“We are both shocked and honored to receive this award. We have worked hard these past 28 years but our employees are the reason we are where we are today, so we gladly accept this award in their honor.”, says Wayne Payne after being awarded “Entrepreneur of the Year” at the Carroll County Chamber of Commerce Annual Dinner Friday, February 2nd. The bio spoken by exiting chairperson, Amy Brown, explains their journey perfectly.
This couple first met at a Halloween party at Dr. Astin’s cabin in 1985. Both worked for Turner Broadcasting in Atlanta over the next several years, where she developed the Properties and Real Estate Division and he worked in the Facilities Management Division. They later returned to Carrollton and in October of 1989, they began their company. On the eve of the grand opening, they also found out they were beginning a family.
The business consisted of a Security Sales and Monitoring division, as well as a local answering service. They had just 4 employees and 5 clients. In 1997, the Security division was sold to Carroll EMC to allow complete dedication to the Answering Service. The company expanded nationwide after they recognized a massive niche in the funeral industry. Ever since, this couple has worked countless hours to ensure top quality customer service for their clients, even to the extremes of picking up and taking home employees at all hours of the night.
Today, both are heavily involved in the community: he is a member of The Rotary Club of Carrollton, a board member of the Carroll County Chamber of Commerce, and serves as chairperson of the Marketing Committee for the $15 Million Dollar City Station Community Center project on Maple Street. She is a board member of Communities and Schools and the West Georgia Technical College Business Advisory Board.
This couple has relocated their business 3 times across this city due to expansion, with the current facility being the previous Social Security building. They have since grown their 4 employees into over 40 and their 5 clients into over 500. This couple is excited that their 28-year legacy of service as OmniCall and FuneralCall will continue for many more years as it transitions into the capable hands of their daughter, son-in-law, and son.
To learn more about their stellar customer service and how they can best assist your business, visit www.omnicall.com.
