New Chamber chairman Norm Brown, President Paul Latture and outgoing chairman Blake Smith
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Opening a new visitors center, improved marketing and economic development targeting corporate offices and research development were among the goals cited by the new Rutherford County Chamber of Commerce chairman Friday night.
Norm Brown, accepting the chairman’s gavel from incumbent Blake Smith, listed those goals for the year at the chamber’s annual Business at Its Best banquet Friday night at Embassy Suites before a crowd of 650.
The event also honored the winners of the chamber’s annual awards, including:
• Rob Lyons, Murfreesboro city manager, who received the Leadership Rutherford Pinnacle Award for his leadership efforts in emergency response to last spring’s tornado.
• Allen Jackson, pastor at World Outreach Church, who was named Business Person of the Year after seeing his congregation grow from 130 members to more than 6,000.
• Bob Spivey, former Smyrna mayor and longtime businessman, as Business Legend for his efforts in business and government.
• Kim Kersey who was recognized as chamber Diplomat of the Year.
Brown listed opening of the 32,000-square-foot chamber offices and visitors’ center on Medical Center Parkway, marketing including a new Web site and logo, increased interaction with governmental agencies and economic development as his top goals for the coming year.
Blake pointed to start of construction of the visitors’ center as one of his term’s accomplishments, noting it would become the newest landmark on Medical Center Parkway.
Lauding chamber president Paul Latture and economic development vice president Holly Sears Weber as “the two best economic development professionals in Tennessee,” Smith cited location of ClaimTrust headquarters here, the Nissan expansion for its EV battery plant representing more than $1 billion in investment and more than 1,000 news jobs, a Veterans Administration call center and Wei Chuan’s coming food-processing plant as major economic developments in the past year.
He also cited successful efforts to retain the TSSAA Spring Fling and the recruitment of a national youth soccer tournament that is expected to attract three times the number of visitors of Spring Fling.
Jackson thanked the chamber of recognizing a church in receiving his award, and noted “2009 was a perfect year to celebrate a non-profit.”
Many members of the community in a video presentation lauded business Legend Spivey, who retired last year as Smyrna mayor due to health issues.
In addition to his successes in numerous business endeavors, Spivey’s service as mayor was cited frequently.
He noted he tried to “listen to the taxpayers and run town like a business,” with the result that taxes were cut twice during his tenure.
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