Riverside Military Academy will honor Philip Wilheit, Sr. and the late Ralph Cleveland, at the third annual Sandy Beaver Entrepreneurial Leadership Award dinner on August 11. The dinner will be held in Alumni Hall on the Riverside campus.
Governor and Mrs. Nathan Deal will be guests at the dinner.
Wilheit is president and managing partner of Wilheit Packaging, the family business started by his father, Tom Wilheit in 1954. He is known throughout the state as the campaign manager of 17 successful Congressional and gubernatorial elections for Gov. Nathan Deal, and has been on the front lines of attracting new businesses to Hall County and the state. He serves on the University System of Georgia Board of Regents, is vice chair of Brenau University, is chairman of the Gainesville Hall Development Authority, and is chairman emeritus of the Northeast Georgia Health System.
Cleveland, who died in 1999, is a New Holland native, who began his career as a cotton broker, is credited as a pioneer in the poultry feed business of northeast Georgia. He later served as chairman of Gainesville National Bank and ended his career as a self-educated and successful securities investor. Cleveland and his wife, Mary, were instrumental in the creation of Gainesville Junior College (now a part of the University of North Georgia), and he served on the board of Brenau College, now Brenau University, for 40 years.
The annual award dinner supports The Riverside Military Academy Foundation and is named to honor the entrepreneurial and leadership legacy of Sandy Beaver, Riverside president from 1912-1969.
The RMA Foundation was created in 2013 to provide an ongoing source of funding for tuition assistance for young men seeking a Riverside education.
“The vision, leadership, and philanthropic spirit that Sandy Beaver exhibited throughout his tenure as Riverside’s president are the qualities we honor in Mr. Wilheit and Mr. Cleveland,” said Col. William J. Gallagher, U.S. Army, Retired. “We are grateful to our alumni and community members for their support for this event and making the event possible.”
Last year’s honorees were James A. Walters and Wilbur Ramsey, posthumous. Tickets for the dinner are $75 and corporate sponsorships are available for tables of 10 for $1,000. For more information about the dinner, call Amanda K. Griffin at 770-538-2924.
