to the area and had an estimated
economic impact of more than $200
million. Some stand-out events include
the 1996 Olympic Box-Offs, 1999 and
2002 Georgia Games Championships,
ESPN Bassmaster Tournament, and most
recently the ESi Ironman 70.3 Augusta,
billed as the world's largest Ironman
70.3 event.
Hull Barrett volunteers have helped
make many of those events happen and
Batchelor served on the board every
year until this year. He now serves
on an advisory board, the finance and
governance committees, and continues to
donate his time reviewing contracts for
the council. Other Hull Barrett attorneys
and staff members have also served on
the board, as committee chairs and as
event volunteers.
"I cannot tell you how much I have
enjoyed it," Batchelor said. "Over the
years I have been able to meet athletes
Augusta, Georgia, has been involved
with the Augusta Sports Council (ASC)
since it was formed in 1991, helping
the non-profit in their mission of
strengthening the city of Augusta by
recruiting, supporting and attracting
sporting events.
Thanks to their hard work, the ASC
recently awarded them their Pillar
Award, which was created to honor
a group that represents the highest
standard of community service.
According to Brinsley Thigpen,
ASC's CEO, "This year's recipient has
not only contributed countless hours of
time and energy to the Augusta Sports
Council, but their employees and com-
pany are always involved in community
groups throughout the Augusta area.
It's hard to find a strong non-profit, like
ours, that Hull Barrett attorneys have
not supported through volunteer hours
or participation in events."
Doug Batchelor of Hull Barrett,
a longtime ASC board member,
accepted the award on the firm's behalf.
Batchelor said the ASC's founding
stemmed from the nearby city of
Atlanta being granted the 1996 Summer
Olympics. A prominent local leader
decided it would be a good idea for
Augusta to have a sports council.
Since then, the ASC has created,
recruited and/or supported more than
600 sports events in Augusta. These
been able to."
Batchelor's interest in the ASC
stems from his own athletic involvement
playing polo for 30 years and most
recently, cutting an equestrian event
where a horse and rider are judged on
their ability to separate a single animal
away from a cattle herd and keep it away
for a short period of time. Thanks to the
support of a number of local residents
and entities including the ASC, Augusta
hosts the largest cutting competition on
the east coast which lasts over a week
at the end of January each year.
Batchelor points out that the list
of community organizations that Hull
Barrett as a firm, or its employees as
individuals, have supported is long.
"We like our people to be out in the
community," he said. "We think that's
one of the best ways to attract clients and
get to know people."
Council for Outstanding Community Service