The Rotary Club of Statesboro and the Downtown Rotary Club of Statesboro, in their annual joint luncheon meeting Wednesday, honored Doug Lambert as 2022 Citizen of the Year in recognition of his contributions to the community not just this year, but spanning half a century.

“Various words have been used to describe our recipient: civic leader, entrepreneur, developer, manager, visionary, planner, volunteer, organizer, community advocate and mentor,” said Kenny Stone, presenting the award. “All are appropriate and convey a sense of his commitment to serving this community. His involvement as an outstanding citizen spans a period of 50 years, and his many contributions will have a lasting impact on this community for generations to come.”

Stone, the 1995 Citizen of the Year award recipient, has served with Lambert in a number of local economic development and civic organizations. Back in 2004-2005, Stone served as president of the Statesboro Rotary Club while Lambert was, simultaneously, president of the Downtown Statesboro Rotary Club.

In fact, Lambert is a charter member of the Downtown Rotary Club, founded in 1995, which is also known as the “Morning Rotary” because it meets over breakfast on Thursdays. The Statesboro Rotary Club, which has been in existence since 1937, long met on Mondays, but now meets at midday on Wednesdays.

But the two clubs get together to present the Citizen of the Year award. It does not always go to a Rotarian, but it is meant to celebrate citizenship qualities promoted by Rotary International with its ideal of “service above self.”

Early in his remarks, Stone quoted the Irish author and philosopher Charles Handy, who once said, “Citizenship is the chance to make a difference to the place where you belong.”

“That statement is fitting of our honoree because he chose to make a real difference in the place where he belongs,” Stone added.

Chose Statesboro

Lambert, who was born in the Atlanta area, came to Statesboro in the late 1960s to attend what was then Georgia Southern College. He graduated in 1971 with a Bachelor of Business Administration in marketing, accepted a job with a local business and chose to make Statesboro his home.

That business was Franklin Equities Inc., through which he took responsibility for the operation of seven hotels and eight restaurants in six states.

He went on to form Southeastern Hospitality Services Inc., which has developed and managed dozens of hotels with such brands as Marriott, Hilton, Hampton Inn, Staybridge Suites, Wyndham, Holiday Inn and WoodSprings Suites.

“His positive effect on this community is a testament to the intangible benefits of an institution such as Georgia Southern University in attracting exceptional young people from around the country to our area, many of whom choose to remain here following graduation,” Stone said.

Although he withheld Lambert’s name until the end of the introduction, Stone acknowledged that this didn’t provide much suspense for long, especially as he began to talk about the recipient as “a leader in the hospitality industry for more than 50 years.”

Hospitality leader

A founding member and charter president of the Statesboro Convention and Visitors Bureau, Lambert has also served as a director of the Savannah Area Convention and Visitors Bureau.

In past years, he served as a director of the American Hotel and Lodging Association, chairman of both the Georgia Hospitality and Travel Association and the Hospitality and Travel Foundation and on the Staybridge Suites National Advisory Board.

He remains a member of the Georgia Tourism Roundtable and chairs the academic advisory council for Georgia Southern University’s hotel and restaurant management program. He has also been an active supporter of the university through its foundation and athletic foundation.

A past chair of the Statesboro Bulloch County Chamber of Commerce, Lambert, now 72, continues to lead Southeastern Hospitality Services Inc.  as its president. He continues to serve on the Development Authority of Bulloch County, the Bulloch County Airport Authority and on Morris Bank’s local advisory board. He is a member of the Savannah-based Coastal Workforce Services Board, which he previously chaired.

Lambert also chairs Statesboro and Bulloch County’s committee for the South Main Street Tax Allocation District. When developers request assistance from the TAD fund for projects in the “Blue Mile” district, the committee’s recommendation is required before Statesboro City Council approval.

He was one of the developers of the Market District, near East Georgia Regional Medical Center, and one of the first proponents of the Creek on the Blue Mile plan.

Lambert is a past president of the Ogeechee Technical College Foundation and an alumnus of the Leadership Bulloch program. In addition to being a past local Rotary Club president, he is a former Rotary International District 6920 assistant governor. He is also a past president of Forest Heights Country Club, where the award was presented Wednesday.

“Well, I don’t know that I’ve done anything to deserve it, but I really do appreciate it,” Lambert said when interviewed afterward. “I tell you, when you look at that list of past recipients, it’s really an honor and I’m really humbled to be included in that list.”

Lambert said he believes that his greatest contribution to society has been his family and children. His wife, Karen, and several of their five children, all adults now, had suddenly appeared in the banquet room as part of the surprise. They also have six grandchildren.

“I think that when you’re in a community, like Statesboro, that you get out of the community what you put back into it, and I’ve really enjoyed being a part of the community and raising my family here, and my grandchildren, and it’s been my pleasure to be here,” he said.

Lambert’s past recognitions include several within the hospitality industry, from being named 1986 Georgia Hotelier of the Year to receiving the 1994 Lawson Odde Award from the American Hotel and Lodging Association. He was named Alumnus of the Year in 1997 by the GSU College of Business Administration and Business Leader of the Year in 2015 by the Statesboro-Bulloch County Chamber of Commerce.