Officials from the Petal Area Chamber of Commerce have announced the recipients of the organization’s two most prestigious awards: Matt Dillon for the Bobby Runnels Leadership Award and Grand Central Outfitters for the Spirit of Petal Business of the Year Award.
The awards will be presented at the chamber’s annual banquet, which will be held at 6:30 p.m. January 25 at Petal Civic Center on South Main Street.
“(These recipients) are the heart of Petal, and they’re the face of Petal to other people,” said Valerie Wilson, executive director of the Petal Area Chamber of Commerce, in a previous story. “We want to recognize those people that put such a great face to our city.
“They truly represent the kind of people that live here in Petal, and the type of individuals that contribute to our community.”
The Bobby Runnels Leadership Award, which was instituted in 1994, is given each year to someone who serves the community through church, family, school, civic clubs or the chamber, and the name of the recipient is kept a secret until each year’s banquet. The award is named for Bobby Runnels, who served on Petal’s first elected board of aldermen and as mayor pro tem while then-mayor Jack Gay served in Desert Storm.
This year’s recipient, Dillon, serves as superintendent of the Petal School District, a position he began in 2014. He began his educational career as a teacher, coach, and assistant principal at the elementary, junior high and high school levels.
Dillon earned an associate of arts degree from Jones County Junior College, along with a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education and a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership, both from The University of Mississippi. Before he was appointed superintendent, he served as assistant superintendent for the Tupelo Public School District and as principal in the Pearl Public School District.
In 2021, he was named Mississippi Superintendent of the Year by the Mississippi Association of School Administrators. He also was recognized in 2019 as the Mississippi Haggar Hall of Fame Dad of the Year, appearing on the Steve Harvey Show in Los Angeles.
In 2018, the Mississippi Association of Colleges for Teacher Education presented him with the Outstanding Administrator award and in 2017, he was named Petal Person of the Year by The Petal News.
Previous recipients of the Bobby Runnels Leadership Award include, but are not limited to, Drew Brickson, Brad Eubank, Tom King, Nadine Coleman, Leahne Lightsey, Ione Bond, Jack Gay, Dr. Chuck Harrell and Lynn Cartlidge.
“I think any time your name is associated with some type of service award, that’s special,” Dillon said. “Since I joined this community back in 2014, something I’ve been very passionate about is how I can serve this school district and how I can serve this community.
“Alongside so many great people in our school district and in our community, it’s just a blessing to see how much our school district and community have grown over the years. We just have phenomenal people in the community who have a heart for service, and for my name to be mentioned and to be selected for this is very, very special, because there are so many other people in this community who do so much.”
The Spirit of Petal Business of the Year Award, which is in its third year, recognizes a business that contributes to the economic growth and quality of life in Petal. Recipients should display practices and professional conduct that contributes to a sense of cooperation within the entire business community.
This year’s recipient, Grand Central Outfitters, was opened by Tabitha Burden and her husband Mike in August 2017 after moving to Petal from Alabama. The store was originally located on East Central Avenue, across from Petal Middle School, before it relocated in 2018 to its current location on South Main Street.
Grand Central Outfitters offers a wide variety of outdoor/sporting goods, clothing and accessories, including shirts, jackets, Petal-branded wear, ice chests and Chaco shoes. Other brands include Mountain Hardwear, Bear Tree and Bogg Bag.
The store also carries several veteran-owned brands, including a selection of coffee, soaps, barbeque sauce, seasoning, dog treats and beef jerky.
To enhance community togetherness even more, the Burdens worked with Valerie Wilson, the executive director at the Petal Area Chamber of Commerce, to institute the Petal Farmers Market.
“I’m super appreciative of (the award), and very honored to be chosen by my peers and recognized by my peers,” Burden said. “I’d like to thank my customers, because without them, I wouldn’t be here.”
In addition, the recipients of the Police Officer of the Year, Police Dispatcher of the Year and Firefighter of the Year awards will be recognized at the banquet. The Firefighter of the Year is Trumaine Hardges, Heath Dickson is Police Officer of the Year and Melissa Barber is Police Dispatcher of the Year.
