The Jonesboro Regional Chamber of Commerce hosted their 95th Annual Meeting Thursday, October 7 at the Arkansas State University Convocation Center.
The meeting was the official transfer of office for incoming committee chairs, members of the board of directors and members of the executive committee.
Several awards were presented at the meeting to honor Chamber volunteers and those who have benefited the community.
Two Excellence in Agriculture Awards were presented. The first, 2010 Agri Business Person of the Year, was awarded to Mike Cone of Lyons and Cone. This award is presented to a Business Person who friends the agriculture community and goes beyond in their service to assist in their business needs. Cone holds a Bachelor of Arts in Business and Economics from Hendrix College. He received his law degree with honors from the University of Arkansas. Cone has been in private practice in Jonesboro for over eighteen years and is a member of the law firm of Lyons & Cone, PLC. A significant portion of his practice centers on the representation of agricultural producers and business owners in the mid-south.
The second Excellence in Agriculture Awards is the 2010 Agri Business Committee’s Farmer of the Year. This year’s recipients are brothers Dale and Bobby Davis of Bono. Both have served on the Westside School Board, Riceland Foods Board, and ASCS Board. The brothers joined forces in 1977, and their operation has continued to grow since. Dale’s son Shannon, and Bobby’s sons Chad and Drew have since joined their families farming business.
The 2010 Outstanding Young Professional Awards was presented to Amy Osment, Marketing Communications Specialist at Liberty Bank of Arkansas. Osment, Vice President of the JYPN board, also served as chairman of the 2011 JYPN Conference Committee. The Jonesboro Young Professionals Network gives this award based upon involvement in the organization, attendance at events and leadership in the organization.
Selena Barber was named the 2010 Goodwill Ambassador of the Year. Selena is the Corporate Marketing Director for Liberty Bank of Arkansas. Selena, a two year Goodwill Ambassador, will serve as President of the Ambassadors for 2011. She has attended 28 ribbon cuttings, 4 power breakfast events and 10 business after hours. The Ambassador of the Year is chosen based upon a points system established by that group. As well as serving as a Goodwill Ambassador, Selena volunteers with Smile for a Lifetime, Women Can Run, Junior Auxiliary, Northeast Arkansas Advertising Federation, Arkansas Bank Marketers and the United Way.
The Betty T. Sloan Award was established in 1985 to honor an individual or organization for outstanding promotion of our city through an event or series of events that elevates the image of Jonesboro and brings visitors to the area. The award was named in honor of Betty Sloan in 1991 after her many years of service as chairman of the Chamber’s promotion committee and her ongoing promotion of the city she loves. The 2010 Betty T. Sloan award was presented to Tim Dean and The Convocation Center. Dean and the staff of the Convocation Center have helped to bring in many top performers including Reba McEntire, Brad Paisley, Kenny Chesney and many others. In addition to concerts and local ASU athletics, the Convocation Center holds hundreds of meetings including Rotary’s Arkansas Sports Show, the Lions Club Car Show; the Chamber’s Business EXPO, Lit’l Bita Christmas, the NEA District Fair Rodeo, HMG Health Fair, and 7 area high school graduations. The central box office zip code reports show that patrons come from 13 counties in Northeast Arkansas. And in fiscal year July 2009 through June 2010 the official count of visitors and customers to meetings, events, shows, games, ceremonies, and concerts was 455,345.
In 1992, the Chamber established the Roy H. Jolly Volunteer of the Year Award to be presented to an individual that has dedicated many years to economic and community development. The award is named in honor of Jolly, a long time community leader who exemplified the long term commitment needed for community development. This award is the highest honor bestowed upon a volunteer by the Chamber of Commerce. Gene Vance was this year’s recipients of the Roy H. Jolly Award. Vance, a native of northeast Arkansas, has spent his life in service to his community. Following his father’s example of serving his community, Vance has served key roles with City Youth Ministries, The Learning Center, St. Bernards Advocate, Chamber of Commerce and Jonesboro Economic Development Corporation, as well as other organizations. His father, Howard Vance was the first recipient of this award in 1992. Vance also donates his time and energy cooking for these and various other organizations and charities.
Paul Waits, the 2009-2010 Chairman of the Board, handed the gavel over to Beverly Nix, 2010-2011 Chairman of the Board for the Jonesboro Regional Chamber of Commerce. As Chairman of the Board, Nix will preside over all meetings of the Board of Directors as well as serve as chief spokesperson for the corporation.
Other members of the executive committee are Ed Way, Liberty Bank of Arkansas, Chairman Elect; Michael Givens, St. Bernards Regional Medical Center, Treasurer; Paul Waits, Ritter Communications, Immediate Past Chair; Kevan Inboden, CWL, Jonesboro Unlimited Chairman and Steve Cox, Rainwater Cox, JEDC President.
The Jonesboro Regional Chamber of Commerce continues to be the leader in development and enhancement of business and industrial development in the local area. Jonesboro Regional Chamber of Commerce is a voluntary organization of civic, community, business, and professional leaders who work together to improve the civic and economic vitality of the community.
Subscribe via RSS 
