January 2026

[00:00:00] Speaker A: Folks, welcome to the January edition of the Chamber Corner. We're here at the UCDD in Cookeville, Tennessee, and we're going to give you a lot of good information, so we hope you enjoy the. We are at the Upper Cumberland Development District, and we're in a really beautiful building here. But before we go any further, Mark, introduce yourself and tell them your position here. [00:00:49] Speaker B: I'm Mark Farley. I'm the executive director of the Upper Cumberland Development District. [00:00:52] Speaker A: Okay. And the first thing I want to say is thank you for allowing us to come here and visit you in your complex here. [00:00:57] Speaker B: Certain. Glad to have you. [00:00:58] Speaker A: Yeah. And it's a beautiful building. You've been in it a couple of years now. How long? [00:01:04] Speaker B: Going on six years. We moved in in 2019. [00:01:08] Speaker A: Yeah. Well, I know one thing. It's well used, and it is a wonderful facility for that. What I'd like you to do is just. I'd like to insert a question every once in a while, but I'd like you to just kind of tell them about the building and then about UCDD itself and uchra. Because you sit basically at the guiding point of both of those organizations, right? [00:01:34] Speaker B: I do. [00:01:34] Speaker A: Okay. Well, just kind of take off and tell us about it. [00:01:38] Speaker B: We're very fortunate. Going back, like I said, six, seven years ago, our board realized our old office, we had outgrown it. We didn't have a large conference room in that facility. We were growing as an agency, so we needed to move and relocate. The property where we're located here, right on the intersection of Interstate 40 and Highway 111 was really our dream spot. And we were very fortunate to be able to secure this land and then to build this building. And when we did so, because we, you know, I work for the mayors, the elected leaders of the region, they realized that the region needed a place where regionally, that different groups could convene. Coming in from all the different spots across the 14 counties. And when you look on the map, this spot is pretty much right in the center of the Upper Cumberland region. [00:02:27] Speaker A: That is a wonderful thing. You know, a lot of people out there might not realize Upper Cumberland Development District and Cumberland Human Resource Agency. I always get that last part wrong. They are two different organizations that have two basic, different, I guess you'd call it, purposes. [00:02:48] Speaker B: Yeah. Each region across the state has both a development district and they have a human resource agency. And in only one other region are they combined like us, and that's up in the Northwest. They were done so from the very beginning, when they were first Created. Ours happened going back to 2000. So right before we built this building, the boards decided to merge under a shared leadership model. They are still two separate legal entities, but myself and the finance director, we oversee the operations of both agencies. And by doing that, we're able to blend our services and make sure we're all moving in the same direction. And it just makes sense because the board structure was the exact same. So you've got the mayors who oversaw the human resource agency and also the development district. So obviously it made sense to put it all under one Umbrell. [00:03:38] Speaker A: Yeah, and that does really make sense. When that first came out, I thought, this is an excellent idea. You might want to explain who your board is because our mayor, Mayor Mason is, I think he's chairman of your board right now. [00:03:51] Speaker B: He is the chairman of the board. [00:03:52] Speaker A: And you have 14 counties, so you might want to go through that. [00:03:56] Speaker B: Yeah, we run all the way from Smith county on our western border to Cumberland county on our eastern border. And we go to the Kentucky border all the way down to Warren and Cannon counties. So we cover 14 counties. I think it's a little over 5,000 square miles. And if you look at it from a distance standpoint, we're about an hour, hour and 15 minute radius to our father's locations from this office here. [00:04:21] Speaker A: Okay, well, now we're going to get into some of the specific agencies that you have under working, but maybe you want to give a broad sense of what each one of those two agencies do. [00:04:36] Speaker B: They have different purposes and different missions. The development district is by nature an economic development and planning agency. And I always liken it to the fact that here at the development district, our job is to look into the future and try and figure out what the region needs and each community needs and make sure that progress is being made in that direction. So we obviously want to worry about the quality of life of our citizens and the economic conditions of our region as well. The human resource agency serves as the social service agency for the region. So it is designed to help more individuals when they're going through difficult situations or to provide infrastructure there that is on a day to day basis. [00:05:19] Speaker A: Okay, well, when you're talking about the two different agencies and they have two different purposes, do you. Do you house both sets of administration in this one building or do you have some of it over at the. What used to be the building at the. Well, it's at the end of Willow, I believe. [00:05:38] Speaker B: Well, that's our old development district office. The human Resource agency office is located over On Jefferson, we're across from the tractor supply and goodwill over in that area there behind. There's a little strip mall there and we're located behind there. [00:05:53] Speaker A: Okay, yeah. So when somebody say, for instance, somebody, it sounds to me the way you're describing it, it's more business oriented and agency oriented and nonprofit oriented toward the upper the development district, and it's more individually oriented toward the uchra. Is that an oversimplification? [00:06:15] Speaker B: No, that's a fair assessment. Our job here, we're working mainly with communities and with elected officials. So, you know, we work directly with the mayors to try and make sure their vision, their program of work that they have in each community is being administered and that we're able to help find secure funding for them that makes their vision for their community come true. We also look at systems in place. So here we have the area Agency on Aging Disability. We're looking at it more from the standpoint of the in home providers, the senior centers, those structures that need to be in place to support a different group of people or demographic of people. [00:06:59] Speaker A: Okay. Well, I know there is a lot of money that comes through here that goes out to benefit the local area. I don't know if you have a figure in mind because I try not to ask any questions that you're not, you know, ready to go, but you may know that figure. [00:07:14] Speaker B: Well, I don't know the exact figure. I will say we return a very good return on the investment. And you know, we're created by the General assembly, so the state government puts some funds towards us. And then basically what we're doing is operating programs on behalf of the 14 counties. You know, there are certain programs that make sense to be done county by county. And then there are other programs where from economy of scale, it makes sense to centralize that under another one entity. So for human resources agents, perfect illustration is public transportation. It doesn't make sense for each community to have its own public transportation program with a different shop, a