The 2021 Downtown Goldsboro Annual Dinner and Awards Ceremony were held Friday, October 15 at the HUB in historic Downtown Goldsboro. The Downtown Goldsboro Development Corporation hosts the annual event, which highlights achievements Downtown Goldsboro has made over the past year, and recognizes the individuals and groups that have helped turn vision into reality.  

Here are this year’s award winners:

• Best Curb Appeal – A business that appears that someone loves it
  • Carolina Pine Country Store
• Best Promotional or Marketing Effort – A downtown business or organization that conducts a marketing or promotional effort that effectively improves their bottom line or benefits all of downtown.
  • Barre Haus and The Fresh Barre
• Best New Business – A business that has recently opened, within the last year, and demonstrates great potential by practicing innovative and proven smart small business practices, such as:  quality customer service; effective, creative marketing strategies; and, thoughtful, attractive interior and exterior spaces.
  • AccuCopy
• Indicator of the Year – A project, investment, or activity that serves as an optimistic economic indicator for downtown growth in the future.
  • The HUB, – a new public park-like amenity downtown. Located at 200 S. Center St. and includes restrooms, seating a charging station, shelter, greenspace, power capacity for events and a covered stage.
• Thank You Award –  this award can be given for any cause, to a person, business, or organization that the DGDC wishes to recognize.
  • NC Freedom Fest
• Mary Johnstone Award of Merit for Historic Preservation – This award is given to the property owner that best renovated or restored their building with thought and care to historic preservation.  
  • Rustic Real Estate LLC for 103 N Center St.
• Design Improvement of the Year – This award is given to the person or business who made a significant design improvement to a building or property, creating positive, aesthetic improvement to all of downtown.
  • Chris & Bethany Mohr of Blue Yonder Properties for 211 N John St.
• DGDC Board Member of the Year – This award is given to a Board Member that best embraces our goals and makes outstanding efforts to fulfill them; including Board responsibilities, being a downtown advocate, volunteer and supporter.
  • Doug McGrath
• Outstanding Investor – an award that is given to a downtown property owner, that has made an outstanding financial investment in downtown, making a significant, positive impact and a more viable economic center for the community.
  • The Rehab Development Team, led by Patrick Reilly for a $14M historic tax credit project of 6 historic downtown properties. When complete the project will had 63 market rate apartments and about 12,000 sq ft of readily leasable commercial space.
• Most Valuable Supporter – the Annual Sponsor that went out of their way to give financial support and other assistance to the DGDC.
  • Wayne UNC Health Care
• Outstanding Business of the Year – This award is given to a Downtown Business that best embodies the essence of downtown:  friendly, personal, attractive, unique, neighborly, and supportive of  the community and/or DGDC.
  • Brisas
• DGDC Lifetime Achievement Award – This is an award that gives special thanks to individuals that have made it their life-long dream to see downtown flourish, and who have been committed to the cause by offering their time, services, ideas, sweat, creativity, ingenuity, and much more.
  Presented just 15 times since 2002. Past winners include, Randy Sauls, Henry Smith, Stephanie Ross, David Weil, Judge Charlie Garylor, Rodney Swink, Jimmie Edmundson, Mayor Al King, Geoff Hulse, Martha Bryan, Tasha Logan-Ford, Bill Edgerton, Betsy Rosemann, Ed Borden and Kirk Keller.
  • 2021 Winner – Mayor Chuck Allen