Haley and Marsha Barbour named Mississippi’s Citizens of the Decade
August 19, 2015
Honorees named for Hancock Chamber Salute to Business and Industry Annual Awards Gala
HANCOCK COUNTY, MS — The Hancock Chamber of Commerce and the Hancock County Port & Harbor Commission will join together to present the Annual Salute to Business and Industry Awards Gala at Hollywood Casino on Thursday, August 27th. It all starts at 5:30pm with networking and then the businesses and industries of the year will be recognized for outstanding achievements in citizenship, tourism, industry and business., To commemorate the 10-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, the Chamber will also honor Haley and Marsha Barbour as Mississippi’s Citizens of the Decade for their remarkable leadership in the devastating aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
DAK Americas, Million Air, and Aerojet Rocketdyne will receive the Industrial Awards of Excellence for Port Bienville, Stennis International Airport, and Stennis Space Center. Businesses of the Year are Pharmacy in the Bay, S&L Office Supplies, Diamondhead Urgent Care, Coastal Hardware and Rental Company, and Dixieland Home, Farm and Garden. The Friends of McLeod Park will receive the Patt Cucullu Tourism Industry of the Year Award. And, the Hancock Chamber is bringing back the Citizens of the Year from the past nine years to include Katrina volunteers, represented by the daughter and son of the late Bill Eastburn of Bucks-Mont, PA (Holly Macewan and Bill Eastburn, Jr.), Martin Chambers, Alicein Chambers, Marcie Baria, Larry Ladner, Basil Kennedy, David Kenny, John Ferrucci, Angelyn Scardino Zeringue, and LiLi Stahler Murphy.
Hancock Chamber director Tish Williams says that the honored companies and persons exemplify both business leadership and good citizenship. “These honorees have helped create a domino effect of investment in Hancock County,” says Williams. “By recognizing them in the awards ceremony, we hope to inspire others to excel.”
Governor Haley Barbour will go down in history as one of Mississippi’s most effective chief executives for his remarkable leadership in the devastating aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. He repeatedly visited Washington, DC working with local, state and national leaders to tap into the resources needed to fuel the state’s rebuilding program. In the end, Congress approved a $5.4 billion Katrina Recovery Package. When it was all said and done, nearly $1 billion in Federal Funds would be used to rebuild Hancock County, ground zero and hit the hardest. The Mississippi Development Authority also awarded $52 million in economic development projects in Hancock County.
“Haley and Marsha Barbour were at the right place at the right time for Mississippi,” said Williams. “Marsha was truly the heroine of the story. She hit the ground running before the winds died and became Haley’s eyes and ears on the ground. Together they provided the leadership to help Mississippians pick up the broken pieces to begin rebuilding our beautiful state. For these reasons and many more, Marsha and Haley Barbour are Mississippi’s Citizens of the Decade.”
Reservations for the gala are currently sold out but the Chamber is accepting reservations on a waiting list in the order received. To add your name to the list, email sally@hancockchamber.org or call 228-467-9048.