Medical team named Hospital Heroes

VALDOSTA – South Georgia Medical Center honored registered nurses Shane Ashcraft and Kate Voiner, patient care techs Jared Crotser and Roxanne Montz, patient care coordinators Gina Colson and Sheila Harbinson and case manager Joel Williams as Hospital Heroes during the recent Hospital Authority of Valdosta-Lowndes County meeting. 

Ashcraft, Crotser and Voiner accepted the awards on behalf of the team that serves on SGMC’s critical care units, hospital representatives said in a statement.

On June 1, Randy Smith, SGMC chief nursing officer and chief operating officer, received a call from an appreciative father whose daughter had been admitted into SGMC’s Intensive Care Unit. 

“He and his family were so impressed by the care given to his daughter and wanted to do something for the staff to express their admiration,” hospital representatives said. “The father arranged for food trays to be sent to both the day and night shift employees. He explained that both he and his family were in complete awe of how compassionate and caring the SGMC staff had been.”

Smith said in such an intense environment, many situations escalate quickly. Handling these high-stress cases requires leadership and teamwork. 

“SGMC is extremely proud of this team for their demonstration of partnership, unity and excellence,” representatives said.

Voiner said, “It’s not about any one of us individually. It’s all of us. It’s a team effort.”

Ashcraft, Crotser and Voiner all received standing ovations from those in attendance.

For more information, visit sgmc.org.   

  

Miller Hardware enters brand agreement

VALDOSTA — Miller Hardware Company, an independent hardware company serving South Georgia and North Florida, has announced a strategic brand partnership for its location on 3137 N. Oak St. Ext. 

“Things may begin looking a touch more red for the Miller Hardware located on North Oak Street Extension” said Jonathan Miller of Miller Hardware. “We are eager to meld our best practices with the many opportunities flying the Ace brand brings.”

An independently branded retailer relationship with Ace Hardware Corporation and Miller Hardware Company has been at play for several decades, company representatives said in a statement. 

“Stepping into a branded format will allow for significant improvements to the customer experience,” Miller said. “Powerful retail drivers associated with access to certain technology will only strengthen our value proposition.”

Customers will soon have seamless access to same-day pick-up, ship to home, ship to store, delivery and curbside pick-up via mobile app and acehardware.com. 

“It’s important to note this branding agreement pertains only to the 3137 N. Oak St. Ext. location,” representatives said. “This change does not affect the name, ownership nor identity of Miller Hardware Company.”

Ace Hardware Corporation is an American hardware retailers’ cooperative based in Oak Brook, Illinois. Founded in 1924 by a small group of Chicago hardware store owners, Ace is the world’s largest hardware retail cooperative with more than 5,000 locations, representatives said. 

Miller Hardware Company has been serving the people and communities of South Georgia and North Florida since 1908. Miller Hardware Company has evolved into one of the largest independent hardware companies in South Georgia.

As a fourth-generation family business, Miller Hardware Company continues to carry forward its reputable customer service through three distinct divisions, representatives said.

Big Daddy Guns cuts ribbon

VALDOSTA – The Valdosta-Lowndes County Chamber of Commerce hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony for new member Big Daddy Guns, 3886 Bemiss Road, Suite B.

“We are your one-stop shop for firearms and accessories. We carry a full array of tactical vests, belts, optics and semi-autos. We also have a class 3 license for all your NFA needs. We lead with a customer-first attitude and look forward to serving this incredible community,” said Chad Hopkins, store manager and a Valdosta native.

Big Daddy Guns opened just three months ago and has already served more than 3,600 customers, chamber representatives said in a statement.

For more information, contact Hopkins at (229) 415-4293, by email at chad.hopkins@bigdaddyguns.com.

Repeat Boutique cuts ribbon for Northside re-opening

VALDOSTA – The Valdosta-Lowndes Chamber of Commerce helped Repeat Boutique Thrift Store’s second location, 422 A Northside Drive, celebrate its grand re-opening with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

In August 1998, Repeat Boutique Thrift Store was started by Options Now, A Life Choice Clinic, in a small storefront on West Gordon Street, chamber representatives said. It has been an active contributor to the support of Options Now ever since. Seventeen years later, a second store was opened on Northside Drive.

In February, the Northside Drive location experienced what could have been a devastating event – an extensive water leak caused the business to close for a week and a half, chamber representatives said.

The store reopened after clean-up, minus some flooring, displays and sheetrock. 

“Much work needed to be completed to get us back to the status quo, but our leaser, Morningside Baptist, went above and beyond to help revamp and renew our space. The change has been so significant that we felt it was time to do a grand reopening to share our new space with everyone,” said Nikki Stewart, store director.

Stewart said Repeat Boutique offers an “exclusive thrift store experience in a truly boutique setting.”

Repeat Boutique was nominated for the chamber’s 2021 Members’ Choice Award and was chosen as Leading Business of the Week earlier this year. 

“We love these opportunities to share our mission and passion with others but also to recognize and support other area businesses as well,” Stewart said.

For more information, contact Nikki Stewart at (229) 412-6341, my email at Nikki.s@optionsnow.org, or follow them on Facebook @RepeatBoutiqueGA.