HUNTINGTON —The Huntington Regional Chamber of Commerce named local attorney Rob Sellards as its Volunteer of the Year.
Sellards, an attorney with Bailes Craig Yon & Sellards in Huntington, was named the Huntington Chamber's Volunteer of the Year last month at the Chamber's annual Volunteer Luncheon at Guyan Golf & Country Club. Sellards has served as the Chamber's chairman for the past two years.
"Annually, the Regional Chamber of Commerce identifies somebody throughout the community that has, in their opinion, exceeded the expectations of community involvement," Sellards said in an interview with The West Virginia Record. "That person tends to be a business-involved person."
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Sellards said it was humbling to be named Volunteer of the Year.
"I'm certainly very interested in the success of our community," Sellards said. "I love Huntington and our general area here. I was living in Pittsburgh and I moved back here to start a family and make this place meet and exceed its potential."
Sellards said when he sees what others are doing in the community and he feels like others do a lot of big things for the community.
"I look around and see so many other people — people like first responders and people that are helping with the addiction and opioid crisis," Sellards said. "They're doing a lot more and harder things than I'm doing. I get to help with business. I get to help recruit and grow and develop business, which is necessary but it's not nearly as significant to the day-to-day life of our citizenry as some of these other people."
Sellards said the award is the highest honor that the Chamber can bestow on a volunteer in its membership.
"I'm very excited to be named," Sellards said. "It is a very polite recognition that people are paying attention to what I'm doing and that what I'm doing is making a difference."
Sellards said he was honored to even be nominated.
"It's peer-driven recognition by other community leaders that what I'm doing has made and is making a positive impact on our area and that's the full circle," Sellards said. "So much of what we do, we don't know if it's making a difference or being appreciated."
Sellards said being honored with the award means those around him appreciate what he's doing and that what he's doing is valuable.
"It supports the fact that I am exactly where I need to be," Sellards said.
Toney Stroud, an Encova Insurance attorney who is this year's chair of the Huntington Regional Chamber of Commerce, said Sellards is a great example of the chamber's volunteers.
"One of the strengths of our Chamber is our volunteers and Rob has been an excellent example to all of us,” Stroud said. "As most of us know, it’s a balance between your work life, family and how you give back to your community, and Rob has served as a great example of giving of his time to make certain our Chamber continues its work for the businesses of Cabell and Wayne counties."