The Chamber and First State Bank & Trust Co. sponsor World Class Recognition to give employers the chance to highlight their best employees and promote Valdosta-Lowndes County's remarkable workforce. Local businesses nominate their top employees for the program. The nominees should posses impressive job knowledge and extraordinary work ethics. Winners are announced at the World Class Recognition Early Bird Breakfast.

An independent committee of 12 top business and community leaders select the winners of Small Business Employee, Small Business Supervisor, Large Business Employee and Large Business Supervisor.

An important aspect of being a World Class Employer is having an established employee recognition program. Other criteria included being a member of the DRUGS DON'T WORK program, providing healthcare benefits to employees and providing advancement opportunities for employees.

WORLD CLASS SMALL BUSINESS EMPLOYEE
Mary Davis, Office Manager
The Flower Gallery
“Mary is a very loyal employee, a great asset in purchasing merchandise for our shop, always providing guidance and assistance to her co-workers and making certain that all customers are given special attention and are happy with their flower arrangements. I would describe Mary as one of the most trustworthy, honest and sincere employees. She ALWAYS goes the extra mile and believes in a fair day’s work for a fair day’s pay. Mary is truly an outstanding employee!”

WORLD CLASS LARGE BUSINESS EMPLOYEE
Rita Sanders, Customer Service Representative
Fresh Beginnings, Inc.
“Rita’s positive attitude and enthusiasm for her job is infectious. She is an invaluable asset to our team—in both the environment she helps define and through her hard work. She has an impressive work-ethic and consistently produces high quality work while still leading in production. She exemplifies that an employee can both produce quality work and exceed quotas. In addition to other exemplary qualities, Rita is extremely dependable. She is truly a model employee.”

WORLD CLASS SMALL BUSINESS SUPERVISOR
Warren Scoby, Logistics Manager
Habitat for Humanity
“Warren has the title of Logistics Manager. What that really means is any job that is difficult, needs leadership, has a difficult time schedule or is in general a ‘must job’ at Habitat for Humanity, they fall under logistics and Warren Scoby. In the past three years no other Habitat for Humanity in Georgia, outside Metro-Atlanta, has built more homes than Valdosta-Lowndes County and Warren Scoby carries a lot of that success on his shoulders.”

WORLD CLASS LARGE BUSINESS SUPERVISOR
Jennie Boyer, Manager
Wild Adventures Water & Theme Park
“There are many nights that you can find Jennie at Wal-Mart picking up items for her team to make their jobs easier. She ensures that her team has the tools they need to perform their job well. She is a natural leader – very quiet, patient and unassuming. She is not the type of person who needs others to know the good she does. Jennie has made a tremendous impact on her team and our leadership team at Wild Adventures.”