Hoover chamber picks top volunteers for 2017
The Hoover Area Chamber of Commerce today honored its top volunteers for 2017.
Lynn Ray, the president and one of the owners of Business Telephones Inc., was named the chamber’s Member of the Year, while Terry Shea, one of the founders of The Wrapsody gift boutique, was chosen as Board Member of the Year.
Also, Jay Clyce, a mortgage loan officer with Weber Mortgage, was honored as the chamber’s Ambassador of the Year.
Each of the three winners received $100 gift certificates to Outback Steakhouse in front of the 150 or so people who attended the monthly luncheon at the Hoover Country Club.
Member of the Year
Ray has been active in the Hoover Chamber since 2007 and has served on the chamber’s Ambassador Committee since 2013, Executive Director Bill Powell said. The chamber’s ambassadors represent the group at functions such as ribbon cuttings and networking events and help greet members, newcomers and guests at the monthly luncheons.
Ray was the Hoover Chamber’s Ambassador of the Year for 2015 and 2016 and was named Ambassador of the Year for the Greater Shelby County Chamber of Commerce three years in a row, Powell said.
She was the volunteer coordinator for the chamber’s annual golf tournament this past year and has served as chairwoman of the small business work group and entrepreneurs roundtable for the Greater Shelby chamber.
Ray has worked 34 years with Business Telephones Inc., which provides telecommunications solutions to small and medium-size businesses, including internet and carrier services. Her business is based in Pelham but serves clients throughout the state. Ray lives in Pelham.
Board Member of the Year
Shea’s former company, Wrapsody, has been a member of the Hoover Chamber for more than 14 years, and she has been very active with the chamber the past six years, Powell said.
She first got involved with the chamber through its Economic Development Committee and served on the board of directors the past three years. She also serves on the board of directors for the Alabama Retail Association and has represented that group in Washington by testifying in Congressional hearings regarding retail matters.
Shea and partner Sarah Brown opened the Wrapsody gift boutique in Hoover in 2004 and later added an online store in 2007 and a store in Auburn in 2009. In October, the partners sold the business to one of their former employees, Christie Howell, and her husband, Reel Howell.
Before opening Wrapsody, Shea worked as a district manager for Express stores, major account representative for Nike, part-time salesperson for Procter & Gamble and assistant buyer for the May Corp. She has been a Hoover resident since 2002.
Ambassador of the Year
Clyce joined the Hoover Chamber in 2016 and was an ambassador of the quarter late in 2016 and the first quarter of 2017. He has referred numerous new members and visitors to the chamber, Powell said.
He has worked at Weber Mortgage about two years and been in the mortgage business a total of about four years, he said. Before that, he worked about five years on the admissions team for Virginia College, where he helped build the online division.
Prior to that, Clyce worked for Enterprise Rent-A-Car and was director of advertising for Fanfare Media Works. He lives in Pelham.
New officers installed
Also at today’s chamber luncheon, Hoover Councilman John Greene installed the chamber’s officers for 2018, led by Jerome Morgan Jr., who will serve a second consecutive term as president.
Greene cited author John Maxwell’s quote that “everything rises and falls on leadership.”
“We know that for any organization to be successful, it must have dedicated leaders who are willing to learn from the past, efficiently manage the present and effectively plan for the future,” Greene said. “But good leaders also take on the responsibility of upholding the vision and furthering the mission of their organization, as well as encouraging and supporting its members.”
The Hoover chamber’s board of directors have established themselves as strong and successful leaders and stand on the solid ground of success achieved by past officers and boards over the chamber’s 40-year history, Greene said.
The chamber has tripled its membership in recent years and established itself as a forum for strong communication between the business community and city government and provides many networking opportunities for its members, he said.
The chamber has shown support for the city’s public safety departments and schools and provided more than $200,000 in college scholarships to high school students, he said.
The incoming board is made up of strong leaders, and “under their leadership, I am certain the Hoover Chamber of Commerce has a bright future,” Greene said.
Also today, Morgan led the chamber in honoring retiring Executive Director Bill Powell, who has served the chamber for 22 years. The chamber board decided to name a college scholarship in honor of Powell and his wife, Gail.