We are proud to announce Rhonda Davis as the recipient of this year’s George Goodwyn Building Communities Award! We are also proud to announce a new award, the Beasley-McClure Technical Excellence Award to honor Chris Beasley and Bobby McClure.
As Augusta office leader and Vice President of Transportation in Georgia, Rhonda has been nominated consistently for this award over the last several years. She embodies everything this award represents and more. Her genuine care for others is unmatched, and she truly sets an example that others want to follow. At her core, she is committed to serving others, whether it be fellow employees, clients or her community.
Below are a few excerpts from Rhonda’s nominations that truly speak to who she is and why she is so deserving of this award.
- The Augusta office would not be what it has become today, growing from five to 20 in a few short years, without the culture that Rhonda has sought to build. We are grateful every day for the opportunity to work with Rhonda and submit her for consideration with the love and care that she shows for this office and her coworkers.
- She consistently embraces challenges and goes the extra mile to ensure her clients receive the highest level of service. As a leader in the Augusta office, Rhonda sets a strong example for her team, demonstrating unwavering dedication and a collaborative spirit. Her leadership and work ethic are a true asset to the organization.
- She seeks to make everyone feel invited and strategically goes out of her way to build an office that exemplifies that. She makes her team in Augusta feel like a family. She encourages personal growth, integrity, care and character. She makes clients feel like they are the most important people on Earth, no matter rank, problem and/or contract value.
- There’s not a person you’ll meet that knows Rhonda that doesn’t have some story of how she’s cared for them, or a story of her brilliance when it comes to client management or engineering expertise. She has a humility about her that is so admirable, despite often being one of the smartest in the room. Her integrity is second to none, and she carries so much on her shoulders because she strives to always support those around her and not let anyone down. I don’t know how she continues to do what she does with so much grace and tenacity, but she is someone I greatly admire and look up to, as do so many within this company. Her mindset is one of “others first” and we’d be a lot better off in the world if we had more Rhondas.
As a special addition to this year’s award announcement, we had an opportunity to sit down with George Goodwyn himself to hear his take on what this award means, as well as some stories about GMC’s history that showcase the foundational values we strive to carry on today. Watch the video below.
We also want to recognize all of the individuals nominated for the award this year. We had more nominees than any previous year, and we are proud of each person that was nominated by their peers, as this is the highest honor bestowed upon GMC employees.
Congratulations to the nominees: Abby Basinger, Amy Bell, Barbara Garner, Becca Pick, Bill Wallace, Bob Gray, Brian Weed, Bryan King, Byron Figaro, Cait Roman, Charles Welch, Chris Engel, Daniel Mosher, Fred Hanna, Freddie Lynn, Gary Owen, Jay Purkey, Jeff Miller, Jim Teel, John Raiford, Justin Lucas, Katy Lucas, Kevin Laird, Kevin Wales, Mark Coyle, Pickett Reese, Robert Ramsey, Roderick Anderson, Sara Butler, Scott Hutchinson, Shadia Jaramillo, Tanner Backman, Wesley Caputo, William Gray and Yann Cowart.
In addition, we are pleased to officially recognize the recipients of the first ever Beasley-McClure Technical Excellence Award. CEO Jeffrey Brewer announced as a counterpart to the George Goodwyn Award to honor those exhibiting the highest level of expertise in their respective fields.
This award is named for two longtime employees and pillars of GMC, Chris Beasley and Bobby McClure. For those who may not be aware, Chris unexpectedly passed away in September of 2024. A key member of our architecture team in Montgomery for 35+ years, he represented technical excellence in every way. The caliber of work he produced was superior, and his work ethic and diligence in the profession were truly unprecedented.
Bobby was one of GMC’s earliest employees, even working under all three of GMC’s founders at some point during his career. Over the course of his more than 40 years of service here, he was our resident water/wastewater treatment expert. Though he retired last year, his legacy has lived on through the numerous people at GMC he mentored throughout his time here and the example he set for so many.
In the video below, hear an interview with Bobby about how he got his start, his approach to honing that expertise and what this award means to him.