At the recent Chamber of Commerce Banquet held at the Jones Family Farms, many awards were given out to many deserving individuals. The community’s highest award, Butts County Hall of Fame was awarded to Butts County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy, Arthur White. This award recognizes a body of work over the course of many years and recognizes the individual for working on multiple fronts, not just job related, to make Butts County an overall better place.

Mr. White has a Bachelor of Science degree from Albany State College and a Master’s degree in Public Administration from Columbus State University. He has been a great role model to the children of the Butts County Leisure Services and the community for over 30 years, serving as baseball, softball and football coach. Mr. White’s career in law enforcement started with the Georgia State Patrol, from which he retired as the Deputy Commissioner in 2007. In 2013, Mr. White began working for the Butts County Sheriff’s Office. Mr. White also currently serves on the Butts County Development Authority.

Jim Herbert was awarded the Butts County Citizen of the Year award.  This award recognizes a citizen for outstanding contributions to the community that have impacted the community over the previous year. Mr. Herbert currently serves as the Butts County Historical Society treasurer.  He is also the executive director of Partners for Smart Growth, a member of the Butts County Hospital Authority and Developmental Disabilities Board, the area director for the Georgia Special Olympics, director of the Georgia Police and Fire Games and Georgia Wheelchair Sports Association and the Georgia director of Dixie Majors Baseball.

Mr. Herbert has a Bachelor’s degree in Recreational Management from University of Georgia and a Master’s degree in Counseling from West Georgia College. He has spent over 40 years directing recreational parks, beginning his career in Carrollton and Troup County and ultimately retiring from the Butts County Department of Leisure Services in 2013.

Other awards given throughout the evening included the Organization of the Year award given to the Let’s Wrap organization. Let’s Wrap has collected over $55,000 providing 3500 coats to Butts County’s children in need. The Business of the Year award was presented to T&K Dance Studios which is owned by Terri Waits and Kim Hambrick. And a tie ensued for the Employee of the Year award. Cindy Murray of City of Jackson and Angie Dixon of Haisten and Johnston CPA were both awarded for their many accomplishments at work and in the community. Gordon Respress and the Jackson Clean City Task Force both received Shining Light Awards for their community involvement.

The Butts County Sheriff Department won the “Best Table Design” award, which has become very competitive over the past ten years. Each table at the banquet is decorated by an entity representative of the Chamber and the community, including businesses, schools, local governments, and individuals. This allows the business or entity to showcase what they do in Butts County.

Congratulations to all recipients and thank you for all that you do to help make Butts County a better place!