Since the business was purchased by Hooper Matthews Jr. in 1967, Pepsi-Cola Bottling Company in Atmore has been very community minded.

That civic service legacy was honored Thursday when the Atmore Area Chamber of Commerce awarded the company still run by the Matthews family its first ever Business of the Year Thursday night.

Company President Hooper Matthews III said his late father was known for sponsoring various organizations in the city, including school deer hunts and youth baseball and softball teams, which the company still supports, among other activities and groups.

“My mother and father were giving people,” Hooper Matthews III said. “They never told us you have to give back, they showed us.”

Hooper Matthews III and his sisters, Dale Ash and Cindy Colville were all honored at the chamber’s annual meeting, but they were quick to acknowledge it was the giving spirit of their employees that kept their parents’ legacy alive.

“Nothing is impossible if you have great employees,” Matthews III said. “We’re blessed to have employees like this and to live in Atmore.”

Chamber Executive Director Sheryl Vickery called Pepsi-Cola Bottling Company very deserving of the award.

“It never fails, if you ask for something they’re there for you,” she said.