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The French-American Chamber of Commerce Southeast has named three winners for top awards recognizing organizations establishing deeper cultural, commercial and educational links between France and the region.
The Crystal Peach awards were doled out at the chamber’s annual dinner at the Cherokee Town Club Oct. 2, the 20th anniversary of the awards gala, held the same year the chamber celebrates its 40th birthday.
Sebia USA, a French diagnostics company with a presence in Norcross near the French chamber headquarters at Curiosity Lab, received the La French Tech award.
The honor focuses on companies that embody the spirit of the designation that Atlanta lobbied hard to attain from the French government in 2021, highlighting the city as a tech hub worthy of consideration from French firms looking abroad.
Sebia sells high-end machines that allow hospitals to automate various in vitro diagnostic processes, with a special expertise in multiple myeloma, a blood cancer.
Labrador Transparency, which helps companies communicate around compliance issues in regulated sectors, won the investment in the Southeast U.S. award. Read more about the firm in a Global Atlanta story here
Savannah College of Art and Design, meanwhile, took home the award for investing in France, spotlighting its ongoing emphasis on its campus in LaCoste, where students a study-abroad program that many describe as transformative. The program transports them to what the school describes as an “idyllic medieval village” anchored around Maison Basse, a restored 16th-century farmhouse that has traded rubble for rustic charm. Visitors can also enter the campus, which includes two museums, a shop and a studio featuring work from SCAD students for a six-euro fee.
SCAD also delighted guests with the Bee Sharps, a vocal ensemble that some said set the stage for a lively evening.
Chamber Executive Director Katherine LaFourcade said the event is her “favorite of the year,” bringing challenges but also a unique payoff when it all comes together.
“Every moment is worth it when the evening finally comes together — the laughter, the conversations, the energy in the room, and the joy of celebrating our transatlantic community,” she said in a LinkedIn post.
The event took place in the midst of the latest France-Atlanta series of events, a collaboration between Georgia Tech and the French consulate to showcase connections in innovation, culture and business. Learn more and see remaining events here, including a Nov. 21 French culture night at the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra
Learn more about the FACC here, see upcoming events here, or attend its 39th annual Beaujolais Nouveau festival at the law offices of King & Spalding here.
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