Red Cross cuts ribbon for new site

VALDOSTA – The Valdosta-Lowndes County Chamber of Commerce hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the American Red Cross of South-Central Georgia’s new location at 385 Connell Road.

The American Red Cross of South-Central Georgia focuses on a range of services, including disaster relief, community disaster preparedness, water safety and lifeguard training, first aid and CPR and provides services to the armed forces, chamber representatives said in a statement.

Terri Jenkins, Red Cross executive director, said the relocation into a bio-med facility will allow a stronger in-person collaboration with all lines of service that will benefit clients, donors, partners and the community. In addition, the new location offers more space for training services to ensure people are ready to respond to lifesaving activities and help save lives.

“Many thought that there were two Red Cross components, blood services and humanitarian services. It has always been one organization and one mission, just different lines of service. All lines of service will operate under one roof for the first time in years. It is a blood services facility where blood and disaster supplies are stored for community drives and disaster operations. Board meetings, volunteer training, blood drives, CPR classes and more will take place out of this building,” Jenkins said.

In the past fiscal year, Jenkins said the South-Center Georgia chapter assisted 362 families, installed 340 smoke alarms, hosted nearly 300 blood drives, collected more than 6,300 units of blood, more than 1,100 services were provided to active-duty members and veterans, and 3,375 people were trained in lifesaving courses, aquatics and lifecare giving.

“We wanted to share with the community where the Red Cross office is now and show off the beautiful facility. It is important to know where to go to inquire about donating blood, signing up for training classes, making a financial donation, and requesting help if a disaster, such as a home fire, has occurred,” Jenkins said.

For more information, contact Jenkins at (229) 300-6094, by email at terri.jenkins@redcross.org, or online at www.redcross.org/ga/south.

Virtual World cuts ribbon for new site

HAHRA – The Valdosta-Lowndes County Chamber of Commerce and community partners helped celebrate Virtual World Technologies’ new location at 7404 Sonny Rogers Memorial Drive.

Virtual World’s services include local support, monitoring and maintenance for servers, workstations, applications and cloud systems, chamber representatives said in a statement. In addition, its team can provide technology consulting.

“This year, we celebrated 27 years in business, and we were able to move into our beautiful new headquarters in Hahira, Georgia. Our new building was designed from the ground up to assist our team with stress reduction and a relaxed environment. We have a gym, an arcade, and many different environments for our team to work or relax in,” Kaitlin Wyrick, chief operating officer, said.

Fellow Valdosta-Lowndes Chamber members Gladwin Vaughn Architecture and Cauthan Construction Company helped design and build the new facility.

“Our business chose to relocate to Hahira, Georgia as it provided a beautiful growing community – peaceful and a perfect environment for our team to thrive. Many smart and savvy tech people often consider moving to a larger city but we hope that our environment, culture and cause will help to retain that excellent talent for our area,” Wyrick said.

Wyrick said there is an enhanced need for businesses to be able to work from any location without fear or comprise. Because of this, Virtual World strongly focuses on enabling and migrating businesses to the cloud, he added.

“We love helping our clients grow their businesses by ensuring their technology and data are secure, while increasing their overall productivity and efficiency. We want to be a positive change in our world by helping those clients that can make a difference. We focus on companies that share our vision and do everything we can to help them be effective and safe with their technology,” Wyrick said.

For more information, contact Wyrick at (229) 250-8000, by email at kaitlin@vwtonline.com, or online at www.vwtonline.com.

Moore, Clarke, DuVall & Rodgers named leading business 

VALDOSTA – The Valdosta-Lowndes County Chamber of Commerce and sponsor CCB Tech Group named Moore, Clarke, DuVall & Rodgers, P.C., 2611 N. Patterson St., the Leading Business of the Week.

Founded in 1994 in Albany, the full-service law firm has grown to include offices in Valdosta, Tifton, Savannah and Atlanta, chamber representatives said in a statement.

