Chaparral, Robalo Boats win award

NASHVILLE —  For the 14th consecutive year, Chaparral and Robalo Boats was awarded the NMMA CSI Award for customer satisfaction. 

Chaparral received the award for the following categories: sterndrive bowrider boats, fiberglass outboard boats and deck boats while Robalo was awarded for fiberglass outboard boats, company officials said in a statement.

Award recipients were acknowledged during NMMA’s 2021 State of the Recreational Boating Industry and Awards Presentation.

“We are honored to receive this prestigious award on behalf of our employees, dealers and vendor partners who have worked through very challenging times this year to continue to demonstrate our commitment to uphold the highest standards in customer satisfaction,” said Buck Pegg, founder Chaparral Boats.

The Marine Industry CSI Awards honor boat and engine manufacturers that actively measure customer satisfaction and pursue continuous improvement to better serve their customers, organizers said. 

Award recipients achieved an independently-measured standard of excellence of 90% or higher in customer satisfaction during the past program year, based on information provided by customers purchasing a new boat or engine during the period between Jan. 1 through Dec. 31, 2020. 

Participating manufacturers must survey all new boat buyers during this period. For this reporting period, the program surveyed more than 175,000 customers, organizers said.

Colony Bank promotes Robison

VALDOSTA — Colony Bank announced that Jordan Robison has been promoted to business banker, AVP for its Quitman market, banking representatives said in a statement.

“Jordan has been a high-performing contributor to our team, and we congratulate him on his promotion,” said Eddie Smith, regional market president. “During his time at Colony, he has demonstrated a strong work ethic, developed keen industry knowledge and shown a commitment to Colony’s customers. I know these attributes will serve him well in his new role.”

Robison has served Colony Bank for the past year as a treasury management specialist. Prior to that he was operations clerk and treasury implementations specialist at Ameris Bank, where he won the Rookie of the Year Award. He is a graduate of Pelham High School, and in his free time he said he enjoys going to the beach, fishing and grilling.

Village on Park named leading business

VALDOSTA – The Valdosta-Lowndes County Chamber of Commerce named Village on Park the Leading Business of the Week.

Village on Park is an apartment complex in Hahira located right off of Interstate 75. The complex consists of living spaces with “amenities in a beautiful, quiet setting making it ideal for both families and individuals,” chamber officials said in a statement.

“Village on Park takes pride in their major accomplishments of providing affordable housing to the community with a family atmosphere and catering to people that want upscale living at reasonable prices with management that is always available.”

In the coming months, the complex looks forward to getting back to holding community functions for the residents as it did before COVID-19, chamber officials said.

Village on Park “creates an atmosphere for residents where everyone is welcome, ” according to the statement. “Working at Village on Park comes with the rewards of being able to rent to a first-time renter or providing quality housing to a family. A happy workplace is maintained at the complex by keeping a line of communication with residents and addressing any concerns.”

The chamber has helped the apartment complex by listing the business on the chamber website to make people aware it is part of the community as well as encouraging follow-up requests on units.

“Being a member of the Valdosta-Lowndes chamber is a status that I think is great for any company that is wanting to move ahead with company goals and maintain a good reputation,” said Betty Odum, property manager.

Village on Park is located at 908 W. Park St., Hahira, or call (229) 229-4010.

The Leading Business of the Week Program is presented by Comfort Keepers.

Valdosta business owner receives national award

VALDOSTA — Brightway Insurance, one of the largest Personal lines independent insurance agencies in the U.S., presented agency owner, Austin Vannoy of Brightway, The Vannoy Agency in Valdosta, with its 2020 Life Sales award.

The award goes to the agency owner whose agency sold the most life policies for the year, organizers said in a statement.

“I look forward to this time each year when we recognize our top agency owners,” said Michael Miller, Brightway president and CEO. “Congratulations to Austin on his achievements. We’re thrilled to see our agency owners thrive with the holistic system of support Brightway provides.”

Vannoy started with Brightway two years ago as an independent agent and in April 2020 opened his agency, which is located at 2935 N. Ashley St., Suite 115 in Valdosta.

Backed by a team of more than 400 insurance professionals who support each aspect necessary to run a high-producing independent agency and armed with partnerships with the most insurance brands, Brightway agents like Vannoy “are the insurance experts in their communities who offer the most choice,” company representatives said.

Brightway Insurance is a national property/casualty insurance distribution company with more than $765 million in annualized written premium, making it one of the largest personal lines agencies in the U.S., company representatives said.

Brightway’s focus is on producing “Win, Win, Win outcomes for consumers by offering customized insurance solutions and for people wishing to sell insurance by providing business opportunities that span from single agent to multi-unit enterprises,” representatives said. 

Brightway got its start in 2008 and has since grown to more than 900 people in 293 offices across 22 states serving customers in all 50 states.

For more information about Brightway, The Vannoy Agency, visit BrightwayVannoy.com or call (229) 269-4044. Learn more about franchise opportunities with Brightway at BrightwayDifference.com.

Johnson named medical education director

VALDOSTA – South Georgia Medical Center promoted Lilliana Johnson to director of graduate medical education. 

Johnson has been with SGMC since 2014, hospital representatives said in a statement.

In her new position, she will oversee the graduate medical education, undergraduate medical education and continuing medical education programs.

“The GME program has taken tremendous steps as SGMC recently received approval from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education to launch an internal medicine residency program with Mercer University School of Medicine,” hospital officials said. 

Additionally, SGMC is pursuing its emergency medicine residency program accreditation.

Johnson said she is excited to serve SGMC patients and the community through the development and execution of these programs. 

“By training residents, we will foster a new level of care, compassion and medical education,” Johnson said. “I look forward to overseeing our GME programs’ day-to-day operations and working with the faculty and residents”.

Johnson is married to Christopher and together they have six children.

Webb joins Turner Center staff 

VALDOSTA – Harlee Webb was promoted to the full-time position of art education administrator for the Annette Howell Turner Center for the Arts, effective February 2021.

Webb began her career at the Turner Center as a part-time employee, while she was an art student at the Valdosta State University, center representatives said. “Webb received her bachelor of fine arts in art education degree from Valdosta State University in December 2020. 

In her new position at the Turner Center, Webb is responsible for overseeing the Center’s art education program, all classes, and all art outreach for the community, center representatives said.

“Harlee passionately seeks and utilizes a myriad of resources to serve our community with the arts,” said Sementha Mathews, Turner Center executive director. “Her excitement is contagious. As our campus grows, we look forward to Harlee’s ability to grow the art education program and increase our reach across the populations we serve.”

Webb can be reached by email at hwebb@turnercenter.org or by calling (229) 247-2487.