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Published: Friday, Jan. 20, 2012 / Updated: Friday, Jan. 20, 2012 06:53 AM

York Co. chamber honors Comporium, other business leaders

Awards presented at annual meeting to members from Rock Hill, Fort Mill, Tega Cay

The York County Regional Chamber of Commerce on Thursday awarded its highest honors to those who have made it easier to navigate the region.

The Lifetime Business Award was presented to Comporium Communications.

The chamber recognized brothers John, Frank and Ed Barnes and Lad Barnes, a cousin. John Barnes died in 2004.

Their business has evolved from Rock Hill Telephone Company into Comporium, a telecommunications company that provides telephone, Internet, cable TV and security services.

Among the company's firsts are all-digital network service in 1987, Internet services in 1993 and caller ID on television in 2004.

Wells Fargo sponsored by the Lifetime Business Award.

The Citizenship & Service Award, presented by Duke Energy, was given to Jerry Helms, operations manager at Carowinds.

Helms has been instrumental in the "Pennies for Progress" campaigns which have financed hundreds of miles of road improvements through a 1-cent sales tax. The first two rounds of Pennies for Progress raised $270 million in improvements. The August referendum for Pennies is expected to raise another $161 million.

Helms started his career as an accountant for York General Hospital in Rock Hill. He has worked in the theme-park industry for more than 38 years.

The awards were presented at the chamber's 13th annual meeting, attended by more than 400 business and community leaders at the Baxter Hood Center at York Technical College.

Also at the meeting were chamber Chairman Marvin Smith, retired general manager of Domtar, who passed the chamber's gavel to incoming chairman Toy Rhea, owner of Gala Affairs Party Rentals.

Other award winners were:

• Chamber Ambassador of the Year - Karl Stuppnig

Stuppnig has been in the financial services business for more than 15 years. He recently received the National Quality Award from Northwestern Mutual Financial Network, where he is a financial representative.

• Fort Mill Area Business Person of the Year - Raye Felder

Felder began her Allstate Insurance career at the Sears store on Cherry Road in Rock Hill. She relocated to Tom Hall Street in Fort Mill and has been an active member of the Fort Mill and York County business community for almost 30 years. She has served on the York Technical College Foundation Board and past chair of the chamber's Fort Mill Area Council.

• Rock Hill Area Business Person of the Year - Allan Miller

Miller moved to Rock Hill in 1979 to manage WRHI. In 1984, he partnered with Manning Kimmel to found Our Three Sons Broadcasting. He has initiated many community events, such as Prom Pledge, the Great Easter Egg Hunt and Toys for Happiness and is the only person to have served as chairman the Come-See-Me and ChristmasVille festivals. In 2009, Radio Ink Magazine named him as one of America's top eight broadcasters. WRHI in 2011 was awarded the prestigious Crystal Award by the National Association of Broadcasters.

• Tega Cay Area Business Person of the Year - Robert Messer

Messer recently moved to York County to serve as store manager of the Walmart in Tega Cay. He has been employed with Walmart for the past 10 years.

• Small Business Achievers - John McCann of McCann Motivations, Deborah Long of Fort Mill Vision Center, Nick Wimmer of Camp Canaan.

The Small Business Achievers award is given to some of the fastest and strongest growing small businesses in York County. Typically, each business has 25 employees or fewer.

• Small Business Person of the Year Award and the fourth Small Business Achiever - Doug Hinson of O'Darby's Fine Wine & Spirits.

After 34 years in management for the Springs Industries, Hinson made a career change with his neighbor and now business partner Tim Molony, opening the first of three O'Darby's Fine Wine & Spirits stores.

Encouraged by the early success of O'Darby's, his role expanded to include restaurant and tavern sales. At the end of last year, the business grew to 14 full- and part-time employees, and more than 10,000 square feet of retail space.