TIFTON — Awards honoring community leaders were given out at the Annual Tifton Tift County Chamber of Commerce Banquet on Jan. 23.

Dr. Homer Day’s induction into the Tifton-Tift County Chamber of Commerce’s Wall of Fame was the culmination of the evening of awards. Day received a standing ovation from the attendees as he accepted the award for al lifetime of service to the community.

Day was a member of the professional staff at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College for 30 years, his career culminating when he was named Interim President in 2000. He has also served on the Board of Commissioners for the Tifton Housing Authority for more then 25 years, including the last 20 as the Board Chair. Additionally, he serves on the Tift County Development Authority, is the treasurer for PLIGHT, Inc. and as the Chairman of the Board of Deacons at Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church. Previously, he served as the President of the Tifton Rotary Club, the first African American to hold that post, just as he integrated the professional staff at ABAC when he was hired in 1972.

Jody Benson was named the Ambassador of the Year.

Benson is a sales consultant with Georgia Premier Services and has served as an Ambassador with the Chamber of Commerce for many years. A Berrien County native, Benson is also a former J. Lamar Branch Award winner and is a consistent presence at Chamber of Commerce events.

Mandy Brooks received the Prince Business Woman of the Year Award.

Brooks is the executive director of the Tift Regional Medical Center Foundation, which helps to provide assistance to patients in need in a variety of ways. Under her leadership, the Foundation’s philanthropic efforts have grown, most recently with the addition of the Mobile Clinic “Care-A-Van” which brings healthcare services to areas in the community that have the largest need. Brooks has served as the Special Events Chair for the Tifton Rotary Club and is active in several ministries at First Baptist Church.

Dr. Ryan Currie was the winner of the J. Lamar Branch Award.

Currie has been an instructor in the Stafford School of Business at ABAC since 2017 after previously working as an attorney in the Atlanta area. He has been an active Ambassador with the Chamber of Commerce and often brings his students to Chamber functions so that they can learn more about the community.

Ernest Lang received the Tifton Rotary Club Ethics in Business Award.

Lang took over his family business, Lang Printing and Office Supply, in the mid 1970s and it continued to grow and serve the company’s business needs before recently announcing it’s closing. Lang has also been a member of the Tifton Rotary Club for nearly 40 years and he remains active with the Sunbelt Runners.

Bill Park won the John Hunt Entrepreneur of the Year Award.

Park is the President and CEO of Tifton Quality Peanuts, a farmer-owned corporation formed in 2006. The business, which employs 94 full-time personnel, produces about 160 million pounds of edible product each year and ships its product to some of the largest retailers in the industry. Park also serves as a board member at Spring Hill Country Club and organizes the annual Bridge the Gap for Kids golf tournament that raises funds for the Backpack and Kids Special Needs programs at the Bridge Church.

Fortson Turner of Turner’s Furniture was the winner of the Stafford Award.

Turner, along with his brother Austin, is a fourth-generation co-owner of Turner’s Furniture. Under his leadership, the company has grown to include 11 stores from Middle Georgia to North Florida, as well as a distribution center in Tifton. He has been active with the Chamber of Commerce, the United Way, First United Methodist Church and with Tifton’s Young Life organization.

Chamber President and CEO Brian Marlowe reviewed a year of growth in Tift County. He also welcomed several officials from Coca-Cola United Bottling Company who attended the banquet hours after holding the official groundbreaking for their new Tifton location, which is scheduled to open in early 2021.

Chris Cutts took over as board chairman for the 2020 Executive Board from Darian Peavy.

“Tonight we’ve heard about exceptional business activity and many successes we’ve experienced in Tifton,” Cutts said. “All of us here in Tifton know Tifton is a great town. It’s an awesome community. It’s an excellent place to raise our families. We must continue to work hard to make it an even better place to be.”