The highlight of Tuesday night’s Pike County Chamber of Commerce annual dinner and Christmas banquet was the presentation of a number of awards. They included Small Business of the Year, Teacher of the Year, Chamber Recruiters of the Year and Chamber Ambassador of the Year.

The 2008 Small Business of the Year Award was presented to Joe and Renee Vizi of Eco-Scrub. The company identified its keys to success as unparalleled customer service, competitive pricing and flexible scheduling. Eco-Scrub’s community involvement includes sponsorship of the 11-12-year-old Gold Pirates football team, assistance in coaching for 9- and 10-year-old football at the Pike County Recreation Department, and volunteering with the Magic Life Foundation and the Georgia Cancer Center.

To be considered a small business, companies must have less than 50 employees. There were no nominations for Large Business of the Year.

April Sullivan, a first-grade teacher at Pike County Primary School, was honored as Teacher of the Year. She has been teaching for 11 years in Upson and Pike counties.

UnitedBank employees Ryan Edge and John Hanson tied as top recruiters during the chamber’s annual membership drive. The pair recruited a total of 36 new members and brought in $4,650.

Ambassador of the Year went to Pike County High School senior Jennifer Pippin.

Three other awards were presented during the event. Trisha Dabbs was named Citizen of the Year by the Kiwanis Club; Pat Johnson was named Volunteer of the Year by the Lions Club; and the AgriBusiness Authority named Stephen Goodman Top Producer of the Year.