It’s been a rewarding month for Mark Hamilton.

The Forsyth County businessman and Republican state representative from District 24 was honored with the distinguished alumni award from his alma mater, Texas A&M University-Kingsville.

And the award came on the heels of being celebrated as one of four finalists for an inaugural Kolbe Professional Award.

“Having built AppliedWisdom, utilizing the Kolbe system, into an international consulting business over the last 11 years has been a wonderful experience for me,” he said. “It complements what we do at H&H Staffing Services, which provides a great platform for the organizational and team development consulting services we provide at AppliedWisdom.”

Hamilton was up for the award for individual leadership in building conative excellence for his work with AppliedWisdom.

A statement from the corporation said he was nominated because of “his success in helping individuals and organizations use Kolbe assessment tools to enhance professional satisfaction and overall productivity.”

“Our mission is to help people understand instinctive strengths and use that understanding to improve their lives in the ways they care about most,” said David Kolbe, CEO of Kolbe Corp. “The Conative Excellence Awards recognize and celebrate people already taking this concept and making it a reality.”

Hamilton was recognized along with the other three finalists during a recent symposium in Tempe, Ariz.

“This award means a great deal to me and I am thankful to my team members as well as our many clients across North America and Europe for their assistance and business relationships that allowed this to happen,” he said.

The recognition came a few days before Hamilton traveled to Texas to be honored as one of four distinguished alumni for service to the university and their communities.

“Mark’s career in business and years of public service are wonderful examples of the great impact our alumni are making across the country,” said Steven Tallant, president of Texas A&M-Kingsville.

Added Justin Muñoz, interim director of alumni affairs: “You helped make this year’s homecoming one to be remembered. You’ve defined what it means to be a Javelina and be amongst 70 other distinguished individuals in the history of our institution.”