Mayor Receives Public Service Award

Mayor Bucky Johnson and many others recieved Public Services Awards at the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce’s 64th annual dinner at in Duluth. With thousands of business and community leaders in attendance, the Feb. 3 dinner celebrated the chamber’s accomplishments in 2011 and recognized individuals and organizations that made a difference in the community.

Mayor Johnson was recognized as “an advocate for a better future” and praised for attracting high-profile companies to Norcross and retaining RockTenn. He serves on the Atlanta Regional Commission, the Metro Atlanta Mayors Association, the Georgia Municipal Association and the Gwinnett Municipal Association. Johnson chairs the Atlanta Regional Transportation Roundtable, which developed a list of future transportation projects proposed to be funded by the TSPLOST one-cent transportation tax to be voted on in July 2012.

Other Public Service Awards were presented to L.C. Johnson; Bartow Morgan Jr., Brand Banking Company; Sean Murphy, Canvas Systems; Cathy Petty Nichols, Mobile Communications of Gwinnett; and Perry Tindol, Allgood Pest Solutions.

The Rev. Nancy Yancey, CEO of Duluth-based Rainbow Village, accepted the D. Scott Hudgens Humanitarian Award, named after the late Gwinnett County developer and philanthropist.

Founded 20 years ago, Rainbow Village provides transitional housing and support services to homeless families with children in the Norcross and Duluth area. The organization has benefited from two $500,000 donations from the Scott Hudgens Family Foundation that allowed it to purchase eight apartment units in Duluth and adjacent property for expansion. A Family Service Center and two 6-unit apartment buildings are scheduled for completion in April on Phase 1 of a new Duluth campus that will eventually allow Rainbow Village to triple the number of families it serves and consolidate facilities it operates in Duluth and Norcross.

During Rainbow Village’s award presentation, Rev. Yancey was quoted as saying: “I’m constantly in awe of the amazing angels God sends to Rainbow Village to fulfill our mission and serve homeless families with children. Scott Hudgens was a great philanthropist, and we’ll always be grateful to him and his family for their faithfulness to us.”

Gwinnett Medical Center was the presenting sponsor for the dinner. Philip Wolfe of Duluth, GMC’s president and CEO, noted that GMC, which originated with the former Joan Glancy Hospital in Duluth, was 65 years old. “We’re ahead of you (the chamber) by one year,” Wolfe said. The hospital now has two campuses in Lawrenceville and Duluth. Gwinnett County’s first open-heart surgeries were performed last week in the new Strickland Heart Center at the Lawrenceville location.

Philanthropists Clyde and Sandra Strickland of Lawrenceville, major benefactors of the Strickland Heart Center, were honored as Citizens of the Year. The Stricklands also support the HOPE Clinic and Rainbow Village. The couple recently donated $88,000 to the American Cancer Society to keep Gwinnett’s Relay for Life No. 1 in the world for the 10th straight year.

Clyde Strickland started Metro Waterproofing, a restoration and waterproofing company, in 1972 in Gwinnett County. In 40 years, it has grown from four to 240 employees.

The R. Wayne Shackelford Legacy Award was awarded posthumously to J.C. Caswell of Caswell Realty Co. and the Rev. William C. Corley of Lawrenceville First Baptist Church. Judy Waters, executive director of the Gwinnett Community Foundation of Northeast Georgia, gave a presentation honoring Caswell’s life. Lawrenceville Mayor Judy Johnson delivered a tribute to Rev. Corley.

Johnny Phelps of Harry Norman Realtors was recognized as the chamber’s Ambassador of the Year.

Jim Maran, president and CEO of the Gwinnett Chamber, presented the awards along with Outgoing Gwinnett Chamber Chair Terri Jondahl, incoming Chair Raymer Sele and others.