different maintenance crew and all those overhead costs. We have one that covers all 14 counties and then one centralized maintenance and repair and those type of things. So, you know, we're administering these programs on behalf of the communities we serve. [00:08:09] Speaker C: And. [00:08:10] Speaker B: And then on top of that, we do grant writing. So we go out and we try and secure funding to help build the programs and the services that our local elected officials want to put in place. And we're very successful on that. We have a great team here. We've had some really good years and we are able to Put money into the community through grant opportunities that wouldn't have come otherwise. [00:08:36] Speaker A: Yeah. And I know it's wonderful the way you guys help each community. I've been on the edge of and involved deeply in some grants that you guys have helped on. And it's really good to have that expertise and you guys are able to concentrate on that. And when you do something, every day makes it easier. Oh, yeah, yeah, no, no doubt about that. Okay. Is there anything you would like to say, I guess, to the folks out there in Smith County? I know we're very proud of our county and you've announced a few things that have happened. What would you want to say? [00:09:12] Speaker B: Well, you know, for the rest of Smith County, I think you have something to take pride in. You know, when we talk about the economic conditions of our region, you know, we have no urbanized areas inside of our footprint. So our largest city is the city of Cookeville. Our largest county is Putnam County. But when you look at the economic data, because of the proximity to Nashville and the various dynamics going on in Smith County, Smith county is our most affluent community. It has the highest medium household income, the lower rates on poverty, lower rates on unemployment. It is really a great environment. And I'm afraid sometimes the residents of Smith county don't realize that there is. They're in as good a shape as they actually are. [00:09:55] Speaker A: Yeah, well, I've noticed over the years, of course, I was born and raised there, moved away and then I traveled a lot and I always came back because I loved where I live. And the one thing that I have noticed there is is that in my opinion, we. We live in a great place and we are truly blessed. And what you mentioned there is, is a large part of the reason. And when you look back, some of the folks were forward thinking. You know, they. They built in 74, they did the industrial park. That was a big boost for us. One last question and then I'll let you wrap up if you want to. How many development districts are there in the state of Tennessee and do they all function the same way this one does? [00:10:40] Speaker B: There are nine total across the state. Each one of the regions as the state has broken itself up into. We're for the most part similar in that we run a lot of the same programs, but we also have the ability. And that's the great thing about the way the state has designed our development district system is we can be modified to meet the needs of our region and the desires of the elected officials. So there are certain programs we operate here at Upper Cumberland Development District that other development districts don't offer. And it's because our region needed it. Our elected officials needed those services. So we're able to implement them and put them in place where others don't have that. [00:11:23] Speaker A: Right. Right. Well, as a last thing, I'd just like to say, from day one, you have done an excellent job, and I really appreciate what you do for our counties. [00:11:31] Speaker B: Thank you. I appreciate that. [00:11:33] Speaker A: Okay. We're here at the development district and we get to meet some really, well, I think very sharp people, and this is one of them. Tommy, tell them who you are in your time. [00:11:42] Speaker D: Sure. Thanks, Billy, for letting me come on and speak with you today. So, my name is Tommy Lee. Wear a few hats here at the development district. I am the deputy director of the organization and I'm also the director of the. Of planning and community development. [00:11:56] Speaker A: Okay, well, we're going to segue toward planning and community development. Why don't you give us the elevator speech on what that is? [00:12:05] Speaker D: Yeah, sure. So. Well, Mr. Farley likes to think of our department as a planning department. That's the main thing for what we do. And so our department, our main job is to go out and meet with the local elected officials. We find out what their vision is for their time while they're in office. And then whatever projects that they have that they want to see come to fruition, we go out and we look for funding for those projects. And then if the funding is awarded, then we also help with the administration of that. So basically, our department starts, we go and we find projects and we see them from their inception all the way to the ribbon cutting. [00:12:46] Speaker A: Boy, that is a valuable resource for the 14 counties around here. Because I don't believe any one county, maybe Putnam, but I don't believe any one county would be able to do what you guys do from that position. [00:13:01] Speaker D: Yeah, we provide technical assistance and we provide staffing for counties and cities that really can't afford to have that feature or that service in house. [00:13:10] Speaker A: Okay. And you said a crucial thing there. You said counties and cities. [00:13:14] Speaker D: That's correct. [00:13:14] Speaker A: So not only the 14 counties, but every one of the cities that's involved in that, they can use your services. [00:13:20] Speaker D: All 31 cities have access to our services that we provide here at the development district. [00:13:26] Speaker A: Okay. And I hope I'm not putting you on the spot, but what's a couple of the things that come to mind that really stand out that you guys have been able to do since your tenure here? [00:13:37] Speaker D: Yeah, so we do everything from. We do infrastructure, planning, so if a community has sewer lines that have been in the ground for 70 years and they need to replace them, then we write grants to help them with that. We also help with downtown revitalization. The state of Tennessee has a downtown improvement grant. If you have buildings on your courthouse square that you need, that need a facelift, then we can help communities apply for those grants and help them totally reshape their downtown. [00:14:10] Speaker A: Well, I hope I'm not. Well, our courthouse is being remodeled right now due to a grant. [00:14:16] Speaker D: That's correct. [00:14:17] Speaker A: And I presume you guys were involved in that. [00:14:19] Speaker D: We certainly did. [00:14:20] Speaker A: Yeah, I thought so. And that's really something that I can't say it for anybody else, but a real passion of mine, because that building was built in 1890, and I wanted to see it survive well into the future. Well, with this remodel, I see that happening. So let me just say thank you. Thank you for your help. [00:14:42] Speaker D: Absolutely. My pleasure. And we also offer several other types of planning. For example, we assist Smith county, the Smith county solid waste director, Johnny Lee, we help him with his state reporting and his annual reporting progress reports that he has to use. So we have a solid waste planner here on staff. We also help with tourism and marketing for the chambers of commerce, which you might know a little bit of something about. We also help with transportation planning. So if a community wants to redo their sidewalks or they want to do an intersection corridor study, we can help them with that. So if you. You think of anything