The Chamber’s Downtown Council ended its year with the installation of its new leadership and the 2004 awards Friday in the annual meeting at the River City Brewing Company.
The major awards went to Diantha Grant of the Alzheimer’s Association and Jim Bailey of Bailey Publishing.
The 2005 president will be Travis Rigdon of Hardage-Giddens, who also served as president two years ago.
Grant will be the vice president, Steve Lorek of HDR Engineering will be the secretary and Jerry Jaekle returns as treasurer.
Grant was given the President’s Award by outgoing President Melanie White of Bailey Publishing for her work heading the Education Committee, which set up a mentoring program with the A. Philip Randolph Academies of Technology that will start early next year.
Bailey was given the Downtown Enhancement Committee award for starting the Downtown This Week magazine, which recently celebrated its first anniversary. The magazine is distributed at no charge each week in the central city area.
The meeting’s speaker was John Wood of the Sally Corporation, the LaVilla-based business that makes anamatronic characters and other devices, primarily for amusement parks.
The 2005 board includes White as immediate past president, Randy Mancuso, First Guaranty Bank; Jennifer Dale, OSN; Pete Gentry, CLC Realty; Ann Shea, the city’s parks department; Susan White, EverBank; Jim Love, State Farm Insurance; Kristen Boles, Physical Therapy Services; and Ray Hays, PRC Digital.
Also, Bobbi McGinnis, Heartstring Redesign; Doug Wilder, Wilder Business Soultions; Jimmy Johns, Solid Rock Engineering; Christy Szczukowski, Adam’s Mark; Joe Snowberger and Bonnie Arnold, Bonnie’s Floral Designs.
Four outgoing board members were recognized: Gillian Ticehurst of the Women’s Center, Larry Marscheck of The Marscheck Group, Tom Blakely of Southside Cellars and Bill Beitz of Catholic Charities.
The Council will not have a second meeting in December and will start the 2005 year on January 7.