RIPLEY — The Tippah County Development Foundation held its 24th Annual Salute to Business/Industry Banquet at the First Baptist Church Family Life Center Tuesday night. Upwards of 300 business and industry leaders were in attendance.

Profile Products was selected as the 2009 Business/Industry of the Year for their longevity and service to Tippah County and throughout the world.

Profile Products manufactures and distributes soil erosion and sediment control products as well as turf establishment products. They also manufacture inorganic soil amendments for sports fields, golf courses, and landscaping.

During a video presentation, a Profile delivery truck was pictured in front of the White House after some of the company’s soil products were used on a Little League baseball field, built at the request of President George W. Bush.

John Schoch, Profile President and CEO, accepted the award on behalf of the company, and said it was a great honor.

"We’re very proud to be here in Tippah County and we’re very proud of our employees in Blue Mountain," said Schoch. "We’ve been here a long time and we expect to be here even longer." The theme for the 2009 TCDF Banquet was "Proud of our Past…Excited about our Future." Schoch said that the theme was appropriate because that’s how they feel about the Blue Mountain-based plant as well as their employees.

Schoch said the average tenure for Profile employees is 14 years, which he called "especially good" when considering they have just 41 employees. Schoch added the company has some employees with over 30 years of service.

"We have a great group of people led by Dwight Schipke and his staff and they do a wonderful job," Schoch said. "It’s a place where people seem to enjoy to come to work and it’s a culture that’s been formed there and we’re very proud of it. It’s a good place to work and it’s driven by the culture of this area." The Tippah County Historical Museum was honored with the Heritage award and Odalene Coley, a retired Pine Grove school teacher who volunteers at the museum, was presented with the Heart for Tippah County Award.

Coley is a member of the Tippah County Genealogical and Historical Society and they are actively involved in renovating the old Tippah County Jail so the county’s historic records can be housed there.

Jan Eastman, Director of Development for the CREATE Foundation, was the keynote speaker of the event. Eastman discussed TARGET, which is "a local charitable community foundation through which individuals, families, organizations, and businesses can invest in the future well-being of Tippah County."

In the past year, the fund has made donations to several Tippah County establishments including the libraries in Walnut and Chalybeate, The Good Samaritan Center of Ripley, The Boys & Girls Club of Tippah County, and the Tippah County Historical Museum.

Dinner was provided by Country Inn, Too before the night’s first award, Appreciation of Past Board Members, was presented to Michael Dees, Rodney McBryde, and Michael Massengill.

"It was a good night and we appreciate everyone coming out and enjoying the people and the patronage. We look forward to seeing everyone again next year," concluded TCDF Director Duane Bullard.