McCormick named Citizen of the Year at chamber dinner
Rob McCormick is joined by his family after Rob was named ‘Citizen of the Year’ by the Hancock County Chamber of Commerce during their annual dinner Tuesday. The event was held at the Lewisport Community Center.
The honor of Person of the Year was bestowed to Hawesville Mayor Rob McCormick at the Annual Hancock County Chamber of Commerce Dinner Tuesday night.
The Dinner was held at the Lewisport Community Center, and this year’s speaker was KY Secretary of State Michael G. Adams. Delicious food was catered by JJ’s Pizza and local singer and musician Todd Biever provided the entertainment.
McCormick was presented with his well deserved 2024 Person of the Year Award by Chamber President Chelsea Boling. “I’m so proud to be honored by this community and this Chamber,” he said, “it’s absolutely awesome. I appreciate it so much.”
He was chosen because of his huge heart for bringing everyone together and his talent for encouraging the kind of teamwork and camaraderie that is essential in making a City great. He listens to people and truly wants to help make their dreams for Hawesville a reality.
Hawesville City Manager Jake Powers said, “Rob sees more talent and ability within a person than they may see in themselves, then helps bring it out. He always leads by example and understands the importance of a positive attitude and encouragement.
He’s brought an immeasurable amount of knowledge and experience to Hawesville but isn’t afraid to continue to learn. The strides Hawesville has made with Rob as Mayor have truly been remarkable and I’m honored and proud to be a part of it.”
Beginning his first term as Mayor just last year, McCormick hit the ground running. He and his administration have worked hard to build community involvement, and have renewed pride in the City by beautifying Hawesville and organizing 2 very successful Clean-Up Days.
They have made tremendous progress in a short amount of time. He and his dedicated team have worked diligently to take care of past audits and pay off all past debt. They’ve applied for grants to grow city resources, and have set up Town Hall Meetings allowing citizens to voice opinions and get involved in revitalizing downtown with help from the state’s Brownfield Program.
They established a Code Enforcement Board, identified wants versus needs and budgeted accordingly, all with a fervor for running the City in a fiduciary and transparent manner. They also reach out to support the first responders in the City and are always looking for ways to help make sure they have everything they need.
Under Mayor McCormick’s leadership, over $4K a quarter in electric cost has been saved due to proper management of the sluice gate, and a revenue stream on the water system was established that has yielded between $8K and $10K a month, a much needed budget increase for the City.
He and his team, along with volunteers, organized a Christmas celebration in downtown that citizens were asking for, and worked hard to find donations for decorations to make the event spectacular. They welcome citizens to attend city council meetings, and have been fulfilling McCormick’s stated goal of working closely with the City of Lewisport and the Hancock County Fiscal Court.
Mayor Rob McCormick and his lovely and supportive wife, Lisa, are blessed with 4 sons, Jordan, Justin, Jarrad and Jon, and 18 grandchildren. They are local business owners of 4Js Supply in Lewisport.
He coached baseball for Hancock County High School and helped them win their only 3rd Region Baseball Championship title. He also volunteer coached for Babe Ruth, and in 2011 his All-Star team won the State Championship. He volunteer taught life skills classes at HCHS through Junior Achievement as well.
McCormick studied environmental chemistry at Western Kentucky University and worked for the Environmental Protection Agency for 7 years, as well as in outside sales for McElroy Metals for several years. He also served as a Hawesville City Councilman in past years.
By Jennifer Wimmer