that can enhance your community, chances are we're going to be the department that you come to to help you write that grant and administer it. [00:15:33] Speaker A: Right. And the one you mentioned, Johnny Lee, in the landfill there a lot of people in our county, I don't think they realize, and I'll make a caveat here. Some people really bemoan the fact some that we have a landfill in our county. But with that said, we go to a convenience site and we drop our trash off and we don't pay a fee. And that's pretty unusual here in the United States and pretty unusual in the state of Tennessee, I think. [00:16:06] Speaker D: Yeah, well, Smith county is the only publicly owned landfill in the Upper Cumberland region right now. So they're actually providing quite a service for other counties that surround them, having a place so they can take their trash. [00:16:20] Speaker A: Right. And we're able to, like I say, go to the convenience centers, drop our trash off, and we don't have to worry about it. And you know, the other thing that I find interesting, and a lot of people don't know is the landfill is not operated out of the county tax roll or tax budget. It actually operates on its own. Now, I'm not sure. Didn't know if you knew that. But that's something that, when I was on county court and other times that I have been able to be availed of that knowledge. That's another thing that a lot of people don't realize is that there aren't any tax dollars being spent for that service. So I think that's actually a pretty good deal for the people of Smith county and probably one nobody else has. [00:17:01] Speaker D: Well, and I wasn't aware of that either. So I learned something today, Billy. You taught me something. [00:17:05] Speaker A: Well, that's a good thing. It's always good to gain knowledge. [00:17:08] Speaker D: Yes, sir. [00:17:09] Speaker A: Okay. Well, Tommy, is there anything else you want to mention before we kind of bow out of here? [00:17:14] Speaker D: Yeah, just one thing else. So we also offer local planning services to the town of Gordonsville, the town South Carthage, and Smith County. So if you are dividing property or you're opening a business and you need to have your site plan approved, or you need to have the zoning of your property changed, then that is a service that you would come to us for. And we assist. Like I said, the town of Gordonsville, town South Carthage, and we have the land use administrator for Smith county with those services. [00:17:47] Speaker A: And Carthage did a sewer upgrade on a portion of where they were at. And I believe you guys helped them get. [00:17:54] Speaker D: Yeah, we helped them with the grant that they had on that. [00:17:57] Speaker A: Yeah. And I know they've done paving since then because they waited. It was kind of. The streets got to looking kind of rough, but they were being smart. They. They did all their infrastructure under it, and then they paved over it. [00:18:09] Speaker D: So if you're going to do underground infrastructure, you got to wait to pave. [00:18:12] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah. And they. And they did that. Well, Tommy, thank you so much. I appreciate you allowing us to come here. [00:18:18] Speaker D: Yeah, it's my pleasure, Billy. [00:18:19] Speaker A: Thank you. We're here at ucdd, but we've had a couple of gentlemen come in here. They're not really affiliated with this organization. You have your own organization in Smith County? It's called Community Wellness Alliance. [00:18:33] Speaker E: Yes, sir. [00:18:33] Speaker A: Okay. Chris Dillon. Why don't you guys introduce yourself, tell them your titles. [00:18:38] Speaker E: Absolutely. My name is Chris Hodges. I'm the hybrid lifeliner for Region 3 North for the Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse with the Smith County Community Wellness Alliance. And it's kind of my job to help navigate treatment resources, recovery resources, or mental health resources for the counties that I cover. [00:19:00] Speaker A: Okay. [00:19:00] Speaker F: And my name is Dylan Johnson. I'm the lifeline coordinator for Region 3 North. I work out of Power of Putnam on West Broad street here in Cookeville. And it's funded through the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services. [00:19:12] Speaker A: Okay, well, while you got the mic, Dylan, why don't you just tell us what's your day look like when you're trying to go out there and do your job? What do you do? [00:19:20] Speaker F: Yeah, generally I can speak for me. And a lot of this will be the same for Chris since we're both lifeline coordinators. He's got a separate focus he can talk about a little bit in a second. But my day to day, the primary objective for my role is to connect individuals to treatment and connect them with treatment and recovery resources. So whenever I get a phone call, that's how my day starts. I look at my phone, see if I've had any missed calls in the night from individuals who are calling that Tennessee red line, the 1-800-help-line, or called my direct work cell trying to get into treatment. A lot of times that looks like detox, residential long term treatment, intensive outpatient or therapy or counseling, or they might just want to know a connection to a recovery support group like AA or NA and other other affiliated recovery support. So that's my first thing of the day is returning those calls and getting those people plugged into the treatment options that they're looking for. Beyond that, it's reducing stigma in the community. So we do a lot of community events up in Smith county and all across the Upper Cumberland. But our goal is to be out there in the community, have a public face to change people's minds if they have antiquated ideas about addiction or mental health. Try to be out there and show as an example of people with long term recovery who have turned that leaf and received the help we needed to get better so that we can do the same thing for other folks. So try to be out there and provide resources at a community level where someone knows who their person is in their town. [00:20:54] Speaker A: Okay, well, now, Chris, why don't you take the same question and just kind of add or embellish on that from your perspective? [00:21:01] Speaker E: Well, like Dylan said, it's going to look very similar. I do the exact same thing as Dylan does. But what my major focus on, my major focus is counties that have a, I guess, less resources under the poverty line as a whole throughout the population. The areas that I cover is Jackson, Clay and Smith counties. So Dillon covers several counties but the department did find like a need for like these specific counties that we see like a high frequency of calls and less resources and individuals that may need a little bit more help navigating the resources than other counties, a person to put over those so that there was more of attention given to them. So what my day would consist of is waking up in the morning, same as Dylan, seeing if I have any missed calls, going out into the communities, help navigate treatment resources, mental health resources, whatever that may look like, getting them plugged in, working with insurance to see where they can get plugged in at. A lot of my individuals in the counties that I cover are non insured individuals. So it would be, you know, finding grants for them to get into treatment, sober living, other resources, getting people signed up for TennCare to perhaps get them into a treatment resource. So that and also going out in the community. One thing that is really great about Lifeline is that we're all individuals with lived experience. So there's never going to be somebody that calls us that we can't meet on a very intimate level, a