Sidney S. Eagles, an attorney with Smith Moore Leatherwood, has won this year's Joseph Branch Professionalism Award, presented annually by the Wake County Bar Association.

The award recognizes the Wake County attorney who best exhibits the qualities of professionalism displayed by Joseph Branch, former chief justice of the N.C. Supreme Court.

"I had the privilege of knowing Chief Justice Branch," Eagles said in a statement. "Having had that experience and knowing the man for whom this award is named is truly a great honor, and I am humbled to be this year's recipient."

Eagles is a former chief judge of the N.C. Court of Appeals. He served on the appellate bench for 21 years and has been a member of Smith Moore Leatherwood's appellate litigation practice in Raleigh since 2004. He has been an adjunct professor at the Campbell University School of Law for more than 30 years.

He is a native of Saratoga, in Wilson County.

Tom Gipson of Thomas Gipson Homes in Raleigh, received a Community Service Award for his creation of the nationwide Builders Blitz. Gipson received the award at the Sixth Annual STARS Awards Gala at the Westin Hotel in Charlotte. Beginning in 2002, Gipson recruited 11 builders to join his company in building 12 homes for Habitat for Humanity of Wake County in one week's time, which started the annual Builders Blitz.

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina was named to the AARP list of 2008 Best Employers for Workers Over 50. Employers who receive the award must demonstrate policies and practices that address the needs of older workers.

The N.C. Biotechnology Center presented its Health and Life Sciences Achievement Awards at the Eastern North Carolina chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society Dinner of Champions in Cary. The Mind to Market Award was presented to Targacept, a Winston-Salem biopharmaceutical company; the Breakthrough Research Award was presented to Dr. Michael Ehlers, a researcher at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and the Department of Neurobiology at the Duke University Medical Center; the Promise for Tomorrow Award was presented to student researcher Shivani Sud, a graduate of Durham's Jordan High School and a freshman at Princeton University; and the Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to former North Carolina governor Jim Hunt.

Gateway Financial Holdings was recognized as one of the nation's top performing small-cap financial institutions by investment banking firm Sandler O'Neill. The 2008 List of Bank and Thrift Sm-All Stars is comprised of 33 banks and thrifts nationwide.

MR Starkey Mortgage announces its President's Club Production Winners for the Triangle/Triad area: Ashley McKenzie Sharpe, Cathy Stubbs, Ed Petrus, Sherrie Degnan and Michael Martin.

Amanda W. Harrell of 3-C Family Services, has been selected for the 2008 Best of Cary Award in the Marriage & Family Counselors category by the U.S. Local Business Association.

Frost & Sullivan, the Growth Partnership Co., presented IBM Retail Store Solutions the 2008 Point of Sale Green Excellence of the Year award for its efforts in energy conservation and its commitment to safeguarding natural resources.

Terry Phillips, a server at the Irregardless Cafe in Raleigh, was awarded the 2008 Isaac Hunter Award -- Dining, by the Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau. Phillips and the Irregardless Cafe were recognized for leadership in service and as a remarkable ambassador of service in Wake County.

Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein received the 2008 Innovation in Diversity Award from the Charlotte Chamber of Commerce. The award is given to the company that best exemplifies new and inspiring initiatives aimed at retaining, mentoring and developing minority and women employees.

Eagle Video Productions in Raleigh won an international Freddie Award given by the International Health & Medical Media Awards in the Men's Health Category. Bruce Wittman and his company Eagle Video Productions created a DVD series called "Why to Breastfeed."

TeamHomeBuyer.com won a Raleigh Citizens Advisory Council Recognition Award, which honors individuals, businesses and organizations that make a difference in Raleigh neighborhoods.

Clara Cartrette, news editor of the News-Reporter in Whiteville, was named the 2008 Communicator of Achievement during the National Federation of Press Women awards ceremony; Kala Ambrose of Cary won third place, radio interview, and honorable mention, radio talk show; Melissa Clement of Fayetteville won first place, informational columns, and third place, reviews; Mary Garrison of Flat Rock won honorable mention, personality profile; Kathy Newbern and J.S. Fletcher of Raleigh won honorable mention, travel reporting; Penny Rummel of Apex won second place, magazine; Suzanne Tate of Nags Head won third place, children's books-fiction; Deanna Thompson of Greensboro won second place, public relations-magazine, and honorable mention, public relations-magazine-4 color; Lois Tomas of Hendersonville won third place, enterprise reporting, and first place, special articles-home; Iris June Vinegar of Raleigh won first place, special articles-home, and second place, features.

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