to the area and had an estimated economic impact of more than $200 million. Some stand-out events include the 1996 Olympic Box-Offs, 1999 and 2002 Georgia Games Championships, ESPN Bassmaster Tournament, and most recently the ESi Ironman 70.3 Augusta, billed as the world's largest Ironman 70.3 event. Hull Barrett volunteers have helped make many of those events happen and Batchelor served on the board every year until this year. He now serves on an advisory board, the finance and governance committees, and continues to donate his time reviewing contracts for the council. Other Hull Barrett attorneys and staff members have also served on the board, as committee chairs and as event volunteers. "I cannot tell you how much I have enjoyed it," Batchelor said. "Over the years I have been able to meet athletes Augusta, Georgia, has been involved with the Augusta Sports Council (ASC) since it was formed in 1991, helping the non-profit in their mission of strengthening the city of Augusta by recruiting, supporting and attracting sporting events. Thanks to their hard work, the ASC recently awarded them their Pillar Award, which was created to honor a group that represents the highest standard of community service. According to Brinsley Thigpen, ASC's CEO, "This year's recipient has not only contributed countless hours of time and energy to the Augusta Sports Council, but their employees and com- pany are always involved in community groups throughout the Augusta area. It's hard to find a strong non-profit, like ours, that Hull Barrett attorneys have not supported through volunteer hours or participation in events." Doug Batchelor of Hull Barrett, a longtime ASC board member, accepted the award on the firm's behalf. Batchelor said the ASC's founding stemmed from the nearby city of Atlanta being granted the 1996 Summer Olympics. A prominent local leader decided it would be a good idea for Augusta to have a sports council. Since then, the ASC has created, recruited and/or supported more than 600 sports events in Augusta. These been able to." Batchelor's interest in the ASC stems from his own athletic involvement playing polo for 30 years and most recently, cutting an equestrian event where a horse and rider are judged on their ability to separate a single animal away from a cattle herd and keep it away for a short period of time. Thanks to the support of a number of local residents and entities including the ASC, Augusta hosts the largest cutting competition on the east coast which lasts over a week at the end of January each year. Batchelor points out that the list of community organizations that Hull Barrett as a firm, or its employees as individuals, have supported is long. "We like our people to be out in the community," he said. "We think that's one of the best ways to attract clients and get to know people." Council for Outstanding Community Service |