very personal level. You know, we've been there, we've done that, we've gotten to the other side of it. We have the lived experience. So we also. A big part of what we do is just, you know, if an individual's not ready for treatment, if they're not ready for sober living, it's just provide peer support, you know, have like a person that they can call that can kind of understand what they're going through and what they may be facing and give away our own personal experience, strength and hope to maybe help that individual find their own path to recovery. [00:23:08] Speaker A: Boy, that is a wonderful description. Both of you have given of really being there and helping people. That is wonderful. You mentioned earlier on that you guys are Region 3. What is Region 3? [00:23:24] Speaker E: It's the upper Cumberland. Dylan can name off the counties that he covers. [00:23:31] Speaker F: So actually let me pull up a list because they've just edited the border. There's one county, Fentress county, that is in a different region, but we cover Clay, Cumberland, DeKalb, Fentress, Jackson, Overton, Pickett, Putnam, Smith, Van Buren county and White County. So those are the counties that make up Region 3 North. And traditionally when we get calls, a lot of times it's just by region. So we still get a lot of calls just for the Upper Cumberland. And we know, we know what to do with those calls. [00:23:58] Speaker A: Well, you guys, you mentioned the red line and that's how majority of your calls come or do you also have local numbers that feed to you? [00:24:10] Speaker E: Family, community partners, local friends, some groups that we work with. I get a lot of my calls through just individuals that might be attending NA and AAA events, life recovery meetings. And then yes, the red line number does. See the red line number for everyone in Tennessee, 1-800-889-9789. What, what essentially happens is individual seeking treatment resources calls the redline number and they get you plugged into your local lifeliner. [00:24:46] Speaker A: Okay. And it's not what were you were going to add something. Let me let you do that before I ask the next question. [00:24:52] Speaker F: Gotcha. Yeah. So for that, like Chris is talking about the red line, which is the 24, 7, 365 confidential helpline that the state operates. The idea is someone calls them and they plug us in. We also have our direct number. So when I give out my phone number, I always give out the red line. That's the number you'll see on billboards in the Upper Cumberland. Is that 800-889-9789. But for my areas, I tell folks to call my cell phone number at 931-650-1375. And that's where the red line will go based off of what county the resident is calling looking for help in. [00:25:29] Speaker A: One last question. There are a lot of resources for people that are in high school and in schools. And once you get out, it kind of switches to a different group. You guys, it appears to me you work with both sets of individuals, like adults that are out of school and also with, with children or young people that are in school as well. Have I got a right concept of that? [00:25:57] Speaker E: Well, as long as they are seeking a treatment or mental health need like a resource, the prevention side of it is more the Community Wellness alliance side of the field. What me and Dylan would kind of fall into is anybody that is seeking to go to treatment, seeking some kind of resource, a meeting perhaps to go to sober living situation or just peer to peer support, we would help them with that. A lot of the younger individuals that I've personally helped has been more on the peer to peer side of it. [00:26:29] Speaker F: And along with that, the Prevention and the Community Wellness alliance in Smith county and there's a few others in the Upper Cumberland that do great work and they do really good about hitting the school age. Children started from kindergarten even all the way up to high school. And then a lot of times in the past it's felt like there's been a gap there after someone graduates high school before a few Years later, they end up calling a helpline for one of us to try to get into treatment. [00:26:56] Speaker A: Exactly. [00:26:56] Speaker F: It's that gap that has concerned a lot of folks. And so the state started a few new initiatives. Now there's young adult peer support specialists, and there's a focus on young adults who are over 18 but may not be in acute need of emergency treatment. When it comes to substance abuse, the goal is always prevention. For the community Wellness Alliance. If you can get. Get them set up with a. In a successful situation before that happens, that's great. We're there for if folks need treatment, and the Wellness alliance is there for prevention. But I'd like to see that continue with the state with the goal of focusing on young adults, because a lot of times it feels like, you know, well, you're 18, you're leaving home, you're leaving school, and hopefully you have all the tools in your toolbox that you need to stay. Okay. But I do know that that is a focus right now for the state is to wrap up those young adults who are over 18, but not necessarily to the extent of they need treatment. [00:27:54] Speaker A: Well, you know, you watch TV shows, and of course, you can't put a lot of credence in what you see on TV in TV shows, but you hear the term age out and somebody turns 18, and it's almost like everything cuts off. Well, evidently, that's not true here in the state of Tennessee. [00:28:11] Speaker E: And I would like to add that the great thing about Lifeline, hybrid Lifeline, what we do is we're never going. A lot of the times, the resources that you call, if that specific resource cannot help you, that's where the line ends. A lifeliner will always be there with you. You know, we're calling the treatment facilities, we're calling the resources. We are a constant point of contact that the individual seeking the resource can call back. You know, it. It takes out a lot of the stress, you know, because me and Dylan can spend our day calling treatment center, treatment center, you know, to treatment center, until we find one that somebody can get into. I know that a big part, a big part in all of it is transportation. If you're Smith, Jackson and Clay, if you fall in the region of, you know, the areas that I cover, we can provide transportation. We can get you there. So. So the beautiful thing about Lifeline is that we really are there every step of the way, helping the individual. [00:29:07] Speaker A: Right. [00:29:08] Speaker F: And I wanted to say about the. Many folks have said, talking about the aging out. Many folks have said that the opposite of addiction Isn't recovery. It's connection. And I think community has the biggest part to play in connection in general. So I think the best thing we can do is we work very hard to make sure that we have communities that have resources, have things to do that are fun, have beautiful places to go and visit, and have enough money to be able to function. That's what I think Upper Cumberland's community does well at. I think the idea is to make sure that folks feel like even when they turn 18, when they might be leaving home, they're not abandoning their community. They can still have a connection in their community. And I think a lot of times that's an individual perception thing. And I'm glad to see that all the community wellness alliance and everyone else is working to change that perspective. [00:29:56] Speaker A: Yeah. Because that is a problem. And it's scary when you get 18, and if you haven't had parents backing you up and a lot of other support, it's pretty scary. Well, gentlemen, thank you very much for being here. Really appreciate you coming