“The Triangle can do anything if we work together.”
–CBC President & CEO Jim Goodmon

The African Children’s Choir provides beautiful music for the “Circles of Community” at the Goodmon Awards on Dec 11th.

Over 300 members of the Triangle community came together to honor regional thinking and action at the 7th annual Goodmon Awards on Thursday, December 11, 2008.   The Leadership Triangle event kicked off at 6:30pm in American Tobacco’s Bay 7 in downtown Durham.

The flow of the event echoed the theme for the evening, “Circles of the Community.”  A circular drink station centered the room flanked with food stations bearing cuisine from around the world.  Action took place all around the floor, including award presentations, jump roping from the Bouncing Bulldogs and music from the African Children’s Choir.

The Goodmon Awards honor the service of outstanding companies and individuals in the triangle community, emphasizing their regional actions.  The “Circles of Community” theme reflected both the spirit of their extraordinary stewardship and also the primary mission of LT.

The 2008 Goodmon Award Winners:
Award winner Bill Shore (right) with Jim Goodmon	Individual Bill Shore, GlaxoSmithKline Bill Shore’s innovative personal leadership has impacted public education, chambers of commerce, Regional Transportation Alliance and the Triangle United Way.  He has inspired community nationally and state-wide.
Award winner Becky Heron (right) with Jim Goodmon	Public Official Becky Heron, Durham County Commissioner Becky Heron has championed regional issues of aging, transportation, and the environment and devoted her life to broader community through public service.
Triangle Leadership Academy Executive Director Steve Bingham (right) with Jim Goodmon	Organization Triangle Leadership Academy Triangle Leadership Academy offers regional services to five area school districts designed to produce a full range of highly-qualified school leaders.
Conservation Trust for NC Executive Director Reid Wilson (right) with Jim Goodmon	Partnership Upper Neuse Clean Water Initiative UNCWI protects the safety of drinking water for over a million people in the Triangle using land conservation and working with multiple stakeholders in the region.

CBC served as a sponsor for the event, and WRAL-TV’s Debra Morgan, a Leadership Triangle alum, served as emcee.

CBC President & CEO Jim Goodmon spoke to the crowd after the presentations saying, “Bill Shore or Becky Heron has never said, ‘What am I going to get out of this?’”  He emphasized the importance of regional thinking.

WRAL-TV’s Debra Morgan shines her light along with the crowd for the finale.

Goodmon addressed the current situation in the United States in the same vein. 

He continued, “We now have 5% of the country owning 90% of everything.  We’ve got to rethink this.”

Goodmon said that this philosophy comes from a crowd who says “How am I doing?”  “We’ll be happier if we asked how are we doing?

He concluded on an up note saying, “The Triangle can do anything if we work together.”

FOX 50’s Paul Pedzwiatr (left) & FOX 50’s John George, make sure the visual presentation runs smoothly.

The Goodmon Awards honor regional action in the Triangle.