TALLADEGA COUNTY — The year 2009 was big for the Greater Talladega Area Chamber of Commerce, starting with Mack Ferguson being brought in as executive director not quite a year ago. This year’s banquet for 2010 was probably the largest in memory.

According to outgoing president Jason Hurst, the chamber managed to attract 55 new members in spite of a down economy, and had re-launched numerous dormant programs including Leadership Talladega, Chamber Ambassadors, Business After Hours and Chamber Coffees, just to name a few. The chamber had also sought out partnerships with organizations such as Antique Talladega, the Talladega Merchants Association and the Downtown Revitalization Task Force. Events over the past year included a Taste of Lincoln, the Christmas parades in Lincoln and Talladega (featuring coach Gene Stallings in Talladega, which also included a banquet at Shocco Springs), Hallow-Dega, the Davy Allison Memorial Park Walk of Fame Induction Ceremony, planning for Talladega’s 175th birthday next month, and 15 ribbon cuttings or ground breakings. This chamber has also collaborated with others in the county to film television ads, publish magazines and tourist guides, and tout north Talladega County as a retirement destination.

Ferguson’s son, Mickey, who is well known as the weatherman for Fox 6 in Birmingham, gave the afternoon’s keynote address.

After having lost his job at a television station, the younger Ferguson said he went to work in his family’s small, struggling cabinet company. He did not particularly enjoy the job.

One day, a female evangelist from Alabaster came to the shop and asked if there were any extra cabinets available that could be donated to her church. After his father told him which cabinets to donate, he came back and the evangelist told him. “You’re hurting. You need to thank God for your job. Your father, your uncle and your brother all need you. God is not done with you yet. This woman, as far as I knew, didn’t know anything about my family, including the fact that my father, uncle and brother all worked with me. Then we just loaded up the cabinets onto her flatbed truck, and she drove off.”

The next day, he came to work paying lip service to being grateful for his job, but not really meaning it. He continued doing this daily until he began to realize that he actually was starting to feel grateful for the job, and subsequently became better at it, being raised to manager and introducing some creative innovations.

Shortly after that, he decided to call Channel 12 in Montgomery. Immediately, he was able to reach the news director, who was rarely in the office. She said she thought she had heard of him and asked for a tape. Ferguson said he planned on asking for $40,000 to move to Montgomery, a figure he realized at the time was pretty steep. But he didn’t name the figure immediately, thinking he would wait for some kind of sign. When the director offered him a three year contract, his salary averaged out to $40,000 per year, he said.

But the real focus of Wednesday’s event was the naming of this year’s winners of the community service, non-profit, small medium and large businesses and citizen of the year.

For Community Service, the staff of the Osborne-Armstrong Public Library won out over Ken Allen, Carolyn Harper, Sally Flowers, Lynne Bonner, Ray Miller, Jeanne Rasco and Bill McGehee. The library was praised for offering activities such as the Imagination Library and the Summer Reading Program as well as for being the home of the Hall of Heroes.

The Non-Profit of the Year honor went to Palmer Place, the Talladega County Children’s Advocacy Center, which “steps in whenever a child is hurt or abused in any way,” according to the presentation.

The other nominees were RSVP, Pilot Club, United Way of North Talladega County, North Talladega County Relay for Life, FIRST Family Service Center, American Red Cross, ARC of North Talladega County, Talladega Junior Welfare League and Red Door Kitchen.

The Small Business of the Year award was a tie between Mint Julep in Talladega and Lincoln Chiropractic and Wellness Center. The other nominees were Gaither’s Florist, Garing Business Machines, Cooper Realty, Elwood Staffing and Talla Floral.

Medium Business of the Year went to Griffin’s Jewelers, which now operates six stores in the area. Owner Travis Griffin attended watch-maker school on the GI Bill after World War II, giving him a start in the jewelry business.

Other nominees included Brannon’s, R.K. Allen Oil Company, Garing Business Machines, Talladega Superspeedway and First National Bank.

The Large Business of the Year award went to Citizens Baptist Medical Center, which employs some 380 people and has a $12 million annual payroll. The remaining nominees were Alabama Institutes for Deaf and Blind, Honda Manufacturing, Talladega Machinery and Supply and New South Express.

The Citizen of the Year Award went to Buster Taylor, director of Shocco Springs Baptist Conference Center. During the peak summer season, Shocco Springs employs more than 200 people.

Also during the ceremony, Harold Hammond of the AARP honored The Daily Home and managing editor Graham Hadley for coverage of the AARP’s senior driver program.

The afternoon ended with the changing of the guard for the chamber’s board of directors.

Past President Valerie Burrage, first vice president Mary Jane Kiker and board member Guin Hale all rotated off the board and Boyd McGehee, Ray Miller and Chad Woodruff took their places on the board. Lastly, Hurst passed the gavel to new chairman Mike Challender, who said he “greatly appreciated the appointment” and was “proud to serve. This is a progressive thinking and acting board, and I hope to represent them in a positive manner.”