Members of the business community honored by county

The county Board of Supervisors, Economic Development Authority, Chamber of Commerce and Department of Economic Development & Tourism rolled out the red carpet last Thursday night for the annual Business Appreciation Reception at the Mansion at Meadow Event Park.

Members of the business community, who help broaden and strengthen the tax base as well as put in countless volunteer hours to make Caroline County a good place to live and work, were toasted with shrimp, beef, cheeses, desserts and other delicacies.

Several prominent businesses, including Rappahannock Electric Cooperative, Dominion Resources, Sands Anderson PC, Meadow Event Park and the Silver Companies helped underwrite the event.

Andy Andrews, vice-chairman of the EDA, greeted everyone and rattled off a list of new business openings and business expansions that have occurred in the past 12 months. They include Finish Line Construction, John Rock Sawmill, Hoover Treated Wood, Taco Bell, Advance Auto, McKesson, Valu-City, the soon-to-open Belmont professional building and CVS Pharmacy in Ladysmith.

Other accomplishments cited by Andrews are the recent observance of the demise of Lincoln’s assassin and the state HistoryMobile visit, the recognition of Port Royal as a preservation gem, junior achievement in the schools, an EDA scholarship and the upcoming filming in the fall of the movie “Loving.”

Chamber of Commerce president Mary Pitts called the county’s growth “exciting,” adding, “our proximity to Richmond and Fredericksburg makes us a jewel. This county is poised for a major expansion soon.

“The Chamber is a good steward of your money. We encourage every business to join us and help us grow. We want to hear what you are doing and utilize each other to help us grow,” Pitts said.

The winners of the two annual Chamber of Commerce scholarships were also announced. They are: Myles Stevens (J. Kemp Smith Scholarship) and Malaysia Foxx (William Anderson Scholarship).

C.I.V.I.C. Award

A highlight of the evening was the naming of Kim Taylor as the Chamber’s C.I.V.I.C. Award winner.

Taylor and her husband Adam have lived in Lake Caroline for 16 years, along with their son Daniel, who is 13. She has been a claims specialist for Nationwide Insurance for the past nine years.

Taylor volunteered for numerous committees in Lake Caroline, was president of the Lewis & Clark Elementary PTA, raised money for Little League as well as several county residents battling cancer, runs and volunteers for many efforts of the Caroline Moose Lodge and is a member and volunteer for the Caroline Agricultural Fair Board.

“Kim Taylor can always be counted on whenever a volunteer is needed for county events. She works tirelessly to be involved in the county donating time and energy to make Caroline County a better place for us all to live,” according to the award citation.

“Kim, you make it what it is. You are always involved in your community,” said Floyd Thomas, County supervisor for the Mattaponi District, who helped wrap up the evening’s remarks. “We are creating an environment for success in the county and in the public schools,” said Thomas, who predicted that the local schools would soon be known as “the Fairfax of the South.”

Sarah Hallett, marketing manager for Meadow Event Park, said she was busy promoting the elegant mansion as an ideal location for weddings and other receptions and the park as a venue for larger events.