Former state Rep. David Copeland won the top award Wednesday from the Chattanooga Manufacturers Association for his lifetime of support for business and manufacturing.

Mr. Copeland, who founded his Copeland's Inc. machine shop in 1965, received the C.D. Mitchell Award named for the founder of the 107-year-old Chattanooga Manufacturers Association.

"Chattanooga has had a long history of manufacturing and it's part of our DNA and our makeup," said Trevor Hamilton, the Chamber of Commerce vice president who received the C.D. Mitchell award last year. "It is because of the leadership of people like David Copeland that manufacturing is assured of being a strong part of our future."

In 1963, Mr. Copeland organized the Citizens Taxpayers Association in Hamilton County, served in the Legislature from 1968 to 1992 and ran unsuccessfully for governor in 1994.