By By Janet Little Cooper
Plans for the 61st annual Atmore Chamber of Commerce banquet are well underway for the sellout event that is scheduled to take place on the evening of Jan. 29 at the Atmore Area YMCA – Community Center building.
"The plans are going really well as of now," Atmore Area Chamber of Commerce executive director Emilie Mims said. "The change of date to a Monday evening is a little different from years past, but we were able to accommodate more people this way. The invitations are being printed now and we anticipate another sellout crowd."
The much anticipated event will feature guest speaker Jim Hayes, president of the Economic Development Partnership of Alabama (EDPA).
The EDPA is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the state's long term economic growth.
"Mr. Hayes is a Brewton native and came very highly recommended to us from the Mobile Chamber of Commerce for his ability as a visionary," Mims said.
The winners of the 2005 Citizen of the Year Award and the Lifetime Achievement Award will also be announced at the annual meeting.
This year's banquet will also commemorate the Chamber's change of leadership from P.D. Pollard, who serves as marketing president of Escambia County at United Bank, to Dale Hurst, executive vice president and chief operating officer of First National Bank &Trust.
The winners of the 2006 Citizen of the Year Award and the Lifetime Achievement Award will also be announced at the annual meeting.
This year's banquet will also commemorate the Chamber's change of leadership from, Dale Hurst, executive vice president and chief operating officer of First National Bank &Trust to Nancy Helton, a vice-president of United Bank.
Tickets for the event are $22 for Chamber members and $26 for non members. Nominations are still being accepted for the Citizen of the Year award as well. Nominations can be dropped off at the Chamber Office located at 501 South Pensacola Avenue no later than Jan. 22 at 5 p.m.