Atlanta Braves name Larry Edwards the 2024 Walter Banks Hospitality Award Recipient
ATLANTA (September 16, 2024) – Walter Banks and the Atlanta Braves have named Larry Edwards the 2024 Walter Banks Hospitality Award recipient. The award is given annually to a staff member who exemplifies extraordinary guest service in the mold of longtime Braves employee Walter Banks, who has been with the organization for 59 seasons. Prior to tonight’s game, Atlanta Braves Chairman Terry McGuirk and Walter Banks presented the award to Edwards during a special on-field presentation.
Larry, or Mr. Larry as he is known around Truist Park, is in his 19th season with the Atlanta Braves. As the lead gate supervisor, Edwards leads the Member Experience team to create the best gameday experience in professional sports. He embraces Walter Banks’ spirit and “The Braves Way” of service, which prioritizes a warm welcome, anticipating needs, and a fond farewell. He generously welcomes fans and creates heartfelt memories during their visit to Truist Park.
Edwards is an exemplary employee and truly embodies all the qualities of a Walter Banks Hospitality Award winner: service, dedication, personalization, selflessness, and hospitality. Every game, Edwards smiles through service, exudes dedication, and extends himself beyond measure. Edwards has the consistent and unwavering ability to bring joy to those he engages with, by providing an unmatched customer service which caters to fans in a way that represents the Braves organization well.
“Larry Edwards has served in a Walter Banks style of excellence for almost 20 years,” Walter Banks said about Edwards. “Inclement weather, nor long hours, have ever swayed Larry from getting the job done to the highest standard. I see an unparalleled commitment to service when watching Larry work, and I commend him for his dedication to the Braves organization.”
The Walter Banks Hospitality Award, established in 2017, is given to the staff member who demonstrates the specific qualities of service, dedication, personalization, selflessness and hospitality that guests have come to identify with Banks.
Previous winners of the award include Robert Bryant, 2023, Jeanne Phillips, 2022, Bob Burkhardt, 2021, Alex Harris, 2020, Katelyn Shearron, 2019, Katie Hearn, 2018, and Jon Vazquez, 2017.