ALBEMARLE — The Stanly County Chamber of Commerce hosted its 2025 Annual Meeting and Awards event last week inside Atrium Health Stanly’s Magnolia Room in Albemarle.
The county organization used the March 6 event to celebrate 89 years of its inclusion within the community, honoring four award categories for the 2024 calendar year: Citizen of the Year, Ambassador of the Year, Business of the Year, and Small Business of the Year.
The keynote speaker for the awards ceremony was North Carolina Chief Deputy Secretary of Commerce Jordan Whicard, who addressed attendees after an introduction by Stanly County Manager Andy Lucas.
Charles Brown was named the winner of the Stanly County Chamber of Commerce’s 2024 Citizen of the Year Award that was presented by Duke Energy representative Joe Crapster.
Brown, an Albemarle native, works as a member of the county’s longest established law firm, Brown & Senter, PLLC. He is also the chairman of North Carolina’s Board of Rural Infrastructure Authority and serves on the Stanly County Economic Development Commission and Golden LEAF Foundation.
“What I’m trying to do working with so many of you, reaching out to boards, organizations, foundations, is to make a difference in a positive way,” Brown said. “On behalf of Stanly County, the businesses, the people in Stanly County, thank you for letting me work with you. I’m grateful for the trust that you have placed in me over the years.”
Presented by Sylvia Lewis and Lisa Lewis, the 2024 Ambassador of the Year Award was given to Rodney Myers.
Myers is the creator of the New London-based Digital Rain Media, which is the official video production partner of the Stanly County Chamber of Commerce.
B.R.S. Inc. was the winner of the 2024 Business of the Year Award, as presented by Bradford and Ruby Barringer. Other nominees included B.E. Holbrook, First Bank, Preformed Line Products, Juneberry Ridge, Friendly Chevrolet, and Uwharrie Bank.
Introduced by Stanly Community College President Dr. John Enamait, the Locust Italian restaurant Emricci Pizzeria won the 2024 Small Business of the Year Award.
“We are thrilled to be in Stanly County and Locust, making whatever contributions we can to the community,” Emricci Pizzeria said in a statement after the awards event. “Thank you to everyone who made this incredible honor possible. We plan to continue to serve our community with the same excellence going into 2025.”
The nominees for that award — delegated to a business with less than 25 employees — included Albemarle Sweet Shop, A.L. Lowder Inc., Beane Swaringen and Co. PLLC, Cadillac Signs, Granville Lane Farm, Kluttz Tire and Service Center, Livi Bug’s, Norwood Hardware, Stanly4Rent, and Starnes Bramlett Jewelers.
Along with award presentations, the Stanly County Chamber of Commerce also ran through procedural duties with its “passing of the gavel” segment that introduced James Baucom as the organization’s incoming 2025-26 Chamber Leadership chair, replacing Wil Huneycutt.
Throughout the rest of the month, the chamber is set to host its Business After Hours networking event at Dennis Vineyards (March 20), a Women In Business networking event at Sassy Cakes Bakery (March 27), and a Ribbon Cutting event for Uwharrie Vineyards and Winery (March 27).