The Rutherford County Chamber of Commerce has named Pat Murphy, plant manager of the General Mills plant in Murfreesboro, as the 2012 Business Person of the Year, and will honor him at the Chamber’s annual Business at its Best celebration on Friday, Feb. 1, at the Embassy Suites Murfreesboro Hotel and Conference Center.

Murphy has managed the General Mills facility in Murfreesboro for the last seven and a half years, which under his leadership, has become one of General Mills’ largest and highest-performing plants. In 2012, the plant completed its Yoplait expansion, which included over $100 million in capital investment and the creation of nearly 80 new jobs, bringing the total plant employment to almost 900 General Mills employees. 

His leadership values start with the safety of his employees and the products they produce, as reflected by a recent span of over 5.7 million hours worked without a lost time injury.  Another leadership focus for Murphy has been the development of his people, which is serving as a solid foundation for future growth and competitiveness of the facility, and has resulted in the progression of five plant managers and numerous other functional leaders

Murphy also believes strongly in the service of his community and volunteers actively with the local United Way and Boys & Girls Clubs, having recently chaired both organizations’ board of directors. In addition, he was recently elected to the serve on the 2013 United Way of Tennessee board.

The Business at its Best reception will begin at 5:30 p.m.; followed by a dinner at 6:30 p.m. Reservations are $70 for Chamber members and $90 for non-members. To reserve your seat, please contact the Chamber at 615-893-6556 or visit www.rutherfordchamber.org.