Award winners during the Yadkin County Chamber of Commerce Annual meeting held on Jan. 25 proudly display the recognition they were given for their contributions to the community. Seated in the front row were (from left) Tony Snow, Wayne Matthews, Kevin Matthews, and Lenuel Chamberlain. Award winners on the back row included (from left) John Willingham, Gaye Baity, Brenda Doub, Sandy Thomas, Victoria Shaw, Todd Baker and Jerry Carlton.
Chamber members and attendees were treated to glasses of wine from the Yadkin County wineries and vineyards as well as hors'ou
douvres and the dinner meal by D & F Catering.
Wayne Matthews 2010 Chairman of the Chamber spoke to the attendees of the meeting about his tenure and the purpose of the chamber in changing times.
"Like many people my e-mail signature includes a quote." Matthews said. "Mine, attributed to James Thurber, reads 'It is better to know some of the questions than all of the answers.' I first read the quote while searching for something to put on a plaque for a high school art project. At the time I really didn't think that much about the quote. It sounded catchy and it met the project criteria. I took the plaque home to my Mom and she liked it. She still has it in her den today.
"Sometime later I began to study the meaning of this quote, and now for me it suggests that if we think we have all of the answers we stop searching for new knowledge, we stop learning. Yet it is the in the quest for knowledge that we may gain new understanding, and new understanding is necessary to find solutions to the challenges we face today and will face in the future. Albert Einstein once said, 'We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.' We need to be forever searching for new answers."
Matthews continued to speak of questions and answers and experiences that have helped shape Yadkin County and plan for the future.
"Last summer chamber board members were treated to a tour of the 5-D (dam) project," he said."While standing on the top of the dam, Tony Snow asked me one of those good questions which can lead to new knowledge and understanding. Tony’s question was something along the lines of 'How did we (Yadkin County) get so lucky to have these things.' We went on to talk about the many additions and advancements the county has made in the last few years; 5-D; middle schools; new and expanding industries; wineries; water line extensions; new town halls; parks; a YMCA; and a community college center just to name a few. At the time I really did not have a good answer to his question, however now I think I am ready to take a stab at it.
"I believe that we are beginning to think differently, to apply a different set of solutions to the challenges we face," Matthews said. "While we did not always arrive at the completion of the aforementioned projects without some consternation, struggle or opposition, we do have them; progress has been made. What do we need to replicate our growth? How can we continue to meet new challenges? How can Yadkin County continue to progress? We will need to become better decision makers; better leaders.
"As an organism grows its cells go through a systematic process. Normally the genetic material, the leadership of the cell, is loosely organized fulfilling individual responsibilities outlined within its coding. Yet there comes a point when they put their individuality aside and align themselves for the good of the whole. We as leaders of this wonderfully unique place called Yadkin County must occasionally put aside our individual desires, wishes, and yes even politics to align with each other for the betterment of the whole. We must be willing to find common ground, bringing together the best we have to offer while applying a little selective amnesia to our past differences.
We should also be attentive to our next generation of leaders."
Awards were presented by Matthews, Nancy Keith and Jimmy Flythe. The Yadkin County FArmer of the Year Award went to Kevin Matthews of Matthews Family Farms, and the Duke Energy Citizenship & Service Award went toe Jerry Carlton.
Kim Myers, owner of Laurel Gray Vineyards was nominated and voted in as the new Yadkin Valley Chamber of Commerce Chairperson.
Myers invited business owners throughout the county to join the chamber and be a part of the future of the area.
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