Georgia Family Business of the Year winners announced
The Cox Family Enterprise Center‚ based at the Coles College of Business at Kennesaw State…
Georgia (Feb 24, 2005) — Georgia Family Business of the Year winners announced
Terri Thornton
Abstract
Contact: Terri Thornton‚ 404−932−4347 or territhornton@mindspring.com
The Cox Family Enterprise Center‚ based at the Coles College of Business at Kennesaw
State University‚ has announced the winners of the 2005 Family Business of the Year
Awards. The winners and finalists are:
Large Business
Winner:
Bearings and Drives – Macon
Finalists:
Kitchin Hospitality‚ LLC – Atlanta
Wheeler’s – Rome
Medium Business
Winner:
PBD Worldwide Fulfillment Services – Alpharetta
Finalists:
Blanchard and Calhoun – Augusta
RefrigiWear – Dahlonega
Small Business
Winner:
Chatham Holdings Corporation – Alpharetta
Finalists:
Richardson Housing Group – Lawrenceville
Scottsdale Farms and Garden Center – Alpharetta
The Brand Banking Company of Lawrenceville won the Cox Century Award for the Georgia
business that has continuously operated for at least 100 years.
“This year's winners display a strong sense of family that is so important for the
stability and success of our communities in Georgia‚” says Cox Family Enterprise Center
Director Joe Astrachan.
The awards will be given Wednesday‚ May 25 in a ceremony at the Cobb Galleria Centre.
The keynote speaker will be Jean Davidson‚ granddaughter of the founder of Harley−Davidson
Motorcycles. The event is co−sponsored by Georgia Trend magazine‚ which will profile
the winners in its May issue.
For more information‚ or to order tickets‚ call the Cox Family Enterprise Center at
770−423−6045.
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Large Business Winner: Bearings and Drives – Macon
In 1947‚ World War II veteran John D. Nations bought a small industrial supply company
which soon became known as Bearings & Drives. His son Andy became President in 1983‚
and John became Chairman of the Board. (Even today‚ at age 86‚ the founder is always
the first one into the office.) Through acquisitions and new branch openings‚ Bearings
& Drives today operates almost 40 facilities in Georgia‚ Florida‚ North and South
Carolina‚ Tennessee and Alabama. It has also started an International Sales Group;
Andy’s niece Courtney heads the U.S. division. Through good times and bad‚ the firm
has been loyal to its employees‚ choosing to take losses rather than lay people off.
It is also a regular donor to several community nonprofit organizations‚ and it extremely
active in industry trade associations.
Medium Business Winner: PBD Worldwide Fulfillment Services – Alpharetta
Believe it or not‚ all school books for K−12 schools in Georgia are processed and
shipped by PBD Worldwide Fulfillment Services. Jim Dockter launched the firm in 1976.
Ten years later he moved the growing business to metro Atlanta‚ and in 1992 bought
Georgia School Book Depository. PBD now has 200 employees in Alpharetta‚ Duluth and
Exton‚ Pennsylvania. It represents 55 educational publishers and is the full service
national fulfillment center for several prominent organizations and publishers. Jim
Dockter is now Chairman of the Board and his wife Rebecca is Corporate Secretary.
Their son Scott recently became President and CEO‚ and son Gregory is Vice President
of Sales & Marketing. The firm has received several professional honors‚ including
the Georgia Business Ethics Award. The company has raised funds for a number of well−known
charitable groups as well as tsunami relief.
Small Business Winner: Chatham Holdings Corporation – Alpharetta
Since 1948‚ the Chatham family has built and developed high quality homes and neighborhoods
exclusively designed for families. Their products helped transform once−rural areas
such as Alpharetta and Roswell‚ as well as Cherokee and Forsyth Counties‚ into thriving
communities. When the real estate market slowed in the 1970s‚ the firm started several
subsidiaries‚ including Northside Realty‚ which it sold in 1991. That was also the
year the firm established Chatham Holdings‚ which now has eight neighborhoods under
construction. Other subsidiaries include Chathambilt Homes‚ Legacy Realty‚ Windward
Mortgage and Keller−Williams Realty of North Fulton‚ Chattahoochee North and Roswell.
At age 83‚ founder J. Howard Chatham is now Chairman of the Board. His son J. David
Chatham is President and CEO‚ while grandson Myles Chatham is Vice President of Chathambilt
Homes. In addition to serving on the boards of several government and private industry
organizations‚ the Chathams are particularly proud of designing and building the Chatham
Group House for mentally impaired adults.
Cox Century Award: The Brand Banking Company of Lawrenceville
Five generations have taken The Brand Banking Company from a little country bank to
a financial institution with 187 employees and assets of more than $700 million. E.M.
Brand founded Brand Bank in 1905. One son‚ C.H. Brand‚ was elected to Congress and
helped create the Federal Reserve Bank. Another‚ L.M. Brand‚ stayed and operated the
bank along with his daughter Louise and son−in−law Bartow Morgan‚ Jr. Bartow Morgan‚
III took the bank into the next generation; his wife Patricia Morgan Thomas still
serves as Vice Chairman of the Board. Their son Bartow Morgan‚ Jr. is the current
Chairman and CEO‚ and he holds leadership positions with more than a dozen nonprofit
and community organizations. Morgan’s brother Brand is active on the firm’s board
and audit committee‚ and his sister Laurin is a consultant to the bank’s compliance
group. The bank’s assets have more than tripled in the past ten years.
A leader in innovative teaching and learning, Kennesaw State University offers undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees to its nearly 43,000 students. With 11 colleges on two metro Atlanta campuses, Kennesaw State is a member of the University System of Georgia. The university’s vibrant campus culture, diverse population, strong global ties and entrepreneurial spirit draw students from throughout the country and the world. Kennesaw State is a Carnegie-designated doctoral research institution (R2), placing it among an elite group of only 6 percent of U.S. colleges and universities with an R1 or R2 status. For more information, visit kennesaw.edu.
