The Columbia County Chamber of Commerce hosted its 20th Anniversary Celebration, presented by SouthState Bank, on Wednesday, February 6^th at the Columbia County Exhibition Center. More than 500 Chamber members, local leaders, and community officials were in attendance. The Chamber honored outstanding individuals and businesses during the awards ceremony, celebrating their achievements and contributions to Columbia County and the Greater Augusta Region.

Rhonda Banks, Interim Associate VP for Philanthropy at Augusta University, received the Leadership Columbia County Alumni Award. The Ambassador of the Year Award was presented to Wendy Bradley, Executive Assistant at SouthState Bank. Heather Johnson, Business Development Director at Southpaw Roofing, was honored with the Volunteer of the Year Award. The evening also recognized local businesses with the Columbia County Foundation for Children named as Non-Profit of the Year, Southpaw Roofing named as Small Business of the Year, and SRP Federal Credit Union named as Large Business of the Year.

A major moment of the evening was the presentation of the Lifetime Achievement Award, which was awarded to the late Thomas M. Blanchard Jr., longtime real estate executive and philanthropist. His family accepted the award in his honor, recognizing his lifetime of service and dedication to both his profession and the Greater Augusta region.

Chamber President & CEO Russell Lahodny delivered the State of the Chamber Address, which focused on the organization’s successes in 2024 and shared a vision for the future. The ceremonial passing of the gavel of leadership from Outgoing Chair, Robert Kelly (Augusta Staffing), to incoming Chair of the Board for 2025, Neil Gwynne (Poolwerx), was another key moment of the evening.

The 20th Annual Banquet Celebration was made possible through the support of various sponsors. SouthState Bank served as the Presenting Sponsor, while Allegra Print & Marketing and Savannah River Nuclear Solutions were the Premier Sponsors. Georgia Power served as the Executive Sponsor, and C&C Automotive provided entertainment for the evening. The Volunteer of the Year Award was sponsored by First Community Bank, the Non-Profit of the Year Award was sponsored by ADP, and the Lifetime Achievement Award was sponsored by Southeast Restoration. Additional sponsors included Comcast (Hall of Fame Sponsor), Augusta Technical College (Annual Report Sponsor), Holiday Inn (Bar Sponsor), and Synovus Bank and Jordan Trotter Commercial Real Estate (Champagne Sponsors). To learn more about the Columbia County Chamber, visitcolumbiacountychamber.com.