By Brien R. Sorne
ALCOM Corporation CEO
These people are a rare breed. Preferring to work behind the scenes, they avoid recognition or fanfare. Rather than seeking power, they seek to empower others. They are known to perform exceptionally excellent work and may have performed some heroic deed. They are the ones who show up early and stay late, who put in countless hours with or without pay. They work to provide the greatest possible benefit to those they serve and see to it that everything runs smoothly from beginning to end. These are Tallahassee’s unsung heroes.
Since they avoid the spotlight, how do we know who they are? How do we know they even exist? Bill Schack is a good one to ask. As someone who has worked with thousands of employees and thousands of volunteers throughout his career, he understands the value of unsung heroes. His Inclusion Cafe Academy is a clear demonstration of this irreplaceable, rare-breed sort of person. Bill will tell you that, without these people, the program would not exist.
People like Bill will tell you to consider whether someone shows up early to get a jump on the day’s tasks and stays late to make sure things are ready for the next day. Are they someone who picks up extra shifts or works a double shift when needed? Are they a great representative of their chosen cause, organization, or business? Are they consistently focused on bringing a positive impact in the lives of others?
They may suggest we look more closely to notice the neighbor who goes on walks with a garbage bag, picking up trash so our neighborhood stays clean, or take notice of the loyal employee who, without our knowledge, bikes to and from work one hour each way, every day. Sometimes, it is a friend who is on the front lines fighting for change or a family member who advocates for the less fortunate and does what they can to help. Is your neighborhood, business, or non-profit successful because of this kind of person? These are Tallahassee’s unsung heroes.
You can likely think of several people who fit this description. For that reason, the Tallahassee Unsung Hero Awards program (“The UNSY”) was created. It is your opportunity to nominate the unsung heroes in your life. By going to TallyUNSY.com, you can easily place your nomination for one or more people. For Tallahassee, this is our opportunity to celebrate further the things we think matter most by adding the UNSY Awards to our notable list of annual celebrations. On March 28, the top-scoring finalists will be announced. To honor the 2025 UNSY Awards finalists, a banquet and trophy presentation will be held at the TNL Performing Arts Center located at 1533 South Monroe Street in Tallahassee. Tickets are on sale at TallyUNSY.com.
Brien R. Sörne is the CEO of ALCOM Corporation of Florida, Inc., and the host of Tallahassee Talks with Brien Sörne radio broadcast.
