Almost
400 turned out on May 30 at The Cleveland Country Club to attend the Delta
Business Journal's second annual Profiles In Leadership Awards tribute
and dinner. Created last year by DBJ publisher and owner, Scott Coopwood,
the purpose of the event is to pay tribute to Deltans who have not only
reached a certain level in their business careers, but more importantly,
to recognize their community service.
This year's honorees were: Willis Connell of Clarksdale, former CEO Union Planters Bank of Northwest Mississippi; Bill Gresham of Indianola, president of Gresham Petroleum; and Aven Whittington of Greenwood, president of Buckhorn Planting Company and former chairman of the Yazoo Valley Oil Mill. U.S. Senator Trent Lott was the keynote speaker.
Co-sponsors for the event were: BellSouth and BellSouth Mobility; Entergy; First South Production Credit Association; Mississippi {Valley Gas; Lake Tindall LLP; Collins Construction; Butler, Snow, O'Mara, Stevens & Cannada; Union Planters; Viking Range Corporation; Vector Money Management; Jimmy Sanders, Inc.; and WABG-TV6.
"It is an absolute honor for us to be able to hold this event each year," says Coopwood. "We are grateful to the honorees and to Senator Lott for participating in this year's event. I would also like to recognize and thank our co-sponsors, for without their support, this event would not have been possible."
Other statewide office holders and dignitaries such as Governor Ronnie Musgrove and former congressmen Mike Espy and David Bowen also attended.
Senator Lott made some personal remarks about each honoree before delivering his keynote address, whereby he touched upon current issues that face the Delta. The Majority Leader spoke about this year's agriculture scene, the new U.S. 82 bridge at Greenville and the proposed Delta Regional Authority of which he remarked that he wanted to study the proposal further before taking a stand.
Upon Cannel's acceptance of his award, he paid tribute to Coopwood and the Delta Business Journal.
"I saw Scott early on in his task of creating the Delta Business Journal," said Connell. "I talked to him before he got started and was very supportive of it. I want to thank you, Scott, for amazing all of us with what you have accomplished with the Delta Business Journal. We appreciate very much you bringing your family back to the Delta and putting your time and remarkable talents and all of your efforts on behalf of the Delta - not Madison County where you studied this! But in the Delta that we all love so much."
"I have learned through my life as a husband, parent, and as a banker for 39 years, that I did my best work when I stayed close to God. In Galatians, Chapter 5, we are told to walk a spirit-filled life and we are told to stay close to God and walk the walk of a spirit-filled person. Our characteristics should include the fruit of the spirit - love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness and self-control. How many of you can think of nine qualities that you would rather have in your lives or in the lives of all of us who inhabit the Delta or all of the United States? So, what I am saying is let's all try to have these characteristics in our own lives whatever our position of influence may be."
"I want to acknowledge here tonight that more of you have been leaders in the Delta than I have," said Gresham during his remarks. "And, regardless of what each one of us contributes to this great section of Mississippi where we were all born and raised, I urge each one of you to continue to strive and work to make the Mississippi Delta a better place for all of us."
"It has been a wonderful evening," said Whittington, closing the evening when accepting his award. "I never expected anything like this. I am very grateful to Scott and to the Delta Business Journal for the honor that has been given to me and to these two friends here tonight who have also received this recognition. This is a great crowd to be around and I am very grateful.