Brilliant Minds cuts ribbon

VALDOSTA – The Valdosta-Lowndes Chamber of Commerce helped Brilliant Minds Academy of Georgia, 2408 Bemiss Road, celebrate its grand opening with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Brilliant Minds Academy of Georgia is a new, locally owned and operated early childcare and learning center. Serving the educational needs of children ages 6 months to 12 years old, Brilliant Minds Academy offers age-appropriate curriculums and homework assistance, chamber representatives said in a statement. The center operates 5:30 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday through Friday.

“With over 18 years of hands-on experience caring for children, your child will flourish in our safe, clean and educational environment. I love children and I am overjoyed with the opportunity to positively impact families’ lives by being a part of their children’s foundation,” said Danielle Chappell, owner.

As a mother to an 18-, 11- and nine-year-old, Chappell said she recalls desperately searching for an attentive, enlightened and intact childcare facility for her children. She can relate to parents and their desire for quality childcare, which is exactly why she’s chosen to fulfill her dream of operating her own daycare, chamber representatives said.

Chappell was raised in Brooks County and now calls Lowndes County home. A Valdosta State graduate, she holds a degree in criminal justice and early childhood education. Chappell is a former Georgia Department of Corrections and Georgia Department of Human Services employee for the past 10 years. Her final years with the GDHS were spent holding the position of child support agent, where she grew her passion for interacting with children.

“To support our inclusive community, we tailor study methods to align with your child’s learning style. Striving to keep the interactions virtuous, we embrace a learning environment that will prepare your child for the path ahead,” Chappell said. “Our facility incorporates traditional early learning styles as well as hands-on experiences.”

For more information, contact Danielle Chappell at (229) 469-4074 or by email at brilliantminds1984@gmail.com.

  

Prince Automotive named Corporation of the Quarter

VALDOSTA – The Valdosta-Lowndes Chamber of Commerce, with the support of Renasant Bank, has named Prince Automotive Group, 4550 North Valdosta Road, as the Corporation of the Quarter. 

The chamber’s Corporation of the Quarter program recognizes local businesses with 35 or more employees who are active in the community and have an employee-centric culture, chamber representatives said. The award focuses on businesses that not only supply a large number of jobs but ones that provide quality jobs.

Prince Automotive Group is a fourth-generation, family-owned business celebrating 55 years in business. It employs approximately 50 people in the Valdosta location and has nearly 200 team members at all Prince locations.

“One of the reasons we have been so successful is directly attributed to our team members. Our philosophy of taking care of our customers is always at the forefront of everything we do. Taking care of our team members first always ensures that we will have a customer-centric dealership with a focus on customer service,” Jay Prince, owner, said.

Prince said he feels he has created a culture of opportunity by promoting from within when possible, recognizing and rewarding great performance, writing and implementing better than industry pay plans, and innovating with technology and resources.

“Founder John B. Prince III had a strong belief in the importance of giving back to his community, and his philosophy has since been carried on by Jay Prince,” chamber representatives said. “Over the past 20 years, he has been active in the local community and served on many boards, including the Wiregrass Technical School Foundation board, Greater Valdosta United Way board and the Lowndes Associated Ministries to People board.

“By giving of our time and financial support, we are heavily invested in our community. We want Valdosta and South Georgia to continue to grow and be a place where others want to live and raise a family, including our own,” Prince said.

For more information, contact Prince Automotive Group at (229) 520-5482.

Nonprofit Hunger Fight cuts ribbon

VALDOSTA – Florida nonprofit Hunger Fight recently joined the Valdosta-Lowndes Chamber of Commerce and held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark its growth into the Valdosta area.

Established in November 2012, Hunger Fight is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida. The organization was developed to eradicate hunger in Northeast Florida and the surrounding areas and has been growing steadily through the years, chamber representatives said in a statement.

Through its “Feed the Backpacks” program, Hunger Fight provides “shelf-stable, nutritious, flavorful and easily prepared meals distributed weekly to children who are challenged with food insecurity or hunger,” chamber representatives said. “Additionally, their ‘Feed the Need to Read’ literacy program provides age-appropriate books to preschoolers ages 0-5-years old and attend daycares in low-income areas.”

“The Hunger Fight team is very passionate about helping others and serving our community. We believe that no child should be hungry and everyone deserves to have their basic needs met. This is why we fight tirelessly, year-round, to get our meals and books into the hands of those who need them most. We love what we do and are committed to serving those in the Valdosta area,” Rebecca Melendez, grant proposal manager and community project coordinator, said.

While there are many different organizations that participate in hunger relief, offering similar backpack feeding services or even book programs, Hunger Fight’s programs are different, chamber representatives said. 

“The nonprofit devotes its efforts to rallying businesses to personally participate in packing events where they lead participants in transforming raw ingredients into meals,” they added. “This offers the unique opportunity to see firsthand what your donated funds go towards and how they are used.”

Since its inception, Hunger Fight has hosted more than 450 meal-packing events, works with 13,000-plus volunteers annually and has packed and distributed more than 13 million meals. On a weekly, ongoing basis, the meals reach between 15,000 and 18,000 children.

For more information on how a business can partner with Hunger Fight, contact Rebecca Melendez at (904) 374-5623 or visit https://hungerfight.org.

GŪD Coffee Company cuts ribbon

VALDOSTA – The Valdosta-Lowndes Chamber of Commerce hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony for GŪD Coffee Company, now located at 133 N. Patterson St.

The locally owned coffee shop opened in January 2020 but it is now in a much larger location just across the street, chamber representatives said in a statement. Owner Daniel Bayman said his intent in moving was to provide Valdosta with a great spot to hang out and enjoy the atmosphere of a big city coffee shop.

“We are passionate about quality coffee but what we truly love are the interactions with customers when they try one of our house-made syrups and realize that coffee is more than just a pick me up, but meant to be an experience,” Bayman said.

Bayman said every local shop is a drive-thru location and GŪD has chosen to be a spot purely dedicated to coming in and relaxing. It focuses on the quality of the coffee and the experience, not the speed at which it is served.

When asked about the chamber’s role in his business, Bayman said the Valdosta chamber has helped spread the “GŪD Word” for his business. 

“I think it is important for any business, especially a small locally owned business to be involved in their community and the chamber is just one example of this,” he said.

For more information, contact Daniel Bayman at (229) 531-3916.

 Southeastern promotes Bennett, Burton

VALDOSTA – Southeastern Credit Union has announced its latest promotions to vice president chief lending officer and assistant vice president of retail.

Eric Bennett has been promoted to vice president chief lending officer, company representatives said in a statement. He joined the credit union as a commercial lender in 2017 and was promoted to AVP of retail in 2019.

Mitchell Burton has been promoted to assistant vice president retail services. Burton formerly served in the role of consumer lender at the credit union and has been with Southeastern since January 2020.

Commenting on the promotions, Mike Gudely, president and CEO, said, “It’s aways great to promote from within. Eric and Mitchell have distinguished themselves with their performance the last several years. I look forward to seeing their careers continue to grow. We are fortunate to have them on the team”.

Southeastern Credit Union is a not-for-profit financial institution serving South Georgia since 1953. The Credit Union is owned by its 29,000-plus members and governed by a member-elected board of directors. Southeastern has branch offices located in Valdosta, Tifton, Moody Air Force Base, Waycross, Quitman and Nashville. 

For more information, visit www.SoutheasternCU.com.