by. [00:30:10] Speaker E: Absolutely. [00:30:11] Speaker A: And, folks, if you need any help, you can call the redline. Okay. It is great to be here. We get to meet a lot of wonderful people here at Cumberland Development District. And, Morgan, you're one of them. Tell you what. Tell them who you are in your official title. [00:30:28] Speaker G: I'm Morgan White. I'm the tourism recovery coordinator here at the Upper Cumberland Development District. I serve all 14 counties that we include in Upper Cumberland. [00:30:37] Speaker A: Okay. And tourism, a lot of folks may not realize how important that is, but it's important to every one of the counties around here. But it's important to Smith county, and. And I don't know if you got a little elevator speech, but why don't we hear that? [00:30:52] Speaker G: Sure. So tourism definitely is important in our region. Some of the obvious things that people think about is some of our lakes. You know, we think about Cordell Hole, and we think about Defeated Creek, just thinking about Smith County. But of course, we have center hill over into DeKalb, and we have Del Hollow up touching some of our northern counties. But it's a lot bigger than just Star Lakes. People travel into this area for golf in Crossville, that's a big thing. People are Also, you know, I 40 cuts right through. So that's a big deal for us. But we're also seeing a trend in people wanting to travel maybe more affordably, hit some things that they did growing up with their families that may look like smaller towns and camping. And of course, we have almost 11, about to be 12 state parks just in the Upper Cumberland. So there are a lot of reasons why people are coming to this area. And my job is to make sure that those things are well known. I spend a lot of time photographing them and videoing them, making those ready for digital media to be posted on social media, either by the individual tourism accounts for each county or regionally. So that's kind of my role in this, is making sure that these things are well known and that when people are planning their vacations, they know that the Upper Cumberland is a great, affordable, affordable option. [00:32:12] Speaker A: Well, yeah, and what I love about it, and I have had vacations in various places over my life, and the one thing that I notice here is you're not stuck in traffic as much as you are in almost every other place. And I think that's one thing that I love about living in this region. There's so much to do. People come specifically to Smith County. The Caney Fort river is a big draw. We have Defeated Creek Marina, which is the Cordell Hall Lake. And then we kind of have to claim it a little bit. Wildwood Resort and Granville, they're in Jackson county, which is a sister county to us, and they draw a lot of folks in. So we have a lot of people that are actually getting off of exit 258 and traveling to some of those places. And of course, we want them to know about that, I guess. Morgan, you help with grants and things of that nature to help improve the infrastructure as well, right? [00:33:14] Speaker G: Yes, I typically do grants that are more tourism focused with the state tourism department, like tourism enhancement grants, which can go towards all kinds of infrastructure projects. And then I also help with downtown improvement grants, which are typically facade improvements in downtowns as well as three star and three stars. Pretty broad. It can be anything from infrastructure to tourism to community development jobs, all kinds of things. So I help with those as well. But the reality is a lot of the grants have a tourism angle to them, in my opinion, so I definitely can help out in those areas. [00:33:49] Speaker A: Yeah, well, interesting caveat here. The Chamber of Commerce was formed before 1974, but in 1974, the Smith County Chamber of Commerce applied for the Three Star Grant. And we were one of the first counties to get that. As a matter of fact, I don't remember the name of the other county, but only one other county in the state of Tennessee beat us out. We were like number two to get a grant. And we have been able to gain three star coverage every year since then, all the way up until 2026. We just got our announcement. [00:34:25] Speaker G: We did. And I'm not surprised at all. Smith county is definitely a leader in Upper Cumberland, so that doesn't surprise me. And they got you. [00:34:32] Speaker A: Well, thank you for saying that. But it is wonderful. Three Star money really helps us. In fact, the depot that we have there in South Carthage, it probably would not be there if it wasn't for the generosity of people in Smith County. Two that come to mind. Mr. John Leftwish Sr. He made a sizable donation because he believed in what was going on there because he saw a future for tourism. You had companies like Rackley Roofing, they came in and did the roof. We raised money to move it. The county mayor then he saw the opportunity to really have tourism there and how it could tie into the Caney Fork and our railroad history, and we were able to move that depot there. That's the legacy that I think you and I and everybody that's been involved in the three Star will be able to look back on and say, hey, we really feel good about what happened with our three star money. And what I love about it is it's not a matching grant. They give you the money and they let you work with it 100%. Yeah. So anyway, Morgan, anything that you want to add or anything that you'd like to talk about here for the folks in Smith County? [00:35:51] Speaker G: No, I would just say make sure that you follow Upper Cumberland TN on social media. They share everything that's going on regionally. Billy Davis does an incredible job with that, with that. And they have a website, all kinds of good stuff. And I would say, you know, when you're bringing family and remind them that this is a good place. This is a good place to travel. People often come for the waterfalls or the rivers or the lakes and then are surprised when they enter into our downtowns and have really good places to eat, unique shops, a good coffee spot. So we really have everything that you could want when visiting Tennessee. So make sure to tell your families, tell your friends, and follow Upper Cumberland 10. [00:36:31] Speaker A: Well, and one thing, since you brought it up, on our main street there in Carthage, you've got Rockabilly Creek coffee. We're soon to have the Walton Hotel opening up, hopefully this summer. You've got M1 outdoors, you've got Holly, you've got Rogan, Raven, you got Rojas. And that's all right there. Just a little walking distance area, no bells, wonderful Italian food. So there's a lot of things, like you said, concentrated just in these little towns that people can go to and see and have a wonderful time. Well, Morgan, thank you. I appreciate what you do for us, and I look forward to working with you, of course. [00:37:12] Speaker G: Thanks, Bill. [00:37:13] Speaker A: Okay, we're still here at ucdd. And Mary, thank you for driving all the way to Cookeville to be on our show today. We enjoyed the drive and I'm sure you have a lot of stuff to talk about. And again, I think I've congratulated you about three times. But Mary is our director in the county, so we're really glad to have you and thank you for the job that you do. [00:37:35] Speaker H: Well, I'm glad to be here, Bill. We do have lots coming up with the new year. We're excited for our home and farm school that's coming up on January 20th. This is a free event. It's geared towards adults, but anybody is welcome to come. It'll be at Smith County Middle School. And we have different sessions on. For the FCS side, I'll let Will speak on the. The ag side if he'd like to. But for the