By: Davies Hood, Induron President
Induron Coatings was honored to be an “Anvil” level sponsor for the 10th Annual Vulcans Community Awards on Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2024.
The Vulcans Community Awards were created to recognize civic pride, progress and leadership in the Birmingham Area. They are named the Vulcan Awards in honor of the iconic iron statue located atop Red Mountain overlooking our city. The Vulcan Statue, given to the city of Birmingham during the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair is a gift honoring our iron and steel manufacturing heritage and was created by Giuseppe Moretti, better known for the tower in Paris that he created.
As “Anvil Level” sponsors, we were able to donate to Vulcan Park as we celebrate the 120th Birthday of the statue of the Roman God of the Forge, which seems appropriate for a protective coatings company based in Birmingham that focuses on protecting iron and steel structures from corrosion. We were also fortunate enough to get an entire table of 8 at the awards ceremony. This provided several members of our Operations Team a unique bonding opportunity outside of the workplace. It also gave us the opportunity to celebrate the seven Vulcans Community Awards winners. Not only were the winners deserving, but the whole operation was both professionally and efficiently run with presentations from the Mayor of Birmingham and several prominent Vulcan Park Board of Directors members.
Speaking of the seven winners, they were all extremely deserving and have all “moved the needle” in the local community one way or the other. I won’t get into all of these deserving award recipients, but I would be remiss if I didn’t mention a few to give a flavor of this event:
- The Vulcan Spirit award winner Phillip McWane, current chairman of McWane Inc. and a steadfast supporter of Vulcan Park & Museum who champions both our hometown’s past and future.
- The HERO award winner, Daniel Chaplin is a board member of the National Down Syndrome Congress, speaker at the United Nations and has completed marathons in all 50 states!
- The Vulcan Community Champion award was given to the Kiwanis Club of Birmingham, of which I am a member and was integral in establishing Birmingham’s Park system in the 1920s to championing the relocation and ongoing preservation of the iconic Vulcan Statue.
- Lastly, and probably my personal favorite was the Lifetime Achievement award given to Gerald Watkins, Chairman of the “Friends of Rickwood,” which is a volunteer group that takes care of the nation’s oldest baseball park. This year Gerald’s decades of hard work out at Rickwood paid off with MLB hosting an official game between the Saint Louis Cardinals and my San Francisco Giants right here in Birmingham! Of course, I attended that game AND when my friend Gerald received his Vulcans Community Award!
In closing, this type of event was particularly fun for me because it provided an opportunity for teambuilding outside of our workplace, a way to celebrate our hometown’s history and celebrate some of the people who are making a significant difference in our community!