By allowing ads to appear on this site, you support the local businesses who, in turn, support great journalism.
Chamber taps Mark Bolton for rare award
Fish Tales Restaurant named Business of the Year at annual banquet
Chamber-web
Mark Bolton accepts the DeVaul Henderson Award from Richmond Hill-Bryan County Chamber of Commerce Board Chairman Michele Henderson on Thursday during the organizations annual banquet. - photo by Steve Scholar

The Richmond Hill-Bryan County Chamber of Commerce held its annual meeting and banquet Thursday at the Richmond Hill City Center and named Mark Bolton as the 2013 DeVaul Henderson Award recipient and Fish Tales Restaurant as the recipient of the 2013 Business of the Year Award.

The DeVaul Henderson Award is given periodically to an individual who is civic-minded and has made a positive contribution to the community, said 2013 chamber of commerce chairman Michele Henderson.

“He’s lived here 30 years and has been active in youth sports and many community activities,” Henderson said. “He has been active in politics, has a positive attitude and no one deserves the award more.”

Among the activities cited by Henderson to exemplify Bolton’s community involvement were his leadership in the Bryan County Tree Foundation and his involvement in the Rotary Club of Richmond Hill.

“I had no idea. Thank you very much,” Bolton told those gathered at the annual meeting.

Owned by Butch and Sherri Broome, Fish Tales on Highway 144 Spur, has become a popular meeting place and “go-to” restaurant, according to Butch Broome.

“I knew something was up all week. It’s great to be recognized by your peers as one of the best businesses in the county,” Broome said.

The restaurateur was quick to give credit where credit was due.

“It’s a team effort,” he said. “I could never do this without the team I have working at the restaurant. I also could never have done this without my wife, Sherri.”

Making the business of the year award presentation was the 2012 Business of the Year recipient, Catherine Grant, co-owner of the Urgent Care Center of Richmond Hill.

Chris Sheppard, director of the Richmond Hill Convention and Visitors Bureau, took home the 2013 Ambassador of the Year Award for her efforts promoting the city of Richmond Hill.

The keynote speaker for the meeting was Greg Parker, president of the Parker Companies.
Parker shared his vision of what made his a successful business and said those ideas could be used by other small businesses.

They included building customer loyalty, creating key performance indicators — or a “dashboard” as he called it — and recognizing your target customer group.

Sign up for our E-Newsletters