FCS side, we have Chair Volleyball, Clutter Cure all bread baking 101, and gourmet grazing boards for the sessions. So 5:30, you'll pick one session topic and we'll have dinner that was provided by Citizens bank, which we're very grateful for, and then you'll go to another session. And then I also wanted to mention our upcoming chocolate extravaganza. So that's hosted by the FCE Clubs in Smith County. We're very proud to be a partner with them and work that they do in our community. We have seven around the Smith county and any welcome one's welcome to attend. They each kind of have their own personality, but they come together to do events like this. The chocolate extravaganza that's going to be on February 13th at the Smith County Chamber of Commerce. So go ahead and save that date. They're still finalizing which nonprofit they choose for half of the proceeds to go towards, but they always have great homemade chocolate. So that's a great gift for special someone. So we invite you to attend that day as well. [00:39:00] Speaker A: Yeah, and I do that every year. My little girl and my wife, they. They get one of those, and it is always, always good. [00:39:07] Speaker H: Yes. So we appreciate that. [00:39:09] Speaker A: All right. Anything else going on you want to mention? [00:39:11] Speaker H: I believe that's. That's about it. We have a busy year coming up, and I know that Will and Rachel have a lot coming up, too, so. [00:39:17] Speaker A: Okay. Well, Mary, thank you very much. Appreciate. Appreciate the job you guys do well thank you, Bill. [00:39:21] Speaker H: We appreciate you. [00:39:23] Speaker A: Okay, Will, tell them who you are and who you with. I think they probably already know, but go ahead. [00:39:27] Speaker I: Well, my name is Will Herbert. I am with Smith County UTSU Extension, and I am the Ag and Natural Resources Agent there. [00:39:37] Speaker A: Okay. And I know there's a lot of ag stuff going on in Smith County. Why, why don't you tell us about something? [00:39:42] Speaker I: Well, we try to keep ag rolling there in Smith County. Right now we've got a master farm manager course starting up. It'll start January 27, so it's right around the bend. And we'll kind of COVID farm transition planning, farm taxes, kind of the things that you need to know to be a farm manager. So It'll go from January 27th to February 10th on Tuesdays and Thursdays starting at 5:00 o', clock, going to 7. So make sure to call our office to ask for more information on that. The cost will be 120, $25. But if you're interested or want more information, please make sure to call us. [00:40:17] Speaker A: Well, in the name of this program, Farm Manager makes it sound like it's somebody that's looking for a job, but it's for people that own a farm and want to know how to manage their own farm as well, right? [00:40:27] Speaker I: Absolutely, Bill. I'm glad you mentioned that. Yes, it goes pretty good into detail as far as what you need to know, the documents that you need to do, farm taxes, as well as complete the form for farm transition planning going on to the next generation. And that kind of leads me to the next thing that's going on. We have a farmland legacy program that's going to be starting March 3rd. It'll be March 3rd and March 5th. Just those two days. That's a Tuesday and Thursday. So if you're interested in that as far as farm transition planning or estate planning, make sure to call our office and we can get you signed up and give you the information you need on that. [00:41:04] Speaker A: Well, that's interesting that you would mention that. Can you go a little more in depth on farm legacy planning? Because I know there's a lot of acres out there that families are sitting on and they have children and what are you going to give us the elevator speech on legacy farm? [00:41:22] Speaker I: I sure can. As far as we all know that farmland as a whole is decreasing over time. It seems like more and more houses are growing by the day. And a lot of those farmers out there want to make sure that what they're doing to preserve their farm, what they're doing is correct. And what they're doing is right. So what we're trying to do is put the information and the education out there for those farmers that want to preserve their farms, to be able to do that. And so whatever that looks like to you, whatever you might need, however small your farm is, however large your farm is, we want to make sure that you have the information, education that you need to get that. So make sure to call our office and we can get that for you. But that's okay. [00:42:13] Speaker A: Well, the state of Tennessee or the universe or somebody decided a farm is what, 16 acres or more? Is that sort of the guideline? [00:42:22] Speaker I: That's sort of the guideline, but you look at it more if it goes up above 30 acres. If you're going over 30 acres, you're getting into the bigger farms. But yes, 15 acres or more is the guideline on that. [00:42:33] Speaker A: Okay, well, if you were picking out the perfect farm, and I'm going to put you on the spot here, 30 acres, how much would be pasture, how much would be feedlot, how much would be crops, how much would be, you know, do you have that in your head? And I'll let you come back next time and tell us that if you, you. If you want to. [00:42:52] Speaker I: Well, I can give you my best, best thought right on the spot, because Bill loves to do that to me. But I'd say with 30 acres, I would probably do about 10 pasture and then feel for grazing, but also baling, probably do. I would break those 10 acres into probably four different paddocks. So you'd break that off into four quarters and rotate those cattle through as they graze and then bale what you can, when you can. For the. The rest of the space, you're looking at space for barns and farm equipment, a house. If you're living on the farm as well, then if you're wanting any other livestock, you're looking into pretty much that same thing. But if you're wanting to get into row crop with corn and soybean, which is very popular in Smith county, we need to make sure that we have space for that. And the more the better for row crops. So I'd say If we have 10 there, and then let's say we have 5 acres, so that makes 15, and we make 15 for the row crops. [00:44:08] Speaker A: Okay, well, would you have any forest or tree elements involved in that? [00:44:14] Speaker I: If you have timber on your land, you want to make sure that you preserve that and you're managing it in the right way. If you have it, I'd say you keep it if you don't have it, then you don't have it. And you make the most for what you have on your land. But if you have the timber, I'd say keep it. And there's ways to manage your timber. And went out to a guy the other day, and we kind of went through his woods on what trees to cut and what to keep. So that's something that I do. And if that's something that you're interested in, I can always come out to you. And we can. We can do stuff like that. We can go through the woods and figure out what to cut and what not to cut. [00:44:52] Speaker A: Well, I'd love to take you up on that. Well, thank you very much for coming by. I think that's very informative. How do they get in touch with you? [00:44:59] Speaker I: Yes, sir. So at the UTTSU Smith County Extension extension, you can call us at 615-735-2900. And our email is on our website and make sure to contact us. And we have many ways to get in touch with us. So just make sure that you do that because we have a lot of stuff that we can give to you, such as the programs that we discussed. [00:45:22] Speaker A: Well, thank you. Will you and Mary and Rachel all do a lot for the county. We really appreciate what you guys do. [00:45:27] Speaker I: Thank