounding area.
Garrison Steel will continue supporting workforce development such as Icademy and high school programs to expose young people to the technical trades. They continue to support local businesses for local projects and collectively work with existing businesses to draw new enterprises to the area.
Eissman Group Automotive - From modest beginnings as a small family firm in Southwest Germany, Eissmann Group Automotive has grown over the past 40 years into an internationally active enterprise. Originally known throughout the automotive industry as a supplier of top quality leather trim for vehicle interiors, today they enjoy a reputation as a component system supplier working in cooperation with all the top names in automotive engineering.
Founded in 2004, Eissmann Automotive North America began with a production area of 40,000 square feet. The facility is undergoing an expansion to increase the production area to 55,000 squaree feet and add 30 more employees to the workforce of 120. Eissmann Automotive enjoys participating each year in the Annual Cardboard Regatta Boat Race to benefit Toys for Children Pell City.
Small Industry
American Waste Services LLC. – American Waste Services is the only locally owned and operated waste service provider and is serves six counties with a focus on the Pell City area. AWS does commercial sweeping for the Alabama Department of Transportation and is a licensed State of Alabama General Contractor.
All employees are local in an effort to bring more jobs to Pell City. AWS, its owners and employees, use their combined 50 years of experience in the waste business to meet the needs of each and every customer, no matter how large or small the job. AWS has participated in local charity events by providing roll-off dumpsters at the lowest possible price. The company is in the process of setting up a scholarship fund for two deserving high school seniors.
Large Business
Northside Medical Associates - Northside Medical, located at 70 Plaza Drive, Pell City, employs eight physicians and 55 employees. Through the application of extensive experience and continuing education by physicians and staff, they provide high quality patient care for greater Pell City and surrounding areas. Using the latest diagnostic equipment and tests, Northside is able to obtain results quickly and accurately which improves the efficiency of care provided while maintaining costs at the lowest possible level.
In 2010, Northside Medical Associates made a significant investment in the community through an expansion of facilities which add two new physicians, three nurse practitioners and over 20 additional full-time positions to their staff.
St. Vincent’s/St. Clair (SVSC) – The St. Vincent’s/St. Clair mission is a call to action, focused on providing healthcare that works, that is safe and that leaves no one behind. Their associates, physicians, volunteers and members of the advisory board all live this mission.
Time, talents and treasures have been donated from associates to the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life, the ARC of St. Clair County, the Imagination Library, Christian Love Pantry and various other schools and charities. Additionally, two projects established and funded by associate contributions are the ShuttleCare and Adult Care Clinic, providing healthcare to the indigent of the community.
In 2010, St. Vincent’s/St. Clair provided $6.2 million uncompensated Charity Care benefiting uninsured and underserved patients in the community. Dollars generated within Alabama due to the hospital’s presence totaled $18.9 million.
St. Vincent’s/St. Clair employs 227 people, with $10.7 million totaled for salaries and benefits.
The new St. Vincent’s/ St. Clair is well under construction and set to open by December 2011.
Small Business
Animal Shelter of Pell City, Inc. – The Animal Shelter of Pell City has been in operation for 10 years. In those 10 years they have received 58,214 animals. ASPCI found homes for, returned to owners or transferred to rescue agencies 8,639 of these animals. The facility enhances the quality of life for area residents by providing a refuge for stray and unwanted animals. ASPCI was formed in 1995. The organization moved into the building provided by Pell City and St. Clair County in August of 2000. ASPCI contracts with St. Clair County, Pell City and eight other municipalities to operate the shelter, caring for animals brought to the shelter. ASPC also provides spay/neuter assistance for lower income pet owners. They also offer educational programs on animal care and safety to schools and other groups.
Classic Car Wash, LCC - Classic Car Wash provides a full service car wash to the citizens of Pell City and St. Clair County. Classic Car Wash employs eight people to offer services from $5 to $125 for detailing. Classic Car Wash supports local schools, churches and sport teams by purchasing advertising in their publications, signs, billboards and annuals. The company donates to various charitable organizations along with holding “Helping Hands” fundraisers (See www. Classiccarwash-pellcity.com). Classic Car Wash looks forward to being an active member of the Pell City Community for years to come as it grows and prospers and they are proud to be a member of the Pell City Chamber of Commerce.
They are a contributor to Toys for Tots, and Pell City Business and Professional Women. Classic Car Wash also donates items for charity events such as providing free merchandise and gift certificates and has also donated to the Make a Wish Foundation.
Stevens Locksmith – Stevens Locksmith has been in business in the Pell City area since 1975.
Celebrations – Celebrations is a family owned business. There are no employees, there are two coaches who work as subcontractors at Celebrations. Celebrations is a place for all occasions, the facility has a variety of inflatable moonwalks for children’s birthday parties as well as a dunking booth and a trampoline. Celebrations also makes deliveries for those families who choose to have parties at their homes, renting tables, chairs, a snow cone machine and a cotton candy machine.
Celebrations participates in the Pell City Block Party when asked, and the money that is made goes to their competition cheerleaders as a fundraiser. The main party room at Celebrations can be transformed into a beautiful setting for a wedding, wedding reception, anniversary party, class reunion as well as for school banquets and other occasions. Celebrations tries to support the local community whenever asked and if possible with events such as fundraisers for Relay for Life, church groups and other civic events.
La Ti Da – La Ti Da was an eclectic boutique for home décor located in historic downtown Pell City until June of this year. The business operated on the business principles of providing exceptional customer service and offering quality merchandise that was affordable and adorably packaged. La Ti Da made numerous contributions to the Pell City community’s civic interests.
