(Forsyth County, GA) City of Cumming council members and Mayor Troy Brumbalow awarded a longtime citizen of Cumming a Key to the City during their work session meeting on Tuesday, May 2.
A Key to the City is given to residents who have lived in the city for decades and are “pillars of the community,” according to a Facebook post from the City of Cumming.
Jim Otwell was born to James and Dot Otwell (the founders of the Andean Motor Company) in 1953 at Mary Alice Hospital in downtown Cumming. Jim graduated from Forsyth County High School in 1971 and attended Gainesville College. Not long after he enrolled at the University of Georgia but had to return home at the age of 20 after his dad died in 1973.
Jim took on the role of president of Andean Motor Company, making him one of the youngest dealers in the country. He later graduated from Chevrolet Dealership Management School in Warren, Michigan.
Jim met his now wife, Janet, while they were members of the Youth Choir at First Baptist Church. They were married in 1978 and had four sons; James, John, Joseph and Jacob. They also have eight grandsons and two granddaughters who refer to Jim as “Opa.”
Today, Andean Motor Company remains a family business, with Janet working as the Controller and their sons taking on other roles such as sales, bookkeeping and finance.
Jim has been a part of several organizations in the automobile industry and is the winner of several awards. He has been involved with the Georgia Automobile Dealer’s Association (GADA), the National Automobile Dealer’s Association (NADA) and Bulldog Chevy Dealers Association.
Jim was recognized by NADA as the Time Magazine Quality Dealer from Georgia in 2002. GADA also named him Director of the Year four years in a row. His influence ultimately led GADA to rename one of its awards to The Jim Otwell Distinguished Director Award in his honor.
Outside of his career, Jim is also very active in his community. Throughout his life, he has served on the Board of Directors for the Cumming-Forsyth Chamber of Commerce, was the president of the South Forsyth Rotary Club, a director at several area banks, a member of the City of Cumming Industrial Authority, and was one of the original members of the Forsyth County United Way.
Jim was also active in sports, coaching county recreation baseball and basketball when his sons were young.
He currently serves on the Board of Directors at Lanier Technical College and is an usher (and formerly a deacon) at First Baptist Church. To this day, he still supports many city and school causes.
The full May 2 City Council work session meeting can be watched on the City of Cumming Youtube channel. More information on City Council meetings can be found at cityofcumming.net/meetings.
If you have a news tip in Forsyth County, contact Justine Lookenott at justine.lookenott@newsbreak.com. You can also follow her on Twitter at @justalookenott.
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