May 16, 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Crystal France
Director of Marketing/PR
Martinsville-Henry County Economic Development Corporation
276.403.5940
cfrance@yesmartinsville.com
Economic Development Corporation Recognizes Community Leaders
~Business Appreciation Awards given to highlight outstanding contributions to the community and a special legacy award to the Martinsville Speedway ~
Martinsville, VA (May 16, 2007) – The Martinsville-Henry County Economic Development Corporation recognized leaders in the community today with their 6th annual Business Appreciation Awards. These awards were given in conjunction with the Chamber of Commerce’s Appreciation Awards at Bassett Country Club.
The Cutting Edge Award, given in recognition of use of cutting edge technology and keeping ahead of the technology curve, was awarded to Tommy Rogers, Rogers Technology Services. Tommy has over 25 years of experience in the field of information technology. His company provides local businesses solutions in the areas of network integration, business continuity, wireless systems, consulting and outsourcing. Most recently, Tommy performed a Telecommunications and Power Assessment for the entire Martinsville-Henry County area. This evaluation was customized to prospect recruitment efforts specifically for the Commonwealth of Virginia’s Distributed Services efforts, which include recruiting companies to rural areas of the state from larger cities. Tommy’s diligence allowed the EDC to fully understand what types of power and IT capabilities are available for all of our industrial parks.
Gildan was presented the Keystone Award, reserved for the company that creates the most jobs. Accepting the award for Gildan was David Haley, Facility Director. Since announcing its plan to invest $7 million in our community in August, Gildan has hired 123 permanent employees, adding 5 new positions just last week and anticipate growing to 160 at project completion. We look forward to their further growth in our community.
Worth Harris Carter, Jr. is the recipient of the Pillar Award. This award is a lifetime achievement award. Worth is one of the most well-known, highly regarded businessmen throughout the Commonwealth. He has been featured in many publications including VIRGINIA BUSINESS and BANKINVESTOR. In these articles Worth is described as being a “visionary,” mentioned as being “the most successful banker in these parts,” with his ideas being characterized as “so old fashioned it seems radical.” His innovativeness and willpower to solve difficult, if not impossible problems, in a practical, well thought out manner is unprecedented in today’s business climate.
Worth was humbled last fall when the board of directors of each of the original ten banks decided to name the new bank Carter Bank & Trust in his honor. He presented other bank names but this was one battle he lost. Carter Bank & Trust has 125 offices currently open throughout Virginia and North Carolina. More importantly to our community, the corporate headquarters is located here in Martinsville and Henry County. Because of this commitment to our local community the organization employees over 300 people locally out of a total of 1,200.
Worth has a strong work ethic but even with his demanding schedule, he is extremely active in numerous organizations and civic affairs. Worth served for 21 years on the City of Martinsville School Board and was chairman for 11 of those years. He has been on the Board of Trustees for Ferrum College, Mary Baldwin College Averett University and the Virginia Bankers Association School of Bank Management. He served on the Board of Directors of the Virginia Bankers Association in Richmond and the Board of Directors of Mod-U-Kraft Homes in Rocky Mount. He also was a member of the Civil Justice Reform Act Advisor Committee for the U.S. District Court, Western District of Virginia. Currently, he is on the Board of Trustees for the University of Richmond. He earned his B.A. in Political Science and history from the University of Richmond in 1958. He then attended law school at UVA before becoming a Federal Reserve Bank Examiner.
Worth cares about his community and his employees. This is evident by the loyalty his employees have to him, there are currently 80 employees that have over twenty years of service with the bank. His commitment to this community is obvious. Most of his involvement is behind the scenes without publicity, but he is always there sharing his resources and his knowledge.
The Entrepreneurial Spirit Award, given to an individual or company with perseverance and tenacity who successfully developed a new business, was awarded to Jamie Lester, American Standard Building Systems. In 1996, the company his father and uncle had founded filed to reorganize under chapter 11 bankruptcy. When Jamie learned of this he decided if he was ever to get the company back….now was the time. After a tough battle, the bankruptcy judge confirmed his plan and at the age of 33, Jamie returned to Martinsville to turn the company around.
In 2002, ASBS launched its owner builder program, branded Owner Builder Solutions, marketed exclusively on the internet. The site has access to over 10,000 standard home plans, offers customer home design services, and 100% construction financing. ASBS is one of a few companies across the nation that offers owner builder services AND actually manufactures its own product. The company also began selling components….floor and roof trusses, rather than whole packages, to building supply companies, home improvement chain centers, and builders.
