Decatur-Morgan County Chamber of Commerce President and CEO John Seymour announced today Crystal Brown will assume the position of vice president of development for the Chamber, where she will address our area’s residential growth needs as part of the organization’s “The Partnership” initiative.

The Decatur-Morgan County Chamber of Commerce announced today the addition of Amber Fortenberry as director of talent development and recruitment, effective June 18.

On Thursday, three area professionals were honored by the Decatur-Morgan County Chamber of Commerce at the annual Small Business Awards Celebration for their innovation, creativity and commitment to our city’s quality of life. Tyler Jones, owner of The RailYard, Whisk’D Café and High Point Market was named the Raymon Baker - John Cook - Ralph Jones Small Business Person of the Year; Mary Ila Ward, owner and president of Horizon Point Consulting, was named the Arthur Orr Young Professional of the Year; and Michael Tubbs, chief executive officer of Community Action Partnership of North Alabama, was named the Lynn C. Fowler Non-Profit Professional of the Year. The luncheon was presented by Redstone Federal Credit Union and held at the Doubletree by Hilton Decatur Riverfront.

The Chamber’s annual Small Business Awards Celebration event recognizes the contributions of small business to the local and national economies and honors business leaders in our community. Approximately two of every three new jobs created in our economy are created by small businesses, and more nearly 80 percent of the Chamber’s members are small businesses. The luncheon is also an opportunity to highlight three area professionals with awards honoring their contributions to the business community.

On Tuesday, Murphy Brown of Decatur was named the Decatur-Morgan County Chamber of Commerce Miss Athelyne C. Banks Citizen of the Year for his contributions and volunteerism in the community.