Community Mourns Mitchell’s Passing

mrandolphadvance@gmail.com

The community is mourning the death of former Toombs-Montgomery Chamber of Commerce President and Toombs County Development Authority Executive Director Bill Mitchell, who passed away on Friday, June 13, at the age of 83.

Mitchell was a Kentucky native, who moved to Ohio in 7th grade, and ultimately, graduated from Withrow High School in Cincinnati. After graduation, Mitchell served as an instrument technician in continued from page

the United States Air Force until 1963. During his service, he was responsible for refueling KC-95 tankers, but he completed pilot training after his discharge from the Air Force.

He received a mechanical engineering certificate while employed at Cincinnati Milacron through the cooperative education program at the University of Cincinnati. Soon after completing this certificate, he began working with Oxford Industries, where he served as the Director of Research and Development until 1997. He had line responsibility for four of the companies in the technical services division of Oxford, and later served as the Vice President of Quality Process Improvement for the Oxford Shift Group.

While in the apparel industry, he was very active in professional organizations, and even served as the Chair of the Apparel Research Committee. He also was active on advisory boards at Clemson University, the University of Southern Louisiana, and Georgia Tech’s School of Textile Engineering.

During his work with Oxford Industries, Mitchell relocated to Vidalia and earned a degree in business management from East Georgia College in Swainsboro. He became active in the community, serving as the Toombs-Montgomery Chamber of Commerce President and Toombs County Development Authority Executive Director for 18 years.

While working at the Chamber, Mitchell graduated from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Institute for Organizational Management in June 2003 and was named a Georgia Certified Chamber Executive in 2008. He was a past chair of the Georgia Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives and was the 2013 recipient of the Wiley Award for Professional Excellence. He served on the Georgia Economic Developers Association Board of Directors and was their 2015 Rip Wiley Award for Professional Excellence Award recipient.

“Bill was an outstanding leader in Toombs County’s economic development efforts and was instrumental in numerous recruitment and relocation projects, including Chicken of the Sea, Dot Foods, Giro Pack, Oxford Industries, Savannah Luggage Company, and Trane,” Greater Vidalia Chamber President and Toombs County Development Authority Executive Director Michele Johnson emphasized.

Working at the Chamber and Development Authority, Mitchell was an avid supporter of the community. He served on the Southeastern Technical College Board of Directors for 9 years, and led the Board as the Chairman for 3 years. He was a Past President of the Vidalia Chamber of Commerce and the Vidalia Rotary Club, and served on the Meadows Regional Medical Center Operating Board for numerous years.

His leadership and contributions to the area were acknowledged when Mitchell was presented with the 1994 Vidalia Citizen of the Year award.

Outside of work and volunteering, Mitchell enjoyed attending church at the Vidalia First United Methodist Church (now known as the Vidalia Cornerstone Church), playing golf, and spending time with his family and dog, Bailey.

In an effort to honor his memory, Mitchell’s family is requesting that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the Vidalia Rotary Club to create a scholarship in his memory.

The community is invited to pay their respects to the late leader during a visitation from 10 a.m. until 12 p.m. on Saturday, July 12, at Vidalia Cornerstone Church. A memorial service will follow at 12 p.m.