Junior Achievement of Georgia-Coastal Region is pleased to announce the names of the laureates for the 17th annual Savannah Business Hall of Fame being held on Tuesday, November 15, at the Savannah International Trade and Convention Center. This year’s honorees are Mrs. Ellen Bolch, along with Dr. James W. Andrews, Jr.
 
Junior Achievement, along with Colonial Group, Inc. will host this year’s Savannah Business Hall of Fame where inductees will be honored for their business accomplishments as well as their extensive contributions to the community.

Mrs. Ellen Bolch:

Born and raised in Savannah, Ga., Ellen Bolch is an award-winning telehealth pioneer and current president and CEO of the THA Group (The Healthcare Alternative), the parent company of a family of health care providers including Island Health Care, Island Hospice, Independent Life at Home, Palliation Choices, the RightHealth Clinic at the Marshes of Skidaway Island, and RightHealth®. THA Group is known for leading the industry in models of care and in 2001 became the first healthcare company in the region to offer remote telemonitoring of patients' vital signs. In addition, The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) consistently place THA Group's Island Health Care in the top 20 percent of Quality Home Health Care Providers in the nation.

Bolch received her undergraduate degree from the Medical College of Georgia and a graduate degree from Penn State University. She previously served as CEO of Advanced Alternative, part of Provident Health Systems, which she helped grow into a multi-state provider with 8,000 employees. Bolch is heavily involved in her industry and within the Savannah community, having served on numerous national, regional, and local boards.

Dr. James W. Andrews, Jr.:

Born on a farm in Robinson, Ga., Dr. James W. Andrews, Jr., graduated from the University of Georgia where he received a B.S. in chemistry, a M.S. in nutrition, and a PhD in nutritional biochemistry. His PhD thesis research was done at the University of Minnesota’s Hormel Institute where he worked under the renowned biochemist Dr. Ralph Holman on omega 3 and 6 fatty acids. After finishing his PhD work, Andrews was one of the first four scientists hired at the newly created Skidaway Institute of Oceanography where he worked for 12 years and published over 100 research papers on fish nutrition and aquaculture.

In 1980, Andrews, along with his wife Barbara and Janette Davis Long, formed Savannah Laboratories and Environmental Services, Inc. They grew the company into the largest private environmental testing laboratory in the world with over 500 employees and branch labs in Tallahassee, Tampa, and Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.; Mobile, Ala.; and New Orleans, La.

After retiring in 2001, Andrews has spent the last 15 years as a volunteer at the Coastal Georgia Botanical Gardens and a member of the Friends of the Coastal Gardens Board of Directors. He and his wife Barbara funded the Visitor and Educational Center and have been instrumental in assisting University of Georgia personnel in developing the garden.

According to Johnathon Barrett, vice president of JA of Georgia, this event provides students with a representation of what it takes to be successful. “It’s always exciting to highlight two incredible individuals each year who have given so much to our community by way of profession and through their philanthropic work,” said Barrett. “Our inductees are tremendous stewards of the same values we here at Junior Achievement try to impress upon the lives of our young people every day.”

The Savannah Business Hall of Fame is Savannah’s premier black tie business event. The gala will be held at the Savannah International Trade and Convention Center on Tuesday, November 15, beginning at 6 p.m. with a cocktail reception, featuring an upscale silent auction. A three-course dinner and the awards ceremony will follow. The evening will culminate with a champagne toast to the inductees who will be honored. More than 500 guests are slated to attend the event.
 
Sponsorship and tickets are available for the Savannah Business Hall of Fame. Please contact Johnathon Barrett at 912-790-7822 or [email protected] for more information.