Robert Balentine Awarded Lifetime Achievement Award

Online, June 6, 2013 (Newswire.com) - Robert Balentine was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2013 Business Person of the Year Awards, hosted by the Metro Atlanta Chamber and the Atlanta Business Chronicle. This is the first time this award has ever been given out in the 27-year history of the Business Person of the Year Awards.

Robert Balentine is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Balentine, an Atlanta-based independent, employee-owned investment advisory firm serving individuals, families and not-for-profit institutions. Founded in 2010, Balentine currently has 26 employees and $1.6 billion in assets under management.

The process to apply for Business Person of the Year included a written submission and three rounds of interviews with the 2013 selection committee, made up of nine Atlanta business leaders. More than 160 Atlanta entrepreneurs applied, and the twelve finalists were honored at a luncheon in front of more than 300 attendees on Thursday, June 6th.

Ed Baker, publisher of the Atlanta Business Chronicle, awarded Balentine with the inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award, which was "created to recognize a business person who has contributed over the whole of his or her career and is seen as a role model and inspiration to others." The Metro Atlanta Chamber and the Atlanta Business Chronicle plan to make this an annual award going forward.

"During my career, I have been fortunate to work alongside many talented colleagues and partners who have shared a common vision of excellence, continuous improvement and service to our community," said Balentine. "I am humbled and honored to accept the Lifetime Achievement Award."

In addition to serving as Balentine's Chairman and CEO, Balentine has held a variety of leadership positions in the community. He was Chairman of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Vice Chairman of the Woodruff Arts Center and Chairman of the Salvation Army Atlanta Boys & Girls Clubs. He is founding president of The Southeastern Horticultural Society and founder of the Southern Highlands Reserve, a nationally recognized native plant arboretum in western North Carolina. A graduate of Washington and Lee University, Balentine serves as Trustee for his alma mater. He is an Eagle Scout and was named by the Boy Scouts of America as the 2012 Atlanta Eagle Scout Centennial Class Honoree. Currently President-Elect of the Rotary Club of Atlanta, Balentine will serve as its President during the club's centennial year, beginning in July 2013.