Superintendent Zac Neely was presented with the Passion Award.
At Dow Smith Company, our Core Values are at the heart of everything we do. This month at our annual banquet, we honored the employees who best exemplify each of these values: Passion, Caring, Hustle and Detail.
Visionary Dow Smith presented Superintendent Zac Neely with the Passion Award.
“He has a healthy anger with gentleness and respect about things that are not right,” Dow said of Zac. “That’s one of the things about him: If things aren’t right, he’s going to make them right.”
Administrative/Accounting Assistant Emily Beasley was presented with the Caring Award.
CFO Shauna McConnell presented Administrative/Accounting Assistant Emily Beasley with the Caring Award.
“Whether it’s offering a listening ear, showing up when it matters most, going the extra mile for someone in need, keeping us organized in the office, or the thoughtful way she recognizes us all on our work anniversaries, she shows time and again that she truly cares,” Shauna said. “What sets Emily apart is not just what she does, but how she does it – with genuine kindness and a desire to make others feel seen and supported and appreciated.”
Project Manager Ryan Sanford was presented with the Hustle Award.
COO Trey King presented Project Manager Ryan Sanford with the Hustle Award.
“He exudes hustle in his everyday life – whether its with his family or his church but especially what he does for us and everyone here,” Trey said. “Really his hustle comes from a place of serving, and that’s what we’re here for.”
CEO Joey Rhyne presented Project Manager Bryan Jaynes with the Detail Award.
“The Core Value of Detail isn’t about perfection. It’s about careful attention to the things most people might miss,” Joey said. “Bryan embodies that value. He spots the gap in the plan before it becomes a problem. He doesn’t just manage tasks. He orchestrates precision. Because of his approach, quality stays high, clients stay confident and projects don’t just get done, they get done right.”
In addition to the Core Values awards, we presented three other awards.
Project Manager Aaron Fisher received the Bulldog Award.
“He is a truly exceptional design-builder, someone who two powerful and rare characteristics: the bulldog and the tugboat,” Joey said. “The bulldog doesn’t let go. Once they’ve committed to a goal, timeline or standard, they lock in and never back down from a challenge. The tugboat, on the other hand, is a guide. Steady, strong and quietly powerful. They pull more weight than they often get credit for. Aaron is both.”
CMO Taylor Loyal received the Tough As Nails Wisdom Award.
“Life is a journey with many paths and you’ve got to figure out which way to go and honestly it’s never-ending,” Dow said. “He’s done some hard work, some deep work, some soul work. He’s made me better. He’s made us all a lot better. He shines the light on who we are.”
Superintendent Josh Beasley received the Gary Grisham Service Award.
Superintendent Josh Beasley received the Gary Grisham Service Award. The award is named after Gary Grisham, who served Dow Smith Company from 1999 until he retired as a partner in 2018. He passed away in 2022 after being diagnosed with cancer. To many of us, Gary was a friend, a mentor, a partner, and a hero. He was a key contributor in creating our core values and he lived all of them.
While the Core Values awards were given by the partners, the Gary Grisham Service Award was voted on by employees. Here are some of the things fellow employees had to say about Josh:
“Josh is patient and steady and becoming a good leader.” – Jason Tigg
“Josh is a clearcut winner of this award in my opinion. Although I don’t get to work with Josh very much, I see the fruit of his labors all the time. Josh has a true servant’s heart.” – Aaron Fisher
“Josh exemplifies all of our core values. He is a trusted member of this team and has shown tremendous growth the past couple of years. I’m not sure I have ever heard anyone speak negatively about Josh.” – Shauna McConnell
“Always a team player, hard worker, considers others needs first.” – Holley Potts
“Josh is almost always calm and kind, but also persistent. He works incredibly hard and doesn’t need to raise his voice to get results because of the respect everyone has for him.” – Taylor Loyal
