The Augusta Metro Chamber announced the 2023 Best in Business awards for the Corporation of the Year and Entrepreneur of the Year during its final Member Economic Luncheon of 2023 last week.
The winning corporation has been a longtime presence in Richmond County since 1930 when it was founded as Shapiro Packing Company, LLC. In 2004, the facility on New Savannah Road was purchased by François Léger, who renamed it FPL Foods, LLC.
Dennis Trotter, Chairman of the chamber’s Board of Directors, said Léger, armed with an agricultural degree, began more than 20 years ago learning the beef industry in Australia, South America, and the U.S. Then Léger had the opportunity to realize a dream and purchase a facility.
“He continues to focus on implementing innovation, pursuing renovations throughout their farms, harvesting, and processing facilities to improve efficiency, lower their carbon footprint, and ultimately produce the highest quality beef,” Trotter said. “Their support for the community is staggering in the amount of food products they provide through many local nonprofits. Providing nearly 700 jobs for our local community which, I will add, is one of our top five employers in the area.”
Léger said he never expected to come to the U.S.; his goal was to raise sustainable beef. Since buying the Shapiro facility, he has started a farming operation in Reidsville, Ga., and expanded to a processing facility in Thomasville, Ga.
“We have two other facilities in Thomasville and these two facilities have almost 1,100 employees in Georgia,” he said. “We have high-level quality, and Angus and Wagyu in Georgia, and we are growing these operations. When I started, we weren’t turning 40 employees. Now, we’re 1,700 employees strong. And I hope we’re going to go beyond that and keep going and keep growing.”
The Entrepreneur of the Year is a relative newcomer to the Augusta business scene. It was presented to Chad Harpley, CEO of Premier Networx.
The award is sponsored by SouthState Bank. Division President, Jay Forrester said this year’s recipient reflects the region’s growing economy in the technology services sector and had humble beginnings.
“Ten years ago, this entrepreneur, who is a self-described common sense thinker, built a multimillion-dollar business in less than a decade which now employs over 30 people,” Forrester said. “With over a 70% revenue growth over the last two years, there seems to be no stopping this entrepreneur from continuing on the path of success. He is not afraid to take measured risks and has built a team of trusted confidants and entrepreneurial peers to help him shepherd this growth. He’s also donated over a million dollars to local nonprofits during the life of his business.”
Harpley was out of town at an executive team leadership meeting, and he accepted the award with a prerecorded video.
“This past September, we celebrated 10 years in business and if you would have told me 10 years ago that I’d be here today accepting this award, I wouldn’t have believed you,” he said. “Not to sound cliché like Apple, but this all started in my garage, and hired my first employee a month later. Now, Premier Networx is located in a state-of-the-art cyber technology center here on River Watch Parkway. I’d like to thank all of the Chamber members and the Chamber executive board for making today happen for me.”
Forrester then announced there was one more award to be presented, Augusta’s Entrepreneur Rising Star.
“This award signifies the importance of showcasing extraordinary entrepreneurial talent in our community with the recognition it deserves in an early phase in their growth,” he explained. “Today’s honoree puts everything he has into building his business and has shown great progress in just five years. He has built an exceedingly successful brand in the commercial landscaping business. It is our pleasure to honor Patrick Wells, President of Piedmont Landscape Management, as Augusta’s Entrepreneur Rising Star.”
Wells said he and his wife moved to Augusta in 2015 and fell in love with the company, which had started in 1977.
“Their mission statement is to grow and sustain long-term relationships. Team members are committed to a culture of excellence that goes to our clients, and our employees all the way through. And being able to build relationships through the Chamber or Rotary to get us to better make it a place to do business is important,” he said.
In announcing the awards, the chamber said the recipients have displayed the endurance needed to succeed in business, as well as a strong commitment to the community and having a positive impact on the local economy.
