Waynesboro Chamber of Commerce names Jim Rock business person of year

October 17, 2008|By JENNIFER FITCH

WAYNESBORO, Pa. -- Jim Rock returned to his hometown in 1982 and opened GRC General Contractors with three employees that November.

Rock, who was announced Thursday as the Roy S.F. Angle Business Person of the Year, identified his greatest accomplishment in the business community as today providing stable, solid employment for 42 people.

"The business has grown from $200,000 to $12 million a year," Rock said.

Rock described being surprised and overwhelmed when his name was called for the award presented at the 88th annual Greater Waynesboro Chamber of Commerce dinner meeting.

"As a kid growing up in this town, I watched a lot of great people very involved in their community, very hard-working business people that gave back to this community. I kind of thought that's what I wanted to be like," Rock said.

Rock graduated from Waynesboro Area Senior High School in 1972 and Penn State University in 1976. The son of the late Raymond Rock and his wife, Peg, has three grown children with his wife, Barb.

Rock is president of the Waynesboro Industrial Development Corp., a member of the Cumberland Valley Chapter of the Associated Builders and Contractors, and past president of the Rotary Club of Waynesboro.

Kim Shockey, the 2007 award winner, gave Rock credit for much of the work at the new Rotary Park at Wayne Gardens in the south end of Waynesboro.

"He wanted to ensure that park is growing and becoming all it can be. We can sure be glad Jim chose the greater Waynesboro area to share his time and talents," Shockey said.

In the past year, the Greater Waynesboro Chamber of Commerce increased business membership by 8 percent to a total of 433 members. It implemented a new system of gift certificates and continued to expand its insurance program.

About 250 people were in attendance at the dinner meeting.

"This is our highest turnout for an event ever," said Mike Cermak Jr., president of the Chamber's board of directors.

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