you, Bill. [00:45:28] Speaker A: We are all. It's always a pleasure. We're always happy to have you come by. Rachel, tell them who you are, who you with. [00:45:34] Speaker J: My name is Rachel Petty. I am one of the four H agents at the UTSU extension office in Smith County. [00:45:39] Speaker A: Okay. And I know you got stuff going on. Tell them about. [00:45:42] Speaker J: Yes. So this is a busy time of year in 4H. I feel like I can say that kind of anytime that I'm here on the chamber show. We have lots going on all the time. But spring especially, we're getting ready to go back into the classroom. So our in school 4h clubs are what people think of when they think of 4H. So we meet all the four through sixth graders, most of the seventh and eighth graders in public school in Smith County. And we also have a really active homeschool group. So students are turning in their 4H posters this month, so probably working on them at home, hopefully. And that is sort of like an advertisement for 4H. We kind of tell them that's like a billboard, you know, 4H is cool. And a snowman or some kind of catchy slogan, something visually appealing. And those visual communication skills are really important. A lot of of the projects in the spring that we work on in 4H are reinforcing those visual communication skills. We also think about public speaking. When we think of 4H, that's the big one that people remember having to give a 4H speech in their classroom. But we also work on that visual communication. So posters being able to communicate an idea. And a couple years ago, they changed the rules of the contest so kids can do that traditional 4H poster on poster board with markers or crayons or construction boards, paper, whatever art supplies they have, or they can create a digital 4H poster. So as we're moving more into the digital world, kids have Chromebooks in their classrooms in school. So we're allowing them kind of a different medium to also strengthen that same skill. So that's. We've had a lot of increased participation since we have offered that digital option for the posters. [00:47:13] Speaker A: Okay. And I know I ask you this every time, but it's in case somebody doesn't know out there, what age range are you generally working with? [00:47:20] Speaker J: Yes. So generally 4th through 12th grade or kind of 9 to 19 is how we think of it. But 4H starts in the 4th grade, and then we have programs all the way up until students are seniors in high school. And I know at several local colleges. So there's a chapter at Tennessee Tech, there's a chapter at UT Knoxville that have collegiate 4H and FFA groups as well. So even when students graduate high school, they can kind of find their people and continue to do 4H and FFA work in college as well. And then we have summer interns that come back sometimes that were former 4H'ers, to work in our office. And maybe some of those 4H'ers grow up to be 4H agents themselves. So it really can be a continuing cycle. But our Traditional programming is 4th through 12th grade. [00:48:02] Speaker A: Okay. Well, when you're in school, you have guidance basically to say, here's 4H if you want to be involved. If you're a homeschooler, how do you get involved? [00:48:11] Speaker J: So you can call our office for those dates and information. I feel like there are quite a few homes, homeschool co op groups. Those families all kind of seem to know each other. They're doing other things together. There's a really strong homeschool network in Smith county, and I'm sure in the Upper Cumberland as well. I know a lot of our four hers that, that we encounter at some of those regional events are our homeschool4hers. They're sometimes the ones that really get plugged in and do 4H to the fullest, which we love to see. But you can always call our office for that calendar of Homeschool 4H meetings. But we do meet once a month. It's typically the last Tuesday of the month at 10am at the Smith County AgCenter. And it is open to all homeschool families. Again, that 4th through 12th grade age range is who we're targeting in 4H, but we have lots of younger siblings that attend those meetings as well. Kind of hang out in the back and participate as future 4H'ers sometimes. [00:49:01] Speaker A: Okay. And of course, Rachel, you went through the 4H program in Smith county, right? [00:49:05] Speaker C: I did. [00:49:06] Speaker J: I did. I was active in the public speaking project and looking back of wish that I had taken more advantage of it. There's just so much that kids can do beyond just what they do in the classroom. So those contests, we think of the poster contest, the photo contest, giving speeches. But then we have so many after school judging teams as well. So those are getting started in the spring, too. We're making preparations for our archery group. That's one of the largest after school events that we offer. Projects sometimes. We've had up to 60 kids participate in archery, so that's a big group. We're getting ready for livestock and meat judging, horse judging, and then wildlife judging later in the spring. So lots of after school activities. You can call our office to get more information in the practice calendars for those as well. [00:49:50] Speaker A: Well, give them that number again. [00:49:51] Speaker J: It's going to be 615-735-2900. [00:49:55] Speaker A: Okay. Well, Rachel, thank you for coming by, and you guys are doing a wonderful job. [00:49:59] Speaker J: Thank you, Bill. [00:50:01] Speaker A: Well, UCDD is full of sharp, intelligent people. And here is another one of them. [00:50:07] Speaker C: Well, thank you. [00:50:07] Speaker A: Thank you, Miss Kelly. Here. Well, why don't you introduce yourself and tell them your title? [00:50:13] Speaker C: Yeah. So my name is Kelly Sullivan. I am the director of the Small Business Development center here for the Upper Cumberland. [00:50:19] Speaker A: Okay. And to me, that is a very important group of people. Let's do a little history about how you're connected and stuff. Our executive vice president, Mr. Patrick Geo, is also affiliated with TSBDC and he works out of MTSU. I think you're affiliated here somewhat with tech. You want to explain that? [00:50:42] Speaker C: Yeah, sure. I have lots of bosses. We'll say that. So the Small Business Development center has been sanctioned from the Small Business Administration by Congress to make sure that there is affordable and no cost help for all entrepreneurs across the United States. And so there's 62 lead centers which basically means the lead for the state, ours is at MTSU, which is what Mr. Pat is over. And so then they talk with universities across the state to make sure that we get help throughout. And so Tennessee Tech has the contract. And then Upper Cumberland Development District partners with Tennessee Tech to offer this service to our 14 counties. [00:51:28] Speaker A: Okay. And of course you concentrate well. Do you cover the 14 counties? [00:51:33] Speaker C: We cover the 14 counties. [00:51:34] Speaker A: Okay. So small Smith is one of those. [00:51:37] Speaker C: It is. You are correct. So it's a little different in that because we're with the development district, we cover a few more counties, four more counties than any of the other centers. [00:51:46] Speaker A: Well, a few years ago there was a point at which we were handled out of Gallatin. [00:51:52] Speaker C: Gallatin. [00:51:53] Speaker A: Yeah, Gallatin. And then it moved back to Putnam County. And it's been back and forth over the last 15 years. But I'd say for the last eight or nine years we've been caught up with this end. [00:52:05] Speaker C: UCDD or Upper Cumberland Development District has been involved with SBDC for four years. So this is going on the fifth year for 