The company now employs 120 dedicated employees. Not only does it ship house packages to every state, but has shipped housing units, small commercial buildings, and motel units to 16 foreign countries. Sales have risen 44% since 2003, raised from bankruptcy to profitability. Jamie’s commitment to the company resulted in saving a local business and local jobs – this is the EDC’s number one priority, so we applaud Jamie and his tenacity today.
Ben Gardner is the recipient of the Ambassador of the Year Award. This award is given to a company or individual who goes beyond the call of duty in hosting new economic development prospects for Martinsville-Henry County. He has been working in economic development since the early 70s when he was very active in the Chamber of Commerce, simultaneously building his law practice. In 1976, he became the Chamber’s 18th Chairman of the Board.
Ben has worked in economic development as a member of C-PEG and a board member of the Patrick Henry Development Council—a city-county economic development agency that disbanded in 2001. He served as Coalition Chairman in 2004 for the Coalition for Economic Progress whose name was later changed to the Martinsville-Henry County Economic Development Corporation. Ben is still an active member of the EDC’s Board of Directors.
He lives in Martinsville-Henry County with his wife Marty and has three grown sons, all of whom graduated from Martinsville High School. He has said on numerous occasions publicly that he stays so involved because he wants to have a better place for his children and grandchildren. Ben is Martinsville-Henry County’s most optimistic spokesman and a true leader, not only in our community, but in the entire region.
Kathy Arrington was awarded the Tourism Achievement Award. This is the second year that this award has been given and is awarded to individuals or companies for their outstanding contribution to the tourism efforts of the area. Since Joey and Kathy Arrington purchased The Clubhouse Resort (formerly the Fieldale Lodge), it has been turned into a valuable tourism asset. In a short time, The Lodge has been nominated and approved for listing in the National Register of Historic Landmarks and has become a prime example of adaptive reuse of a local community landmark. The Lodge is the only Bed and Breakfast facility in the area, making it a prime place for travelers to stay and for use in the EDC’s recruiting efforts.
For the first year, 2 awards for Small & Minority Business Development were presented. These awards are for small businesses that have shown innovation and creativity in diversifying and growing their businesses and are prime examples of how small businesses impact our economy by adding jobs and tax base in a steady, stable manner. This year’s awards were presented to Nancy and Charles Bradshaw, Triangle Electric Company and Robert Ramos, Ramos Cleaning Service.
Triangle Electric obtained SWaM and HUBZone certifications and became certified as woman-owned small business in NC. Nancy and Charles have been proactive in building relationships with both state and federal buyers and have attended every networking event offered, even out of town. This year, they have been awarded $200,000 in VA Tech contracts due to SWaM.
Ramos Cleaning Service obtained SWaM certification this year. The company has had an increase in sales of $221,400 because of the certification. Robert has added 4 new employees to accommodate his new contracts, which include the New College Institute and the Virginia Museum of Natural History.
A Legacy Award was presented to the Martinsville Speedway. Accepting the award for the Speedway were Clay Campbell, track President and Mike Smith, Director of Public Relations. Sixty years ago, the first NASCAR race was run at Martinsville Speedway. The track opened with 750 seats. The economic impact of the track on this community since then is immeasurable. Every year, hundreds of thousands of race teams and fans flock to our community, stay in hotels and eat in restaurants. They experience NASCAR like nowhere else on the half mile paperclip track that has afforded Martinsville-Henry County international recognition. It is, without a doubt, our community’s greatest marketing tool.
In addition to its racing events, the Speedway feels great civic responsibility and is very active in our community. Whether hosting after prom parties, charitable walks around the track, or the highly anticipated Fourth of July community celebration, which draws over 30,000 people each year, the Speedway gives back to our community at every turn. We are fortunate to have the track and the commitment of its founders, the Campbell family, and current owners the International Speedway Corporation.
The Speedway was presented a mixed media painting depicting 60 years of racing history by Martinsville artist Karen Despot.
The mission of the Martinsville-Henry County Economic Development Corporation is to create new job opportunities and expand the tax base for the area. The organization strives to support and develop local industry, as well as market Martinsville-Henry County globally as an exceptional place to live, work and play.
The EDC is a public-private partnership between the City of Martinsville, Henry County, the Martinsville-Henry County Chamber of Commerce, the Martinsville-Henry County Chamber’s Partnership for Economic Growth (C-PEG) and the Harvest Foundation of the Piedmont.
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