“We opened our Valdosta office in 2003 and have enjoyed the opportunity to grow our practice here and become a part of the community. Our professionals specialize in almost every area needed by businesses including commercial transactions, commercial litigation, banking, tax and estate, employment, real estate, worker’s compensation defense, and mediation,” said Brad Folsom, partner.

During the last 29 years, the firm has not only opened additional offices but the team has grown from four lawyers to 25.

“I love working here because of, first, the people and the work we do for our clients. Our group of lawyers and staff work extremely hard but do so in a way that values our families and our community. We strive to do the absolute best job for our clients on each matter, and providing top-notch, efficient legal services is our main priority,” Folsom said.

Valdosta chamber members for almost 20 years, Folsom said the chamber has given the firm opportunities to be involved in several areas of service to the community, including the SEEDS Center, the governmental affairs committee and through service on the board.

“The chamber has always been a partner of the business community and willing to help our business in any way they can. Their advocacy for a vibrant business environment in which to operate has made Valdosta an extremely attractive place to locate our office and become a part of the community,” Folsom said.

For more information, contact Folsom at (229) 245-7823, by email at bfolsom@mcdr-law.com, or online at www.mcdr-law.com.

City names APWA Employee of the Year 

VALDOSTA – Every year, the Georgia chapter of the American Public Works Association recognizes a public works employee from across the state by awarding the APWA Chapter Employee of the Year Award to an employee with outstanding achievements. 

The APWA awards banquet named Gary Turner, groundskeeper II for the right-of-way maintenance division of the City of Valdosta, the Employee of the Year. The right-of-way maintenance division falls under the public works department. The division is primarily responsible for repairs, general ground maintenance and landscaping of the Downtown Main Street area, including mowing grass, weed control, pressure washing and litter control, city officials said in a statement. 

Seasonal activities include changing decorative banners to installing Christmas décor, shrubs, flowers and mulch.

Turner began his career with the City of Valdosta in June 2004. 

“He is integral to the behind-the-scenes operations at special downtown events, ensuring that everything runs smoothly and effectively for the enjoyment by the citizens of our community,” city officials said. “Rather than being micromanaged, Turner takes the initiative to get things done. Even on weekends and evenings, he is always available for these events. 

“He serves the city as a role model when interacting with citizens and visitors daily as he maintains downtown. The city constantly receives praise complimenting the appearance of the downtown area. Gary’s actions display great dedication and a service before self attitude.”

“The Downtown Valdosta community wholeheartedly endorses Gary Turner as APWA Employee of the Year. His commitment to his work is always noticed and appreciated by the Downtown Development Authority, the Main Street Office, other City staff, and the Downtown community. With a smile, a friendly remark, or an exuberant ‘hello,’ Gary can often be seen Downtown going about his daily tasks, such as clearing the gutters of the seemingly endless amounts of leaves.”

One downtown merchant wrote: “Gary is such a hard worker. He goes out of his way to keep our buildings and Downtown looking great. I only know him from talking with him when he is working around our building, but from what I see when others take a break, he keeps on working. He takes pride in what he does, and it shows.”

Another person wrote: “Gary is energetic, cooperative, and friendly. He assists the Downtown business and property owners whenever asked and goes out of his way to do things correctly and on time. We always know that for events such as First Friday, Art After Dark, and others that Downtown will be looking great!” 

Turner’s leadership initiative in preparing the Woman’s Building for the Mayor and Council’s Strategic Initiatives Summit is another example of his exemplary dedication, city officials said. 

Turner continued to assist with specific tasks beyond his regular duties. 

“Because of his perseverance, the deadline was met, resulting in a successful event. Besides his assigned responsibilities, he also devotes considerable time to maintaining the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Park,” city officials said.

Turner has also received numerous nominations for the City’s Employee of the Month Award. He was nominated for the Chamber’s World Class Employee Program along with another City employee. As a finalist in the program, he was served breakfast at the James H. Rainwater Conference Center. He was also honored by the Employee Relations Committee for his dedication and go-above and beyond mentality.