Here’s another round of applause for individuals and organizations doing great things in the community.

The Valdosta-Lowndes Development Authority held a Business Retention Action Team luncheon to highlight the Great Promise Partnership. GPP President and CEO Mike Beatty and Shawn Stamey, human resources representative for Caterpillar, Inc., said the program could curb high school dropout rate and bolster workforce retention for industries throughout Georgia. “Great Promise Partnership is a win-win for schools, students and employers. Businesses help themselves by hiring students, thus training their future workforce while students learn real-world job skills, graduate from high school and have hope for their futures,” Beatty said. Stamey said Caterpillar has successfully collaborated with GPP since 2014. School counselors pinpoint students with economic need who might also be a good fit within the company, she said.

The law offices of Coleman Talley LLP hosted a groundbreaking ceremony 10 a.m. Friday, April 28, to observe the impending renovations of the historic Southern Salvage building, located at 109 & 111 S. Ashley St. The historic structures will become the new home office of Coleman Talley LLP, a firm started in 1937. The renovation and relocation of approximately 60 lawyers and staff represents the second largest private investment in the Historic Valdosta Commercial District. 

A Georgia Supreme Court justice is the scheduled speaker for the annual 100 Black Men Black Tie Banquet early next month. The banquet hosts Michael P. Boggs, Supreme Court of Georgia justice, said Roy Copeland, a past president of the Valdosta chapter of 100 Black Men and a friend of Boggs. Boggs is also a former judge of the Georgia Court of Appeals and a former nominee to be a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia.

Tom’s Corner Park received a fresh new look as part of a community-wide park cleanup last week. Volunteers worked from morning into the afternoon, cleaning up the park before the official unveiling of the Tom Park “Edu” scape. The “Edu” scape includes concrete slabs painted with the world map, a map of Georgia, hopscotch and a grid. A sign accompanies each slab, complete with information and QR codes which can be scanned by a smart device for a more interactive experience. “We had over 300 volunteers from all over the city,” Valdosta City Councilwoman Vivian Miller-Cody said.

Following an appearance in the Gulf South Conference Championship against No. 1-ranked West Florida, the Valdosta State men’s tennis team was honored in a big way this week with multiple All-GSC honors, including the announcement of Leo Blay as the GSC Men’s Tennis Player of the Year by the league office. After receiving the most votes of any player by league coaches in the 2017 poll, Blay earned the title of GSC Player of the Year. The honor for Blay, who earned Freshman of the Year honors in 2015, marked the second consecutive season during which the Nice, France, native earned the prestigious Player of the Year honor. The award came as a result of an incredible 12-3 stint on the season in the No. 1 singles position for the Blazers. The junior currently ranks No. 10 among all of Division II’s players, according to the individual ITA singles rankings, and his efforts at doubles led to 11 wins against just seven losses at both the No. 2 and No. 3 positions.