Beyond Business: Chamber’s Crystal Peach Awards Highlight Deep French Connections With Atlanta, Southeast U.S.

Attendees at this year’s Crystal Peach Awards gala weren’t in it for the suspense. 

Organizers of the annual French-American Chamber of Commerce Southeast fundraiser Oct. 17 had already revealed the winners long before guests started rolling up at the Cherokee Town and Country Club. 

But they had one bit of recognition up their sleeve as the segment came to a close, honoring a woman who has been more concerned with getting U.S. veterans their due than highlighting her own achievements.

Chamber Executive Director Katherine LaFourcade took the microphone to present the Award of Excellence to Delta’s Virginie Durr, who has been integral to the airline’s efforts to fly veterans back to her native Normandy.

This year was the 80th anniversary of the Allied assault on German-held Omaha Beach, and Delta for the third year partnered with the Best Defense Foundation and other groups to take the dwindling number of Americans who fought in the war, many of them centenarians, back to those fateful shores. 

While each year has been special, this year’s commemorations drew about 30 heads of state from countries like the United States, United Kingdom, Ukraine, and, of course, France. 

In accepting the award, Ms. Durr, true to form, shined light on others who had made the project possible, from Senior Vice President of Global Sales Bob Somers to Delta CEO Ed Bastian, a leader she said exemplifies the airline’s corporate spirit.  

“He lives by those values and supported this incredible project of taking a plane out of our fleet and fly to my homeland of Normandy. So you can imagine the gratitude I have for him,” Ms. Durr said. 

Perhaps more importantly, though, she pointed out in the audience Dunwoody’s Hilbert Margol, who received France’s Legion of Honor from President Emmanuel Macron during this year’s ceremony. 

Mr. Somers, who gave a speech accepting Delta’s separate French-American Bridge Building Award, described the privilege he felt in witnessing that moment in Norman. 

“I’m sure many of you in this room saw that. It’s something I’ll never forget,” Mr. Somers said.

Michelin, the global tire manufacturer and mobility innovator with a factory in South Carolina, took home the Corporate Social Responsibility Award for its efforts to drive sustainability across its operations and around the world. 

David Chapman, vice president for government and defense at Michelin, also highlighted the company’s commitments to its 135,000 global employees, for whom it provides training, education, health care and recreational opportunities as a standard practice. 

“As a company that is both global and local, Michelin has deep roots in the places where we operate and produce,” he said. 

He also pointed out that when Michelin has to shut down or reorganize a plant, the company stays behind to ameliorate and even reverse job losses. 

“So think about that: You read about companies that fire people via email — the Michelin Development Team stays behind to create three new jobs for every one that was downsized,” Mr. Chapman said. 

Mr. Chapman added that more than 20,000 Michelin employees participated in volunteer activities in 2023, with the goal of growing that number every year. 

Boehringer Ingelheim, the animal health giant with a major facility in Athens, received the VIE Commitment Award for utilizing the French International Internship Programme, known by the acronym for its French name: Volontariat International en Entreprise.

“Over the last two years, we have had more than 45 VIEs in our global innovation, global supply and also our global strategic marketing functions,” Human Resources Director Kathrin Carpenter said in accepting the award, adding that eight VIEs are currently working with the company. 

Some have gone back to France and work in the company’s European operations — fitting for a company that got its Athens site by merging with Merial, a French innovator in animal health, then doubled down with another major investment in 2022. 

“We’ve definitely realized great benefits from the VIE program for our overall talent pipeline,” Ms. Carpenter said. 

Navy Seal and Paralympic medalist Dan Cnossen concluded the event with a keynote speech after Air France and Delta each donated airline tickets that helped the chamber raise $18,000 in just a few minutes through a live auction. The event was emceed by French-American Chamber President Jacques Marcotte.  

The Crystal Peach Awards is the largest event in the Southeast U.S. focused on celebrating French-American business ties. According to the French Embassy in Washington, French investment accounts for 27,100 jobs in Georgia, nearly 10 percent of the employment generated by foreign investment in the state. 

The evening was one of the final events in this year’s France-Atlanta series, in which the French Consulate General partners with Georgia Tech to showcase connections in culture, science, humanitarianism and business. 

The final event on the France-Atlanta calendar is a La French Tech networking breakfast on Nov. 1. 

Learn more about the event in this LinkedIn post or by visiting the French-American Chamber’s website.