99th Annual Awards Banquet

The Ruston-Lincoln Chamber of Commerce 99th Annual Awards Banquet, presented by Bank of Ruston will be held Tuesday, January 15, 2019 at the Ruston Civic Center.
 

Awards presented by the Chamber:

*  Robert E. Russ Award recipient: Kyle McDonald
*  Business of the Year: Ruston Brick
*  Young Business Leader of the Year: Dylan Sanders
*  Ambassador of the Year: Ron Veitch
*  Origin Bank Young Entrepreneur: Makhia Mamon
*  Recognition of 5 Young Business Leaders to Watch: Brent Causey, Morgan Garrison, Carlyn Harbour, Victoria Sexton & Tori Ward Davis

Awards presented on behalf of Ruston-Lincoln Organizations:

*  Ruston Rotary Club's Bill Best Humanitarian Award recipient: Eddie Barnes
*  Ruston Kiwanis' Firefighter of the Year: District Chief John E. Price, Sr., LP Fire District 1, Law Enforcement Officer of the Year: K-9 Team, Sergeant Kyle Luker & Sergeant Boco, LP Sheriff's Office, and Educator of the Year: Coach Donnie Barmore, Cedar Creek School
*  Lincoln Parish School District's Distinguished Partners in Education Award recipients: First Baptist Church-Ruston & Newk's Eatery
*  Ruston Lincoln Convention and Visitors Bureau's Hospitality Award recipient: Nicholas Bustamante & Whitney Trisler Causey
*  Junior Auxillary's Betty Robbins Volunteer of the Year Award: Catherine McVea
The Banquet will begin at 6 pm. with a wine-and-cheese social. Dinner will be served at 6:45 pm by Uptown Downtown Ruston. Attire is business or semi-formal. Tiered level sponsors of this event are Origin Bank and Hunt Guillot & Associates (HGA). Other sponsors Devine Wine & The Keg, Gumbeaux Productions, 2 Crazy Girls, Southern Grace Events and Blessings, MOEbiz Ruston & GodleyWorks Advertising & Marketing.

The banquet is also the time that the Chamber recognizes its outgoing board members as well as inducting the 2019 board members. Having completed their terms and rolling off the Board are Cathi Cox-Boniol (Lincoln ACHIEVE), Michael Gahagan (Country Inn & Suites by Carlson), Emily Gatlin (Legacy Outpatient Therapy Services), Josh Perot (LA Tech Sports Properties), and Brandon Sutherland (United Way). Greg McCarter represented Crime Stoppers but will resign from that board after many years of service.

The 2019 Executive board appointments are as follows: Chair, Earl Smith, (Wells Fargo Advisors); Chair Elect & Community Development, Marisol O'Neal (Origin Bank); Organizational Development, Chad Ginn (HiTech Computers); Events Planning & Development, Jessica Hughes (Southern Grace Events and Blessings); Membership Development, Eric McCulloch (Edward Jones Financial Advisor); and Immediate Past Chair, Lee Denny (Bank of Ruston). 

Incoming board officers are John Deason (Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott Ruston), Adam Hohlt (Hampton by Hilton of Ruston), Tyler Storms (Tyler Graham Storms), Grace Tirado (Genesis Energy) and Ron Veitch (Anti Pest & Veitch).

Continuing Directors are Cathan Brooks (Henderson Financial Services), Summer Hammons (MY HAPPY PLACE, Vintage Market), Kristi Hardaway (Princeton Place), Ryan Madden (Napper & Madden); April McGuirt (First National Bank), and Michelle Tolar (United Way of Northeast Louisiana). 

Continuing ex-officio members: Lee Denny (Lincoln Parish Crime Stoppers); Andy Durrett (Ruston Lincoln Convention & Visitors Bureau); Dr. Les Guice, (Louisiana Tech University); Courtney Hall (LP Police Jury); Kristi Lumpkin (City of Ruston, Economic Development); Eldred Hardison (Lincoln Parish Sheriff's Department); Marc Newman (Grambling State University); Doug Postel (Louisiana Delta Community College); Lindsay Tomlinson (Origin Bank, elite level member) and Ronny Walker (City of Ruston). Chamber board members serve three-year terms.

Tickets are $40 each for Chamber members, and $50 for non-members. A reserved table of eight, for Chamber members is $325, non-members is $405. Register online or drop by the Chamber office located at 2111 North Trenton Street.