2026. [00:52:13] Speaker A: Okay. And it seems to be a good marriage and it works. Good. And of course, obviously working out of this office, I would think that would make things a lot easier for you. [00:52:21] Speaker C: It is. We're a little different in that we do a lot of the economic development side of things. We're also a little different center than others across the state because we partner with Tennessee Tech for an internship program. And with that internship program, we're able to offer no cost services to local businesses. So whether that's marketing help, whether that's social media, audits to see where they're at, whether that's building them a simple website, you know, if you're getting up and started in a business, you don't have a lot of upfront cash to start your business with. And so this helps kind of ease that burden when you're getting started or even if you're in growth phase and you need some extra capital. We can use these interns and their knowledge that they're gaining through Tennessee Tech to kind of grow the business. [00:53:16] Speaker A: Okay. And I know we have gotten several people sent them your name and of course you've been very gracious and help helped everyone that I've sent. But if somebody is out there and they're thinking they've got an idea and they think it's a business, it'd be wise for them to contact you, wouldn't it? [00:53:35] Speaker C: It would be absolutely wise. So what we do at the small Business development center is help in all areas of the business, from A to Z. So whether you're in just that idea phase of maybe I want to open a food truck, or maybe I want to open a clothing store, a boutique, we go from the idea phase to the I need capital or finance and funding, which is my background. I was a lender and banker for over 16 years. So I help people find money because I know what they're looking for. So whether they're in that phase, whether they are an existing business that's been open for 20 years, and maybe they don't have a retirement plan, maybe they don't know who's going to take over the business because nobody in their family wants it. We help on succession plans, and we help when you're ready to sell your business, too. Something that we're kind of coming across is those that are wanting to sell their business, they've been coasting the last couple of years with the business instead of ramping up sales, which is the most bang for your buck. So it's coaching through strategies like that. So if anybody's in the idea phase, growth phase, I'm ready to get out of business phase. We can help in all areas. [00:54:48] Speaker A: Okay. And you do analysis of what they're doing, and you can tell them hopefully, what direction they need to go, depending on what they want to do. [00:54:57] Speaker C: Yeah. So as a business, I'm also a business owner myself. So sometimes when we're in our business, we don't see the holes that are there. And so having somebody come in that's not connected to your business, has no judgment by any means, can come in and look at your books, look at your practices and say, maybe if you tweaked this, maybe if you added a manager's meeting, maybe if you, you know, we added a Facebook page for your business, it would help. So it's an outside look. And we, Sarah and I. So Sarah Birdwell is my other business specialist in the office, and we like to say we're your biggest cheerleader. We're never going to tell you no, but we're gonna help you to find if that's the right answer or not. [00:55:42] Speaker A: Right, Right. [00:55:43] Speaker C: So we're your biggest cheerleader. Whether that's. You may not like the answer we give you, but it's just helping you to hopefully be successful. [00:55:52] Speaker A: Well, that is a wonderful thing that you do, and it's very necessary because a lot of people out there, they got a great idea, but they don't really have the resource to be able to get through what they need to. So you can help them with the beginning accounting, the setup, business plan, licenses, all of that. [00:56:10] Speaker C: We do. We have got a step, a sheet That's a step 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, which doesn't fit every business model, but it's a start. It's somewhere to look at and start well. [00:56:22] Speaker A: And I probably need to emphasize this. You don't do it for them. [00:56:26] Speaker C: Absolutely. [00:56:27] Speaker A: But you help them do it for themselves. [00:56:29] Speaker G: Correct? [00:56:29] Speaker C: Correct. [00:56:30] Speaker A: Yeah. And that is a. The old adage, it's better to teach a person to fish than it is to give them a fish. [00:56:37] Speaker C: Yes, I agree. It's one of those where we get a little blunt and say, if you're not willing to do a business plan, you don't need to have a business. We want you to be able to do the work, research the market, who is your competitor, Maybe your market's saturated. So we just talk through things like that. [00:56:55] Speaker A: It's funny. I'll segue back. Years ago, I was in the mining industry and I traveled a lot, and for some reason I was in Southern California. And this young lady, we were having a conversation with these folks and she mentioned this idea that she had for a daycare set up, and it was brilliant. It was brilliant. And I said, well, you need to do. And I started naming the things. She said, well, that would take a lot of work. And I went, well, yeah, you know, And a lot of people don't realize that part of it. It takes a lot of work. [00:57:28] Speaker C: And childcare, of all things. [00:57:29] Speaker A: Things. [00:57:30] Speaker C: It takes time. [00:57:31] Speaker E: Takes a lot of time. [00:57:32] Speaker A: But her idea was brilliant. And I don't know if she ever did it or not, but there's a lot of people out there that have great ideas, but you got to put legs and sweat equity into that to make it work. [00:57:43] Speaker C: You do. But it's more rewarding that way. If somebody else does all the work for you, it's not rewarding. Whenever you hit that success, whatever success looks like to you. [00:57:54] Speaker A: Exactly. When you do it yourself, you can stand back and look. It's like one of my cousins used to say, he said, I love mowing with my tractor and my bush hog because I can look back and see what I mean. [00:58:08] Speaker J: That's right. I love that. [00:58:09] Speaker C: I love that analogy. [00:58:10] Speaker A: So there's a lot to that. Well, Kelly, thank you very much. I appreciate you coming by and how well they can contact us, but tell them how people can get in touch. [00:58:22] Speaker C: Yeah. So you can always call Upper Cumberland Development District and they will get you to us. Or you can shoot me email. Actually, you could go to tsbdc.org and that will take you to the center to get registered and get started. [00:58:36] Speaker A: Okay. Well, Kelly, thank you for stopping by. [00:58:38] Speaker C: Thank you. [00:58:40] Speaker A: Okay. We hope you enjoyed our show this month. We've got a few things to announce, really. January 24th, the Rotary is doing their cornhole tournament. And the proceeds from that goes to support the Imagination Library. And if you wanted to make a donation, Imagination Library, you could. And what that program does is it helps children in Smith county from birth to the time that they start kindergarten. It sends a book to their house where they can start reading early. And it's a really good program. So think about donating to that Smith County Imagination Library. And if you want more information on that, just call us at the chamber, 615-735-2093. Otherwise, we're glad you watched the show and we hope you have a wonderful rest of the January and February and we'll see you on the next program.