Tuggle, Free Lawn Care win Gatekeeper Awards

The Trussville Area Chamber of Commerce named its Ned and Goldie Paine Memorial Gatekeeper Awards at its Toast of the Town: Celebrating Trussville’s Best event Feb. 1.

Jeremy Tuggle and Free Lawn Care won the awards.

Tuggle, the president at Bryant Bank in Trussville, was nominated by Natalie Spott and Deanna Schrecongost, both of whom work at Bryant Bank.

“He enjoys leading people as they work toward a common goal, and that attitude also applies to how he feels about community service,” Spott said.

Tuggle, a Trussville resident since 2015, has served on the Trussville Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, Trussville Daybreak Rotary Club, Trussville Utilities Board and Trussville City Schools Foundation.

“Jeremy is always proud to be the face of Bryant Bank Trussville, but especially when our local kindergarten classes come to visit,” Schrecongost said. “The children love him.”

Free Lawn Care is a lawn service started by Hewitt-Trussville High School graduate Matthew Antkowiak in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Antkowiak and a group of friends from the cross-country team went to work around Trussville.

“I wasn’t doing anything,” Antkowiak said in a 2020 Cahaba Sun article. “I wasn’t allowed to go to work. I wasn’t allowed to go to school. The idea came back in my head when my neighbor asked for some help with moving some objects around.”

Antkowiak’s mother, Rhonda, nominated Free Lawn Care for the Gatekeeper Award.

“Instead of complaining or playing video games all day, they decided to use their time to help the elderly and disabled with their lawn care needs,” she said. “Their entire summer was spent cutting grass, trimming shrubs, cutting down bamboo, clearing out underbrush, hauling away debris, and so much more.”

The Chamber also introduced its new board president, David Moore, and the Board of Directors, which includes Donna Lowery, Pattie Neill, Suzannah Campbell, Greg Carroll, Scott Stearns, Spott, Peter Reich and Misty Westover.