On Wednesday, Aug. 28, Koury Corp. President Steve Showfety got a huge honor: In front of about 1,000 people at the Greensboro Chamber of Commerce’s State of the Community Luncheon, Showfety was awarded the Order of the Long Leaf Pine – the highest honor that can be bestowed by North Carolina governors.
The award, which was established in 1963, is reserved for those “persons who have made significant contributions to the state and their communities through their exemplary service and exceptional accomplishments.”
Those who are awarded the Order of the Long Leaf Pine become “North Carolina ‘Ambassadors,’ with their names and award dates recorded on a roster maintained by The Order of the Long Leaf Pine Society.
By all accounts, Showfety is a man who’s spent his entire life contributing to the local community and to the state in a variety of ways. Showfety has given his time and talents in other parts of the state as well: A graduate of East Carolina University, he’s stayed active with that university – serving on its Board of Trustees as chairman.
Locally, he’s been the longtime chairman of the Piedmont Triad Airport Authority and served on numerous boards and commissions, including the Greensboro Regional Realtors Association, Greensboro Builders Association, Greensboro Merchants Association, Greensboro Area Chamber of Commerce, Greensboro Economic Development Alliance, Triad Real Estate Building Industry Coalition and the Greensboro Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Showfety has received plenty of other distinguished service awards from East Carolina University as well as from builder, realtor and economic development associations.
For decades, he’s been a real mover and shaker when it comes to economic development, which is one reason he was presented with the honor at the chamber event in front of a lot of people who share his passion for bringing new business to the area.
Former Guilford County Commissioner Linda Shaw, who’s been friends with Showfety for decades, said the honor could not go to anyone more deserving.
“Steve is one of the best people I know,” Shaw said. “He has contributed so much to the community over the years in so many ways.”
Shaw said that, on top of the publicly known ways in which Showfety has made this community better, there are many other ways he’s contributed that people don’t even realize he played a part in.
Shaw said he is a very impressive individual in so many aspects of life – from being a great family man to a business leader to a civic leader – and she said she was thrilled to see him get the award.
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