XENIA — Greene County had a lot to celebrate during its recent annual report to the community at the Emerge Recovery and Trade Initiative.

One of the highlights of the event is the recognition of achievers — those who are accomplishing great feats in their professional lives.

County farmer Cory Atley was first in the nation in the National Corn Growers Association national corn yield contest. His winning yield was 366 bushels per acre.

Atley farms around 8,000 acres of leased and family land in Greene County. He is known by many for his high yields and his appearance on the reality show “Corn Warriors.” In addition to farming, Atley’s advanced yield team works with dozens of farmers from Maryland to Kansas to coax more bushels from the ground every year. Atley and his advanced yield team have won the NCGA yield contest in Ohio for the past six years.

Brentwood Builders, Inc., was named the Metal Building Contractors and Erectors Association Metal Builder of the Year for the Arbogast Performing Arts Center in Troy.

Founded in 1979 by M. Joseph Harkleroad, and located in Cedarville, Brentwood Builders, Inc., is a full-service designbuild and construction management firm offering design and construction services to the Miami Valley and beyond. Brentwood Builders, Inc., is known throughout the region for its high-quality work and treating customers like family.

Xenia High School Football coach Maurice Harden was the Ohio Prep Sportswriters Association Division II Co-Coach of the Year in the state.

Harden, of Xenia, was named the head football coach in February 2021. In just his second season, he led Xenia to the first undefeated regular season in school history and a 10-1 overall record. Harden’s team reached new heights on and off the field. The Bucs finished the season with more than 12 school records broken, seven all-state honors, and a 3.71 team GPA.

Kyoshi DJ Yates and Hanshi Doug Yates — both from Xenia — were inducted into the USA Karate Federation Hall of Fame in 2022.

Kyoshi Yates is currently a seventh-degree black belt who has had many achievements over the years: Member of Team USA, 1994-2013, fighting in nine different countries; USAKF All American; and international and national karate champion. His international medal count is 13 gold, two silver, and one bronze.

Hanshi Yates is a well-known figure in the karate world. He was a world-rated fighter by the Professional Karate Association (PKA), 1983-1985; Ohio state light heavyweight champion, 1981; director of kickboxing at the Arnold Battle of Columbus and the Arnold Sports Festival; and a gold medalist with Team USA at the 1994 Goodwill Games.

William Harden — investigator and office administrator for Greene County Coroner Dr. Kevin Sharrett — was the Ohio State Coroners Association Investigator of the Year in 2022.

“He was selected for not only what he does locally in Greene County, but for what he does at the state level, like helping train other investigators … it’s a very big honor,” Sharrett said. After serving in the Air Force, Harden joined the Greene County Sheriff’s Office and retired 30 years later as a major of the Criminal Investigations and Jail Division. He is also a special detective and the official chaplain for the sheriff’s office.

The Air Force Radioactive Recycling and Disposal Program at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base received the 2022 Secretary of Defense Environmental Award in the Environmental Quality Individual/Team category.

The program is the primary focal point for low-level radioactive recycling and low-level mixed waste management in the Air Force and provides radioactive material recycling for the Department of Defense. The four-person team has more than 93 years combined experience with protecting human health and the environment through the management and disposition of radioactive material and low-level radioactive waste.

Erin Flanagan, an English professor at Wright State, won the 2022 Edgar Award for Best First Novel by an American Author. The novel, “Deer Season,” was also a finalist for the Macavity Award for Best First Mystery.

The Edgar Award, named after American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic Edgar Allan Poe, is considered the most prestigious award specifically for mystery fiction, non-fiction, and film. The Macavity Award, named for the “mystery cat” from T.S. Eliot’s Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats is a literary award for mystery writers nominated and voted upon by the members of Mystery Readers International.

Dr. Patricia Haines, a Xenia veterinarian, was named the 2021 Ohio Veterinarian of the Year by the Ohio Veterinary Medical Association.

“Dr. Haines serves without fanfare or expectation,” Dr. Ed Biggie (Ohio Veterinary Medical Association outgoing president) said in presenting the award. “She embodies the qualities we aspire to be, not just as veterinarians, but as people.” Haines is a past president of the OVMA and has been very active in the legislative activities of the organization. This includes working on the legislation that resulted in the formation of the commercial dog breeding rules and regulations under the Ohio Department of Agriculture. She has served as the Ohio governor’s appointee to this committee since its formation.

Elizabeth Kollmar, a sophomore at Cedarville University majoring in broadcasting, digital media, and journalism, was awarded Best Documentary at the 2022 International Conference on Missions Student Film Festival.

During spring 2022, Kollmar had a video production class assignment to create a documentary or short film. Kollmar decided to make a documentary about the struggles of Aubree, a person who has grown closer to God through her struggles with mental health. “Power in Weakness” is a short four-minute documentary; however, it took countless hours of planning and preparation, 45 minutes of interviewing, two days of filming, and 10 hours of editing to produce.

Contact Scott Halasz at 937-502-4507.