SAVANNAH, Ga. () — A well-known Savannah name is now marking a local intersection.

Longtime owner and builder of the Polote Corporation, Benjamin R. Polote’s name is now high above the intersection of Highway 204 and Highway 17. 

State Representative Carl Gillard proposed the legislation that the General Assembly approved allowing the designation.

With family and friends by his side on Tuesday, Polote expressed his thankfulness by referencing a friend’s cherished song, stating, “If I can assist someone as I journey through life, then my existence will have meaning.”

“Of everything I do, I mean it from the bottom of my heart,” he said. “I can’t help anybody if I don’t have myself. So I’m not a foolish man. I understand that I have to have in order to give and achieve.” 

Polote was almost in tears as he accepted this honor for building a lasting legacy in Savannah.