-
Photo submitted by Dana Jones – Robert Mills, left, presents Wayne McClain with the Wes Larson Living Legacy Award during a Putnam County Chamber of Commerce event last week.
The Putnam County Chamber of Commerce welcomed new board leadership and recognized a pillar in the business community.
Business officials who make up the chamber’s membership attended the organization’s 88th annual celebration Jan. 20. The outgoing Chamber of Commerce board of directors Chairman Robert Mills named Jini McCool Robbins, the owner of J-B Glass LLC since 2016, the new board chair.
“I am extremely honored and appreciate the confidence of those who selected me to serve in this role,” she said in a Facebook message. “I’m excited and look forward to (working) within the chamber to make positive progress for the county and region.”
The county has new opportunities for growth through economic development, she said, noting the Bass Elite Series’ return in April will fuel tourism to help local restaurants, hotels and other businesses.
Chamber members also honored longtime businessman Wayne McClain with the Wes Larson Living Legacy Award.
“I was very honored to receive this award that honors a great man, Wes Larson,” McClain said. “He truly was a champion of Putnam County.”
The award is named after Larson, who was involved with the chamber from 1985 to 2010, and served as president for 25 years, chamber members said. He passed away in 2017, and the legacy award was established to honor his service to the community.
McClain, who is the vice president of Beck Automotive Group in Palatka, has lived in the city for 24 years, coming from Jacksonville.
He is a member of the Ride Solution executive board, the chamber’s board of directors, the Kay Larkin Airport advisory board, the Haven Hospice advisory and foundation boards, and the CareerSource board of directors.
McClain, a founding member of the Ten-24 Foundation of Putnam County, is also a member of the Putnam County Fair Authority board and Bond Oversight Committee for the Putnam County School District.
McClain said the county and its residents have given him more than he could ever contribute in return.
“If you want to be involved with the community, in any aspect of the community, you can make an impact,” he said. “I think that’s important. Sometimes, in big cities, you can’t have the same impact getting involved in a community that you can in a smaller community.”
