Augusta, GA — Junior Achievement of Georgia (JA of Georgia) has named Delores “Dee” Crawford, Former McDonald’s franchisee and Community Advocate, and Brad Usry, President of Fat Man’s Hospitality Group, as their 2026 JA Greater Augusta Business Hall of Fame Laureates.
JA of Georgia, with is proud to host the 13th annual gala and continue the tradition of honoring titans of the Greater Augusta business community, presented with generous support from our Diamond Sponsor, Georgia’s Own Credit Union. The elegant event will take place on Thursday, March 19, 2026, in the Augusta Marriott at the Convention Center.
Delores “Dee” Crawford became a McDonald’s franchisee in 1987 and spent three decades building a successful seven-restaurant organization in the Central Savannah River Area before selling her restaurants in 2018. She began her career as a Systems Analyst and Marketing Representative with IBM in the Washington, D.C. area and continues to be passionate about construction, development, and affordable housing. As an owner-operator, her organization earned several Outstanding Restaurant and Manager Awards, and she helped found the McDonald’s Women Operators Network, later serving as a National Director. She was also active in the National Black McDonald’s Operators Association and the South Carolina McDonald’s Operators Self-Insurers Fund, earning honors such as Female Entrepreneur of the Year, Minority Business of the Year, and the Girl Scouts Women of Excellence Award. Mrs. Crawford has held leadership roles with Global Ronald McDonald House Charities, the Savannah River Banking Company, the University Health Care Foundation, and advisory boards at Augusta University and USC Aiken. She has also contributed significantly to the arts through service with Juilliard in Aiken, the Morris Museum of Art, and the South Carolina Arts Commission, where she served two terms as Chair. A Fisk University graduate with additional studies at the University of Maryland, she is a native of Ahoskie, North Carolina, and has lived in Aiken, South Carolina, for more than 40 years with her husband, Dr. George I. Crawford, where they raised three children and now enjoy six grandchildren.
Brad Usry is a husband, father, grandfather, community advocate, and business leader raised in Augusta, where he attended the Academy of Richmond County and served as Captain of the basketball team. He continued his athletic career at Augusta University, lettering for four years and serving as Captain his senior season before graduating in 1982 with a degree in Business Administration and Marketing. After college, he joined the family business, Fat Man’s Forest, and later stepped into leadership following his father’s passing, guiding the company through significant growth. Today, he is a partner in Fat Man’s Hospitality Group alongside his son, Havird, operating four restaurants and the Enterprise Mill Event Center. A committed community advocate, Usry helped found the Augusta Sports Council and has served on the boards of the Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Boys and Girls Club, the Georgians First Commission, and the Augusta University Board of Trustees. For the past fifteen years, he has served as Vice Chairman of the Augusta-Richmond County Coliseum Authority and currently leads the committee overseeing renovations to The Bell Auditorium and development of the New Augusta Arena. Married to his college sweetheart, Paige, for forty-three years, he is the proud father of two sons and the grandfather of two granddaughters, and he remains deeply engaged in supporting student-athletes through a family scholarship at Augusta University.
In addition to the formal induction of Crawfors and Usry, the evening will also honor Jane Marie Kinsey, President of McKnight Construction Company, as the 2026 Rising Star. The 13th JA Greater Augusta Business Hall of Fame will welcome guests to a cocktail hour, a seated dinner, followed by a tribute to the ground-breaking programs JA of Georgia is bringing to the Greater Augusta area, and concluding with a champagne toast to the newest laureates.
“We are delighted to be welcoming Dee and Brad into our established laureate society,” said Laney Mize, Director of Development for JA of Georgia for the CSRA. “We’ve long admired their contributions to our community, and we’re thrilled to celebrate their impact on March 19th.”
To learn more about the JA Greater Augusta Business Hall of Fame, sponsorship opportunities, our laureates, or to purchase a ticket, please visit georgia.ja.org/greater-augusta-hall-of-fame. If you are interested in becoming a sponsor of the event, please email Laney Mize at lmize@georgia.ja.org.