Synovus announced the winners of its annual Chairman’s Awards. The James H. Blanchard Leadership Award, the James D. Yancey Customer Covenant Award, the William B. Turner Community Impact Award, and the Synovus Game Changer Award honor team members who best represent the company’s culture and its focus on leadership, customer satisfaction, serving others, and innovation.  Winners of the awards, which are collectively known as the Chairman’s Awards, are selected from nominations submitted by team members across Synovus’ five-state footprint.

This year’s winners are:

James H. Blanchard Leadership Award — Phil Bettendorf, Regional Retail Sales Manager, Athens. This award recognizes individuals who demonstrate the best use of leadership and interpersonal skills such as teamwork, communication, and coaching in various corporate, departmental, and community roles. It was named after retired Chairman and CEO James H. Blanchard, who set a high standard for leadership throughout his 36-year tenure at Synovus.

James D. Yancey Customer Covenant Award —Judy Bradford, Director, Operations, Jasper; Lynette Koon, Business Development Coordinator, Columbia; Luther Rutledge, Financial Consultant, Columbus; Kay Norris, Commercial Assistant, Senior, Birmingham. Named in honor of the former Synovus Chairman who always put the needs of the customer first, Yancey was instrumental in the creation of the Customer Covenant, the company’s pledge to deliver exceptional internal (Bradford and Koon) and external (Rutledge and Norris) customer service.

William B. Turner Community Impact Award — Travis Wade, Senior Vice President, Investments, Columbus; and the Hurricane Michael Relief Team of Will Basset, Randy Hart, Larry LaMee, Hunter Massey, James Millirons, Terry Roper, Kyle Smith, Rick Wilson, Robby Glover, and Mike Windham. This award was named in honor of the former Chairman of Synovus’ Executive Committee for his deep commitment to serving individuals and the community. Turner has inspired others through his deep moral and spiritual convictions to make a difference in the lives of team members and their families.

Synovus Game Changer Award — Jennifer Upshaw, Group Executive, Marketing, Columbus; Kattia Sigui, Senior Director, Retail Segment, Atlanta. This award recognizes high-performing team members for making a significant and positive impact on the company with forward-thinking and innovative ideas.