May 11—Leaders in business and public service were lauded Thursday, May 11, as the Greater Hall Chamber of Commerce held its 115th annual meeting and gala at the Chattahoochee Country Club.

Small Business of the Year

The title of Small Business of the Year was awarded to Bates Carter and New Leaf Landscape Services.

In business since 1962, BatesCarter provides accounting and consulting services throughout Gainesville and Northeast Georgia. Its founder, James E. Bates, served a term as chamber president in 1971.

Located in the historic former home of Candler Street School, the firm is steered by six partners: Ron Bracewell, Kristi Griffin, Rusty Hopkins, Randy Jessup, Hank Sprouse and Amanda Wilkson.

"For 60 years, the men and women of BatesCarter have been leaders in their firm, the accounting profession, our community and businesses," Chamber Chairman-elect Brett Fowler said during the award presentation. "They believe good communities and businesses don't just happen. It takes tireless effort and dedicated people. The BatesCarter team believes in the importance of a strong community and for the past six decades have steadfastly invested in making a difference for today and for many years to come."

Founded in 1989 by Steve Murray, New Leaf Landscape Services began as a maintenance company with 10 employees, eventually growing into a full-service landscape design, installation, maintenance and irrigation company with two offices — Gainesville and Lawrenceville — with 95 employees during the summer months.

Composed of a management team of horticulturalists and landscape specialists with upwards of 150 years of combined experience, New Leaf has been honored by the Urban Ag Council and other organizations, amassing "many awards over the years," according to the chamber.

Through the company's community partnership initiative, New Leaf staff have volunteered with Gainesville-Hall County organizations including Eagle Ranch, Randy and Friends, Habitat for Humanity and My Sisters Place.

Additionally, since 2014, the company has conferred more than 50 employees from its six-month mentorship program, an initiative designed to help team members with finances, continuing education and career paths.

Greater Hall Chamber of Commerce award winners

Small Business of the Year: BatesCarter and New Leaf Landscape Services

Family Business of the Year: Hawkins Family Dentistry and Signs By Tomorrow

Community Service Award: Georgia Heart Institute

Distinguished Citizen Award: Brian Daniel, Carroll Daniel Construction

W.G. Mealor Award: Tread Syfan, Stewart, Melvin & Frost

Family Business of the Year

Family Business of the Year was awarded to Hawkins Family Dental and Signs By Tomorrow.

Hawkins Family Dental on Green Street was established by Gainesville native Dr. Lee Hawkins in 1979. His first hire, Christy Sexton, remains with the practice to this day, along with staff members Joann Fuller, Karen Ditmore and Tracy Tuggle, who joined the team shortly thereafter.

"Such tenure and staff dedication says a great deal about Lee Hawkins," Fowler said.

"Starting a business with a 21% interest rate proved challenging but did not curve his ambition to provide top quality dental care to our community," Fowler added, as Hawkins supplemented his income that first year by teaching anatomy and physiology at Brenau while seeing patients in Commerce until his practice grew.

In 2006, Hawkins' son, Dr. Ben Hawkins, graduated from the Medical College of Georgia's dental school and joined the practice — the same year his father went to the Georgia Senate, where he continued in the House of Representatives and now chairs the House Committee on Health.

Lee, who retired last year, feels he could never have served at the Capitol without Ben "holding down the practice."

Signs By Tomorrow is undoubtedly a family affair, helmed by husband and wife Jay and Janet Kelley, their son Michael and daughter-in-law Katherine.

Since launching the business in 2001, the Kellys have taken "great pride in being family owned and operated and work hard to take a customer's vision and bring their know-how and cutting-edge technology to deliver the most effective sign solutions," Fowler said.

The company's products include lettering and graphics, real estate and lighted outdoor signs and indoor wall frames for clients like local schools, manufacturing plants, churches, medical facilities and small businesses.

Partners in Education with 10 Hall County schools, the Kellys also support local organizations like the Georgia Mountain Food Bank and Boys & Girls Clubs of Lanier.

"The company's core values," according to Fowler, "are integrity, engagement, innovation, enthusiasm, community, and humor and fun. If you know Jay Kelly and his family — the humor and fun part is definitely at the core."

Community Service Award

The chamber's Community Service Award was given to Georgia Heart Institute, housed by Northeast Georgia Health System.

Hall County's heart care program was established nearly 40 years ago with Northeast Georgia Medical Center's first heart catheterization. Over the ensuing years, the program has improved the lives of thousands, "possibly hundreds of thousands," according to the chamber's vice chair of economic development Glennis Barnes, "of people across the region and become a leader in heart and vascular care recognized internationally."

"Georgia Heart Institute has built on a strong foundation and has a bright future," Barnes continued, noting its recently launched robotic surgery program, which allows patients to receive heart valve replacements through incisions no larger than the diameter of an ink pen, minimizing scarring.

Also in development are innovative patient care centers tailored for women and heart failure patients along with conducting research on heart attack prediction and prevention.

"In fact, Georgia Heart Institute now cares for more heart attack patients in a year than any other hospital in the state," Barnes said. "There are faces in our community, our families and even in this room who would not be here without their commitment to providing the very best heart care. That is certainly a community service worth celebrating."

Distinguished Citizen Award

The Distinguished Citizen Award was presented to Brian Daniel, president and CEO of Carroll Daniel Construction.

Founded in 1946, the 300-employee general contracting firm is in its third generation of family leadership and has become "a nationally recognized leader in the construction industry," according to Kit Dunlap, the chamber's president and CEO.

Its 60,000-square-foot facility situated on the corner of Main Street and Jesse Jewell Parkway, she added, is "the cornerstone of all the good things happening in downtown Gainesville."

After completing degrees in business management at Auburn University and building construction at Southern Polytechnic State University, Daniel returned home to begin working with Carroll Daniel in 2001, assuming the role of company president following his father's death in 2003.

In his tenure, the company has seen dramatic growth, Dunlap said, reaching record levels in both revenue and employment "while serving an ever-increasing client base in a diverse range of markets across the Southeast."

As a public servant of the Gainesville-Hall County community, Daniel has served stints on the board of organizations like United Way of Hall County and Sisu, in addition to participating in international chamber business missions, spearheading efforts to develop the Gainesville-Hall County Workforce Development Task Force and implementing youth apprenticeships and work-based learning opportunities across the community.

"Brian is dedicated to the future of not only the construction industry, but also to all segments of business," Dunlap stated. "Workforce development is his passion — creating a skilled workforce to ensure Gainesville-Hall County remains at the top of the charts in Georgia and the nation for job creation and economic development."

W.G. Mealor Award

The W.G. Mealor Award was given to Tread Syfan of Stewart, Melvin & Frost.

Named for the chamber's first chairman, the chairman's choice award honors civic servants who go "beyond the call of duty" in their work with the chamber and in the community.

A Gainesville native and graduate of Gainesville High School and the University of Georgia School of Law, Syfan serves as general counsel and secretary for the Gainesville and Hall County Development Authority, which has worked with 323 new and expanding companies over the last 15 years to create 15,800 additional jobs with $3.7 billion in capital investment.

Syfan's involvement in economic development spans 40 years, according to outgoing chamber chairman William Bagwell, and includes projects such as Atex, Koch Foods, King's Hawaiian, Fox Factory, Kubota and, most recently, the new Northeast Georgia Inland Port.

"One of the things I appreciate about Tread Syfan is that he does not do what he does for accolades," Bagwell said. "He does it because he enjoys it, it needs doing and he wants to better his community. Tread is a great example of a champion for Gainesville/Hall County."