eSTEAM and Sumter Economic Development ............................. 51 Top 10 industrial employers ......................................................... 52 Meet the Greater Sumter Chamber of Commerce’s Business Person of the Year

BY SHELBIE GOULDING

Shuffles, kicks and other nifty moves covered the dance floor at La Piazza, in celebration of business professionals making a difference in Sumter for another year.

The Greater Sumter Chamber of Commerce's Annual Gala honored the 2022 professionals who continue to better Sumter's education, younger spectrum, nonprofit work, military and the top honor, Business Person of the Year. "(It) is what I believe to be only the second most prestigious award in our community, only behind the Key to the City," said Chris Hardy, president and CEO of the chamber. "This award has been going on for several years now."

There was no professional more deserving of the Philip L. Edwards Business Person of the Year than Talmadge Tobias, former city manager and current broker manager at RE/ MAX Summit on Broad Street.

There are several criteria a nominee must meet to qualify for the prestigious award: they must have a successful track record of business over a period of years, must demonstrate the integrity of a businessperson that is synonymous with the bearer of the award's name by giving back to the community and show dedication to the success of their employees personally and professionally. Tobias did exactly that in his decades of service to Sumter.

He has not only served in many capacities in Sumter through the American Heart Association, Sumter schools, Sumter Rotary Club, the American Red Cross, Sumter Habitat for Humanity, the Salvation Army, the Sumter Touchdown Club, economic development, business partnerships, the military community and as past chamber chair, but he has also served through local and state government capacities for 39 years, a majority of which was served as Sumter's city manager. "I cannot think of someone more deserving of this award," said Chip Chase, who spoke for FTC, the sponsor of this year's award. "He has earned the respect of those in our industry. His business ethics, sense of responsibility, service to our community and political awareness put him in a position of leadership where he is recognized as a person to seek advice from."

With just under two decades of experience as a broker manager in Sumter, he has kept his employees at the forefront of his business, maintaining an open-door policy to his 30-plus employees at RE/MAX Summit in Sumter. That is what being a businessperson is all about. "I certainly appreciate this. We live in a community that I love dearly," Tobias said. "Sumter is a wonderful community, and I love it dearly."

He was born and raised in the community and came back to help Sumter's financial standing after leaving for 12 years. That return wasn't a difficult decision for Tobias because he knew he and his family needed Sumter as badly as Sumter needed his expertise in the business realm. However, he knows it's his team throughout the years who really made a difference in the community. "No one is successful without the staff and the dedicated employees that you have, and we have a bunch of them," Tobias said.