Telegraph Staff Writer
The North Florida Regional Chamber of Commerce’s annual banquet returned after the pandemic prevented the 2021 event from taking place, and it was with the pandemic in mind that led to the Bradford County Public Library being honored as the Business of the Year.
Four awards in all were presented, with Courtnie Douglas selected as the J.E. Tomlinson Businessperson of the Year, Beth and John Ryan Tillman selected as the Eugene L. Matthews Citizens of the Year and Priscilla Sparks selected as the Judy Becker Volunteer of the Year.
Pam Whittle, the president and CEO of the chamber, said when it came to selecting the Business of the Year, she and her committee thought about how the library served the community during this time of pandemic. As Whittle said, having a book to read was a way of escaping what was going on in the world.
“Our team decided that we are very proud of the work our library does,” Whittle said.
In the chamber’s 2022 “Starke Life” publication, Robert Perone, the library director, was quoted as saying, “We’ve noticed an increase in people returning to the library. It’s not just regulars, either. We’ve signed up an unprecedented number of people for library cards and renewals. Returning to the library has been a sign of normalcy that so many people missed.”
The library’s online opportunities for access to eBooks and audiobooks have been popular, too, as well as checking out Playaway machines that are pre-loaded with materials.
Various programs and children’s storytime eventually returned after the initial onset of the pandemic, while library staff continued to assist people with various needs.
“With everything going on, my staff never stopped providing for people,” Perone said. “They went above and beyond to make sure someone could fill out paperwork they needed. We turned over rocks to find specific books that people wanted.”
Whittle said a library isn’t often thought of as a business, but like any business, it has salaries and bills to pay.
“We want to say thank you,” Whittle said. “Thanks for being a part of our community.”
Douglas: Business-person of the Year
Like the Bradford County Public Library, Courtnie Douglas of Edwards Jones Investment’s Starke office did her part to help others during the pandemic. She publicized on social media what restaurants were open, posting photos of the food she enjoyed, and attached envelopes containing gift cards to local restaurants on the outside of her business, available for anyone who needed them.
It’s part of Douglas’ love for this community, which ultimately resulted in her being named the J.E. Tomlinson Businessperson of the Year.
Lindsey Reddish, a North Florida Regional Chamber of Commerce board member, introduced Douglas, who she knows well. She and Douglas are sisters.
“Our parents instilled in us a strong work ethic, to be humble in all our endeavors and to give back, always giving thanks to our Heavenly Father above,” Reddish said.
Douglas joined Edward Jones in 2013 and was offered an office outside of this area.
“However, Courtnie was determined to stay local to her roots and to the community she considered to be part of home,” Reddish said. “She literally knocked on doors day after day to earn client business and build a successful investment firm from the ground up right here in Starke, Florida.”
Tillmans named Citizens of the Year
Husband and wife John Ryan Tillman and Beth Tillman are all about seeing local businesses succeed anyway, but they did their part to provide assistance to those businesses during the pandemic, which didn’t go unnoticed, resulting in them being named the Eugene L. Matthews Citizens of the Year.
The Tillmans can relate to the plight of small businesses. They are the owners of Sporting Chance, while John Ryan is also the sales associate and production manager for the Bradford County Telegraph enterprise, which also consists of the Lake Region Monitor and the Union County Times.
During the pandemic, the couple highlighted businesses in promotional videos and worked to get businesses to help each other during what was a time of struggle for many.
“We take a great amount of pride in small businesses in our community,” John Ryan was quoted as saying in “Starke Life.” Then, referring to himself and Beth, he said, “Without small businesses, neither of us would be in business.”
Beth, who once worked for the Telegraph in the areas of graphics and sales, said, “We do the best we can to help when someone is down on bad times and get the word out to bring (customers) in.”
Brad Bishop, the chamber’s chair elect for 2022, introduced the Tillmans during the award presentation, saying, “Both have a long history in marketing and sales. That background led to their enormous influence in the tri-county area in the year 2021.”
What makes the award extra special is that its namesake — the late Eugene L. Matthews — is John Ryan’s great-grandfather. Matthews was a longtime publisher of the Bradford County Telegraph.
John Ryan said Matthews served as an example of how to be a part of the community and how important businesses are to the community.
“It’s so important to have strong businesses in our community,” John Ryan was quoted as saying in “Starke Life.” “Small businesses are the backbone of our community, and we’re lucky to be a part of this area and this community.”
Sparks honored for volunteer efforts
Brad Smith, a chamber board member, introduced Priscilla Sparks as the recipient of the Judy Becker Volunteer of the Year Award, saying, “The spirit of volunteering is alive and well in Starke. It’s one of the beautiful things about our community.”
Speaking of “beautiful,” Sparks has been doing her part to make sure that’s an adjective you’d use to describe downtown Starke. One can see her downtown cleaning, mowing, weeding, painting and whatever else needs to be done to keep the area looking its best.
Sparks even continued her efforts when she was nine months’ pregnant.
“She’s one of the strongest people I know,” Whittle was quoted as saying in “Starke Life.”
Smith said Sparks’ efforts began during a difficult time for her, her husband, Justin, and his family. Justin’s father, Lee, passed away in January 2020. Shortly afterward, the pandemic forced the family business — the Florida Twin Theatre — to close temporarily.
“Priscilla took it upon herself to start working on the beautification of downtown Starke,” Smith said, adding, “Because of that, we wanted to recognize her as the Volunteer of the Year.”
Smith said “baby duty” prevented Sparks from attending the banquet.
“If you see her, please extend your congratulations to her,” Smith said.
Raising money for BCEF and passing the chairman’s gavel
The banquet also consisted of silent and live auctions that helped raise approximately $10,000 for the Bradford County Education Foundation, a nonprofit organization that supports the county’s schools. The BCEF also raised money through various prize drawings.
The live auction consisted of a 14-karat gold necklace donated by Community State Bank that sold for $350, a three-night, four-day stay in a cabin in Ellijay, Georgia, that was donated by Carrie Crews and sold for $1,200, a Glock 43X donated by Capital City Bank that sold for $1,300 and a mystery box, filled with donated items collected by the education foundation as well as a large item donated by Walmart, that sold for $600.
New Bradford High School Football Head Coach Jamie Rodgers added a surprise to the live auction — the chance to call the first play of every game next season. The winning bid was $1,100.
Rhonda Hamilton, the chamber’s outgoing chairman, passed the gavel to Dale Woodruff, the incoming chairman, while the three departing members of the chamber’s board were recognized: James Eison, Danielle Smith and Zack Smith.
“We appreciate all they have done,” Hamilton said.
The 2022 board will consist of Steve Futch, Helen Hersey, Doug Reddish, Lindsey Reddish, Brad Smith and Denny Thompson.
Chris Page will continue to fill the role of treasurer.
