Tag: mt juliet

CedarStone Bank president and CEO Bob McDonald, Paul Bauman Award of Excellence winner, flanked by CedarStone’s John Sloan and former chamber chairman Carolyn Christoffersen.

On January 22, CedarStone Bank’s John Sloan, now the active Chairman of the Mt Juliet Chamber of Commerce, and Carolyn Christoffersen, the former Chairman of the Chamber, announced the Chamber Choice Award winners at Covey Rise. Among them was CedarStone president and CEO Bob McDonald, who was honored with the Paul Bauman Award of Excellence. The award is given annually to a business person who, through his or her community and civic efforts, has made our community a better place to live and work. The award is named after Paul Bauman, an influential businessman who was instrumental the early success of the Mt. Juliet Chamber of Commerce.

Paul Bauman
Even though Paul passed way in 1996, he will always be remembered as one of Mt Juliet’s most respected and influential businessmen. Paul was a 1959 graduate of The Citadel (where he rose to Lt. Colonel), was President of John Deal Companies, a member of the Board of Trust at Cumberland University, a founding member of the Mt Juliet Breakfast Rotary Club, and was active with Camp Easter Seals and the United Way. He lived his life with a belief in giving back. His favorite quote was “to whom much is given, much is required.” In 1988, John Deal Companies was awarded the United Way Advocate Award, given to a company which best represents the United Way spirit of giving. Paul demanded little attention for his good deeds, preferring to serve quietly, out of the spotlight. He was a well-respected pillar of the community and is still remembered today for his noble character, strong ethics, dedication, and his passion for quietly serving others.

Given annually to a deserving individual, the Mt. Juliet Chamber of Commerce Paul Bauman Award of Excellence is the highest honor the Chamber can bestow upon on a business leader in our community. As this year’s recipient, CedarStone Bank founder and president, Bob McDonald continues to exemplify those important and time-tested business principles for which this award is named. As a respected member of our business community, Bob also quietly serves his community by sharing his time, talents, and treasures. Bob also encourages everyone on the CedarStone Bank team to do likewise.

Congratulations to Bob; you have the community’s gratitude for you have done and continue to do each day to make our community such a special to live, work, shop, play, and pray.

• Providence did not exist
• My hair was brown
• The “worst economy since the Great Depression” was still two years away
• My son David was not quite one year old
• We had no Starbucks in Mt. Juliet
• I was about 30 days away from going to work at CedarStone Bank
• The new high school had not yet opened
• The font size on my speech was a lot smaller
• The Music City Star was not yet operational
• The Titans had a good football team
• The City of Mt. Juliet consisted of roughly 15,000 residents
• Many of you were not here

Each one of those folks was attracted to Mt. Juliet because of the work done by those of you who didn’t stand up…those who laid the groundwork for the explosive growth we are now experiencing. The explosive growth that occurred, by the way, during the worst economy since the Great Depression. And it’s the contributions of everyone in this room that make Mt. Juliet what it is…a friendly, compassionate, progressive city of over 25,000 people.  

• By advocating for the businesses – large and small – who call Mt. Juliet home.
• By connecting Chamber members and citizens with the resources they need to be successful.
• By promoting Chamber members in the community.
• And by supporting Chamber members with the information they need to start, grow, and operate their businesses.