42nd Annual Dinner & Awards Banquet

2021 marked the Chamber of Commerce's 42nd year hosting its Annual Dinner & Awards Banquet. Each year, awards are presented to individuals and businesses that have excelled in their service to Eatonton-Putnam County, and the surrounding areas. This year's event was held at the Rock Eagle Senior Pavillion on May 3rd and marked the inaugural celebration for new President, Maggie Milner, new Membership Director, Michael Payne and new Tourism Coordinator, Lacey Cummings. The event drew a crowd of nearly 150 business leaders, member businesses, and community members.

The Artisans Village Art Gallery opened in 2017 as a nonprofit organization that helps bring in artwork from artists in the Eatonton area with the goal of encouraging economic development and a stronger sense of community. They are a key component to the Artisans Village in downtown Eatonton with around 50 artists from the Lake Country area from Greensboro to Eatonton housed at the gallery. The Art Gallery had to shut down in March 2020 due to the pandemic, but after reopening in September 2020 they worked to find new ways to improve their business strategy and bring more exposure to the art collections. They are currently working on building a brand new building on East Marion Street that will have over 6,000 square feet and will be used as art studios for local artists. They are pleased to be embraced by the community and look forward to the opening of their new art studio and to continue their mission of helping to bring greater appreciation for all types of art in the Eatonton area.

Anchors Marina opened in January 2021 with a boat show to kick off their grand opening. After expressing interest in purchasing Jerry’s Bait and Tackle in 2018, Lauren and Josh Sprayberry broke ground in 2020 at what would become Anchor’s Marina. They currently average over 2,000 visitors at the marina and are now at 50 percent capacity for storage. Their services include filling your boat with fuel, cleaning your boat before it's launched, and filling up your cooler with a variety of beverages before you set sail. Anchors Marina hopes to expand their business to new locations across the Lake Country area, and they hope to make this a special place for everybody in the Putnam area to visit, rent boats, and enjoy the lake. Putnam General Hospital has been in business for around 53 years and they take pride in being a good corporate citizen for the EatontonPutnam area. They experienced an unprecedented health challenge this past year with the COVID-19 pandemic, and throughout the entire process their number one priority has been to provide a safe environment for patients. Their first COVID-19 patient came to the hospital on March 13th, 2019 and they rose to the challenge of confronting a new disease and ensuring their patients were well taken care of. The hospital ensured that all social distancing protocols were maintained throughout the facilities and that all staff and visitors wore masks to help prevent further spread of the disease. Putnam General Hospital also wished to extend their deepest gratitude to every member of the staff who came to work prepared to take care of patients who did not have the option to stay at home in a safe environment but still risked their health and safety to come to work. Dillon Chambers is a senior at Putnam County High School. One of the ways he gives back to the community is helping the elderly population in any way he can whether it be landscaping their lawns or assisting them with any technology questions they may have. He has also taken Karate lessons from a young age and has offered lessons for younger children as well as self defense courses for women. Dillon plans on attending Kennesaw State University in the Fall, where he will be majoring in computer science. He hopes to pursue a master’s degree in computer science and open up his very own computer store in the Atlanta area.

As we look to the future of the Chamber and the growth that we see happening, we need to take a few moments, although hours Add a or days would be more appropriate, to recognize the incredible leader who built the foundation we are fortunate to currently stand on. subheading Roddie Anne began her career in 1980, less than a year after the Chamber was founded and has been a guiding force for the organization ever since. Over those 40 years, she raised the Chamber like one of her own children. As a cornerstone of the organization, she grew it into what it is today; a pillar of the community, although, being the humble individual she is, she will be quick to tell you that it was a team effort and she had a big one. She saw the Chamber through 5 different locations, growth in membership, countless fundraisers, community events, and endless economic and community development projects. She graduated from Chamber Institute (a 6 year program at UGA), the Economic Development Institute at Ga. Tech, numerous Leadership Development courses, and her latest was as a Georgia Certified Chamber Executive (currently only 24 in the state). She currently sits or has sat on numerous boards including the Central Georgia Technical College board, TriCounty EMC Foundation, the Plaza Arts Center, the Downtown Development Authority and the Eatonton Main Street Board. She created Leadership Putnam in 1990, overseeing 26 classes and nearly 600 graduates, as well as the restoration of the old Eatonton School to The Plaza Arts Center. She also opened the Putnam Campus of CGTC in 2002 and served on the Board of the Technical College. She was also a founding member of Georgia’s Antebellum Trail and Georgia’s Lake Country marketing associations. Her involvement with the Putnam Development Authority also helped many different organizations come to Putnam County including Hanes/Sara Lee Knit Products, Haband, Gro Tech, Perky Cap, Ingles, Wal-Mart, Hylite Windows, the Rock Eagle Technology Park and numerous other small businesses. She created Leadership Putnam in 1990, overseeing 26 classes and nearly 600 graduates, as well as the restoration of the old Eatonton School to The Plaza Arts Center. She also opened the Putnam Campus of CGTC in 2002 and served on the Board of the Technical College. She was also a founding member of Georgia’s Antebellum Trail and Georgia’s Lake Country marketing associations. Her involvement with the Putnam Development Authority also helped many different organizations come to Putnam County including Hanes/Sara Lee Knit Products, Haband, Gro Tech, Perky Cap, Ingles, Wal-Mart, Hylite Windows, the Rock Eagle Technology Park and numerous other small businesses. She received the “Legacy Award” from the Georgia Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives (GACCE) in 2016, the highest award that can be received by a Chamber Executive and is given to someone who has served the Chamber for many years producing high quality work in their community. Roddie Anne is the longest serving Chamber Executive in Georgia. In her 40 years of service she has dedicated countless hours and amounts of energy building turning the Chamber into the welloiled machine we know today. You are a true example of a citizen commitment and have led the Eatonton-Putnam community to great heights. The Eatonton-Putnam Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors is proud to announce the establishment of the Roddie Anne Blackwell Leadership and Service Award. This award will be Board nominated and selected each year and given to an individual that has shown superior leadership, commitment and service to the Eatonton-Putnam community. They will be someone who motivates and inspires others, understands the importance of sometimes taking risks to achieve goals, demonstrates the ability to take charge, develops creative solutions and is recognized by others for being dedicated to their work and community.