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By BARTON PERKINS | Staff Writer

On Monday, Nov. 20 the Shelby County Chamber and Shelby County Mayors’ Association announced that they have begun accepting nominations for the Alex Dudchock Community Leadership Award.

Award nominees will be evaluated based on the positive impact they have had on Shelby County and any significant accomplishments they have made. In order to qualify for nomination an individual only needs to have lived or worked in Shelby County, or currently does so. Nominations for the Alex Dudchock Community Leadership Award are open to the public and nominees do not need to be an investor with the Shelby County Chamber.

The award was created in 2019 and is named in honor of Alex Dudchock’s 30 years of service to Shelby County and his tireless effort to improve the lives of those around him. 

Dudchock was the inaugural recipient of the award which was presented at the Chamber’s 2020 annual meeting in January of that year. An award was not presented in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2022 recipient was James E. Purvis, CEO of A.C. Legg, Incorporated, and the 2023 recipient was Tom Walker Jr. the former president of American Village.

“Alex Dudchock has always been a model of what an ideal public servant should be,” Walker said when he received his award in 2023. “He, with the support of county commissioners and his staff, made Shelby County a model among the very best managed counties in the country.  He has the highest ethical standards, he has always led by tireless example and is a man of Christian faith and steady leadership. I, and so many others, have counted him a friend and role model.  So, to receive this honor which bears Alex Dudchock’s name, is humbling beyond words.”

To nominate an individual for the 2024 Alex Dudchock Community Leadership Award a completed application form must be turned in to the Shelby County Chamber by noon on Saturday, Jan. 6. Applications are available by contacting the chamber either by calling 205-663-4542, or emailing at Info@shelbyhamber.org. 

The 2024 recipient of the Alex Dudchock Community Leadership Award will officially be recognized during the Chamber’s Annual Meeting Luncheon program scheduled for Wednesday, Jan. 31, at the Pelham Civic Complex from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.