The 66th winner of the Aiken Chamber of Commerce's Outstanding Man of the Year award wiped tears from his eyes as he accepted the award at the Etherredge Center on Friday evening.
Gary Stooksbury, CEO of Aiken Electric Cooperative, paused twice as he made brief remarks during the chamber's 106th annual celebration of Aiken's best and brightest.
"There's a lot of great people that are the reason I was standing there," Stooksbury said after dropping his award off at his car. "There's 150 employees that are just phenomenal. They are wonderful at execution."
Stooksbury said his staff is second-to-none and the cooperative's board is very supportive and committed to improving the community.
The chamber cited two major reasons for naming Stooksbury as Man of the Year.
First, he worked to establish a loan program allowing cooperative members to make their homes more efficient.
Stooksbury said he knew he won the award when the chamber mentioned the program.
And second, the cooperative's work to bring affordable broadband, Carolina Connect, to rural South Carolina.
Woman of the Year
Meanwhile, the 56th winner of the Outstanding Woman of the Year said she was surprised to win the award.
Julie Whitesell, broker-in-charge at Meybohm's Aiken office, said she planned to attend the ceremony but the chamber staff "lied" to her by telling her that her father — 1990 Outstanding Man of the Year James Moore — would win another man of the year award.
"I've already cried once," Whitesell said.
During the ceremony, the chamber played a video showing several Aiken business owners opening doors and waving to the camera. The last image of the video was new Chamber CEO Jim Tunison walking through a door and onto the Etherredge Center stage.
"It was so cool to see you walk through that door," Whitesell told Tunison. "This chamber is amazing and you're just going to take it to new heights, new horizons and new levels."
The chamber said Whitesell “embodies the spirit of service and compassion, enriching the lives of those fortunate enough to know her.” The chamber added Whitesell is known for her “infectious smile” and for “greeting others by asking, 'How can I help you today,’"
“This is not just a question; it's a sincere testament to her genuine care for others and her true willingness to set aside what she is doing to help,” the chamber said.
Small Business of the Year
The 20th winner of the Small Business of the Year award, Cold Creek Nurseries, won because of how the company treats its employees.
Cold Creek provides job-specific training and education, financial literacy information and “top-tier” benefits to its employees, the chamber said. The company also has an emergency fund to assist employees, the chamber added.
Bill Tiszai, Cold Creek'a owner, said his company was committed to help each employee find their divine potential as a child of God.
"If we can do that, the numbers take care of themselves," he said.
Large Business of the Year
Battelle Savannah River Alliance, manager and operator of the Savannah River National Laboratory, received the 20th Large Business of the Year award.
As manager and operator of the national lab, Battelle will be the lead Savannah River Site contractor at the Advanced Manufacturing Collaborative which is being built on the USC Aiken campus.
Battellle is also working to lease space in a mixed-use building to be built on Newberry Street in downtown Aiken.
Ambassador of the Year
Realtor Debbie Roland received the Ambassador of the Year award.
The chamber praised Roland’s dedication and said she “exemplifies the characteristics of a truly dedicated volunteer.” The chamber said Roland “shared the value of chamber membership with more new members than any ambassador has in the past decade.”
