Annual Luncheon to honor Jemison, Tynes award winners
The Mountain Brook Chamber of Commerce will present its most highly anticipated event, its Annual Luncheon, on Wednesday, Jan. 26, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Doors will open at 11 a.m. at the Country Club of Birmingham, located at 3324 Country Club Road.
In addition to lunch, networking opportunities and a chance to celebrate the city of Mountain Brook, the event will feature the official presentation of two annual awards.
The chamber will present its Jemison Visionary Award, and the O’Neal Library will present the William Tynes Award.
The city of Mountain Brook will also honor its employee of the year, Officer George French of the Mountain Brook Police Department.
Jemison Visionary Award winner
Rob Burton, the CEO of Hoar Construction, is the winner of the 2022 Jemison Award.
Burton began working at Hoar when he was 13 years old and took advantage of this early hands-on training in construction, according to the company’s website.
He joined the firm again after graduating from Auburn University with a degree in building science. He was named president in 1996 and CEO in 2001.
Under his leadership, Hoar has expanded — taking on larger, more complex projects, opening offices in several regions and significantly increasing revenues.
Burton has also served the community by working with the Birmingham Business Alliance, the Birmingham Zoo, Lakeshore Foundation, Kiwanis Club of Birmingham, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and the Monday Morning Quarterback Club.
Burton told Village Living that he was “very surprised” to be named the winner of the Jemison Award and that he found the honor to be “humbling.”
It “certainly helps” a community when its leaders have vision, Burton said. “Vision allows you to tie your daily activities to purpose.”
William Tynes Award
The William Tynes Award is an honor bestowed upon an individual or group who is recognized for meaningful, devoted service to the O’Neal Library.
It was named in honor of William “Bill” Tynes Jr., who served on the Mountain Brook Library Board from 2000-08 and as chairman from 2003-08.
There have been nine previous winners, including 2021 honoree Penny Page.
But this year, the O’Neal Library Board and the Mountain Brook Library Foundation have given the William Tynes Award to the entire library staff for their efforts to overcome the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It is an honor to lead such a kind, reliable and creative group,” O’Neal Library Director Lindsy Gardner said in a library news release.
The O’Neal Library staffers were tenacious as they sought to restore programs and services to their patrons, the release states.
For example, the employees introduced the popular curbside pick-up service and transformed many activities for children and adults into virtual programming.
“Through all the crises of the past couple of years, the staff have worked tirelessly and cheerfully to extend our collections and services to library patrons of all ages in very challenging circumstances,” Gardner said
Luncheon tickets are $100, and table sponsorships are $1,000.
Regions Bank is the presenting sponsor, and the other event sponsors are Evson Inc., Hoar Construction and RealtySouth Mountain Brook Village.
Contact chamber@mtnbrookchamber.org for information about additional sponsorship opportunities.
Chamber news
The chamber has a new president for 2022: Walter Crye, a Mountain Brook resident who serves as vice president of Greenhalgh Insurance Agency.
Crye succeeds Ricky Bromberg, president of Bromberg’s in Mountain Brook Village, who served as president in 2021.
For more about Crye and his plans for 2022, look for the chamber update in the February issue of Village Living.