Chick-fil-A Chairman and Chief Executive Officer received the 9th Annual Blanchard Award for Outstanding Stewardship and Ethics in Business Monday night at the Jim Blanchard Leadership Forum, hosted by the Leadership Institute at Columbus State University.

The Blanchard Award recipient is selected annually by a committee led by William R. “Billy” Blanchard, director, JBA Capital, LLC, and presented during the Jim Blanchard Leadership Forum.

“Dan has preserved and enhanced one of the nation’s most powerful corporate cultures in his company, exemplified by the decision to remain closed on Sunday,” said Billy Blanchard. “It is my honor to present him the 2017 Blanchard Award for Outstanding Stewardship and Ethics in Business.”

Under Cathy’s leadership, Chick-fil-A has experienced tremendous growth, not just in numbers of restaurants and sales, but also geographically, with the opening of restaurants in Los Angeles, downtown Chicago and Manhattan.

In addition to his focus on growth, Cathy is also a key figure in championing digital expansion through development of the restaurant’s mobile app, which held a notable reign as the most downloaded app on iTunes with more than 4 million downloads in its first three days.

Established in 2009, The Blanchard Award for Outstanding Stewardship and Ethics in Business recognizes outstanding stewards of business ethics and corporate responsibility for success in these areas. The award’s symbol—and Georgia state tree—the live oak, is a perennial and universal symbol of rectitude.

Past recipients include:

·         James H. Blanchard, 2009

·         B. Franklin Skinner, 2010

·         Ray C. Anderson, 2011

·         William B. Turner, 2012

·         Robert S. Jepson Jr., 2013

·         Thomas G. Cousins, 2014

·         Daniel P. Amos, 2015

·         Henry “Hank” M. Huckaby, 2016