The Washington-Beaufort Chamber of Commerce recognized a local man last month at its annual banquet for having won its award for Entrepreneur of the Year.

Brad Horton, co-founder and owner of Athletic Edge Sports and Fitness Center, was given the award at the Jan. 30 banquet, which brought area business and community leaders together to celebrate another great year for Beaufort County’s business community and to name the winners of the Chamber’s annual awards.

Horton, who realized the need in the community, started athletic Edge, Beaufort County’s first and only indoor athletic facility, he said. Matt Crisp of Atlanta, Ga., helped Horton open the facility. The coach of two travel softball teams, Horton realized Beaufort County didn’t have a facility where athletes could train year round, he said.

“The teams needed a training facility,” Horton said. “It came about from a coaching perspective. When we would travel to other parts of North Carolina or other states, I noticed facilities that other kids have an opportunity to train in.”

Horton said the facility is equipped with batting cages, an indoor field where teams can come and hold practices, throwing, running, speed and agility equipment, a volleyball net, a weight room, an aerobics room, locker rooms with showers and a conference room for birthday parties or meetings, as well as 13,000 square feet of open turf for training. Athletic Edge also has instructors for volleyball, soccer, baseball, softball and speed and agility, and hosts Zumba, aerobics and martial arts classes Horton said.

With sports nowadays becoming so specialized, student-athletes are honing in on one or two sports, Horton said. The facility gives those athletes the chance to come in and train year round, but instead of focusing its capabilities on one or two sports, Horton decided to equip the facility so county athletes could get better at their sport, whatever it may be, he said.

Horton said it was an honor to win the Chamber award, but the fruition of Athletic Edge was a community effort.

“It’s obviously an honor to win (the award),” Horton said. “We opened Athletic Edge, and that’s really been kind of a community effort. It’s been something we’ve had a lot of community support. It’s not as much an individual award, as much as it’s that we’ve been able to bring a great community resource.”

The facility centers around having a family atmosphere, Horton said. It offers membership for families, and allows schools to host practices on cold or rainy days, and Horton believes that school athletics in the county will improve as a result of the community resource, he said.

“I think you’ll see our school athletics will benefit from it,” Horton said. “I think (winning the award was just based on) how it has impacted the community already, just with getting the kids and families an opportunity to come out and try something new. It’s something that a lot of people have contemplated over the years, but nobody has really acted on it. So the fact that we’ve really put it in motion and brought it to fruition, I think that’s kind of wahy we ended up getting the opportunity to win that award.”

Catherine Glover, director of the Washington-Beaufort Chamber of Commerce, spoke about Horton winning the award for opening Athletic Edge.

“Our Entrepreneur of the Year saw a need for a multipurpose facility where kids can train in various sports while their parents worked out,” Glover said. “He saw the vision to take an abandoned building and turn it into a great business.”

Athletic Edge Sports and Fitness Center is located at 1100 West 5^th St., Washington. It is open Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., Saturday, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday, from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. For more information, contact 252-975-0003.