by David Butler
I
t’s hard to imagine what the Brunswick-Golden Isles Chamber of Commerce will be like without Woody Woodside. Milton “Woody” Woodside has been chamber president since 1985, and according to the Georgia Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives, that makes him one of the most tenured, continuous serving chamber leaders to serve only one community in the state. Woody has announced that he will be retiring in April 2019, marking the end of an era. As one of the most active members in our community, Woody serves on the Glynn-Brunswick Memorial Hospital Authority, Glynn County Transportation Policy Committee, Jekyll Island Foundation Advisory Board, Rotary Club of Brunswick, and the Military Officer’s Association of America (MOAA), Golden Isles Chapter. Some of the many awards and accolades
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ELEGANT ISLAND LIVING
he received throughout his career include the Brunswick-Golden Isles Chamber of Commerce’s Alfred W. Jones Award, the Glynn County Bar Association’s Liberty Bell Award, the Patrick Henry Award from the National Guard Association of the U.S., the Kent Lawrence Professional of the Year Award from the Georgia Association of Chamber Executives, Keep Brunswick-Golden Isles Beautiful’s Bootsie Mason Award, the Golden Eagle Award from the Okefenokee Council Boy Scouts of America, and Leadership Georgia’s Frederick B. Kerr Award in 1999. He is an Emory Dawson Humanitarian Award recipient, and Georgia Trend magazine named him a “Notable Georgian” for nine consecutive years.
EIL: How did you end up in the Golden Isles? WW: After college in the Army, I worked for Ronald “Bo” Ginn in his bid for the first Congressional District of Georgia, an area covering 20 counties including coastal Georgia. When Bo won, I went with him to DC to be on his staff in 1973. Later that year, I had the opportunity to work in a job with the same responsibilities in the region based in Glynn County. Having campaigned down here, I jumped at the chance, knowing the quality of life here.
I’ve had the pleasure of knowing Woody for over thirty years and was very thankful when he agreed to sit down with me to talk a little about his time with the Chamber for Elegant Island Living.
EIL: Are you social media savvy? WW: You have the wrong guy! When I started at the Chamber in 1985, we didn’t have computers. Then perhaps in ’86 or ’87, it started. Thank goodness for the Chamber
EIL: How did attending The Citadel impact your life most? WW: By instilling discipline, loyalty, and honesty, I hope.
