385 Magazine

AnIncredible BirthingExperience

ForAlexiaDukesofCookeville,havingboth ofherchildrenatCookevilleRegionalhas beenan“incredible”experience,andshe creditsalotofthattotheexperiencedstaff.

“Theycameinandknewexactlywhattheyneededtodoandwerecomforting,” saidDukes.“ThenursesmademefeellikeIhadknownthemforyearsandthatthey weretheretohelpmeandtomakemyexperienceincrediblethere.” Dukesadded thatbecauseCRMCoffersstate-of-the-artbirthingservicesandprocedures,alongwiththe convenienceofbeingsoclosetohome,shewouldn’tthinkofgoinganywhereelse.

READALEXIA’SFULLSTORYINTHISISSUE

Staff St f f

Editor

Lindsay Pride

lindsay.pride@herald-citizen.com

Publisher

Joyce Taylor

Graphic Designer

Carrie Pettit

Contributors

Megan Reagan

Jim Herrin

Lindsay Pride

Advertising

Roger Wells

Stephanie Garrett

Austin Cherry

Ad Composition

Becky Watkins

Accounting

Lori Colson

Circulation & Distribution

Pat Long

385 Magazine is a publication of and distributed quarterly by the Herald-Citizen, a division of Paxton Media Group. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or stored for retrieval by any means without written consent from the publisher. 385 Magazine is not responsible for unsolicited materials and the publisher accepts no responsibility for the contents or accuracy of claims in any advertisement in any issue. 385 Magazine is not responsible for errors, omissions or changes in information. The opinions of contributing writers do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the magazine and its publisher.

Our mission is to promote the 385 ZIP code areas of the Upper Cumberland and to showcase their many attributes. We welcome ideas and suggestions for future editions at 385Magazine@herald-citizen.com

© 2023 Herald-Citizen

385 Magazine

P.O. Box 2729

Cookeville, TN 38502

931.526.9715

Email: 385Magazine@herald-citizen.com

Who doesn't love being able to sit outside and enjoy good food and drinks with their friends and family? This special edition of 385 magazine features a longtime popular business that just reopened in downtown Cookeville with expanded seating indoors and out as well as a new pizzeria and wine bar with a rooftop deck on the growing west side of the city. We also remember the 19 people who lost their lives in the most devastating tornado to ever hit Putnam County in a story about the new Tree of Hope in Cookeville's Dogwood Park, and in our regular column, "Why I Love .." we feature public relations expert and business owner Hannah Davis.

We appreciate your support in the success of this quarterly magazine that has been produced by the Herald-Citizen for the past seven years.

Thanks for reading.

Lindsay Pride, Editor

Bobby Q's pitmaster Jonathan Savage with new general manager Lee Gann. Photo by Lindsay Pride

8 A Place for Everyone

Fire and Vine will be a place for everyone, according to Chad Combs, co-owner of the restaurant.

14 WCTE Dinner

WCTE public television held its annual dinner Thursday, March 30.

15 Bobby Q's is open

'A Tennessee tradition since 1985', is now open for business, (again).

18• 20•

22• 'Tree of Hope' honors tornado victims Calendar of Events

Why I Love... CRMC public relations professional Hannah Davis tells why she loves Cookeville.

Fire an A plac c

By MEGAN REAGAN HERALD-CITIZEN

Chad Combs, World Food Competition winner, renowned chef and owner-operator of The Putnam Room is partnering with Barry Reese to bring a new culinary experience to Cookeville’s West Side.

Fire and Vine, with an expected late spring or early summer opening, is a concept the two business partners had been discussing for sometime.

Reese said Combs had developed a good relationship with the community and “cooks the best food in the region.”

“It was a no-brainer for us to get to work on this,” he said.

Fire and Vine, according to Combs, will be a place for everyone — but there is something different about the gathering place they say they hope to foster.

The restaurant is anticipated to be a trendy wood-fired pizzeria with wine and a full-service rooftop bar.

“We really want to provide something nice for the people,” Reese said. “We want to provide something where the family can come in after Tuesday night’s ball game and get a bite to eat or if you want to make an evening of it with a 2-hour meal service, we can do that too.”

Combs said everyone knows and loves pizza, but the restaurant will have a much larger menu with more offer-

co-owner Chad Combs enjoys the view from his new rooftop bar at Fire & Vine at 115 W. 1st St. in Cookeville.

Fire & Vine

d Vine: ce for everyone

ings.

“As Cookeville grows, we like our wine,” he said. “Pizza and wine has not only been a trend for the last few years, but they really do go well together.”

Combs said his whole motivation with this concept is that Cookeville does not have anything like that.

“You have your places for pizza and beer, and wine and cheese,” he said. “But we don’t have those two.”

Reese said while there are several places that offer pizza in Cookeville, they don’t believe there is a place where people can gravitate toward specifically for pizza offerings.

“You know, there’s more than regular handtossed crust,” Reese said. “There’s more than just pepperoni and Bud Light. But pizza is generally the universal hangout food. We want to be the place that people gravitate toward to hangout for a bite to eat or a few drinks.”

Combs said there will be multiple ovens run at different temperatures for the various styles of pizza.

The wine service has a unique twist, too. Self-service is something people are beginning to see in all facets of the service industry, and appar-

ently self-service wine kiosks will be a part of the uniqueness of Fire and Vine.

Combs said this will allow wine drinkers to have affordable tastings without having to buy a full glass or bottle and will give guests a chance to explore things they wouldn’t normally try.

“It’s definitely an experience,” he said. “Each time you try something you haven’t, you learn more about it and it gives you a better repertoire of knowledge to be able to pick out something you like. Wine is like pizza. Everyone has their personal favorite, but in order to make a better decision, you have to know what’s out there.”

Reese said he is excited about creating a space for everyone.

“The experience of going out to eat, you want the experience you can have at a price you can afford, and that is going to happen,” he said. “The ambiance, the staff … everything is going to be at a level Cookeville has never seen before.”

Fire and Vine is located at 115 W. 1st St., Cookeville. Combs and Reese are expecting a mid- to lateMay opening date.

Fire & Vine co-owner Chad Combs in front of the new restaurant at 115 W. 1st St. in Cookeville, across the street from Red Silo.

Cookeville Regional Announces Return of In-Person Birthing Classe s

Our birthing education for expectant parents is taught by our experienced team of OB nurses and is offered as a one-day workshop with two options available to accommodate all feeding methods.

Topics covered during the class include:

• What to expect at CRMC for you, your family and your newborn

• Pain management options

• Types of deliveries

• Postpartum care

• Newborn care, with hands-on swaddle bathing demonstrations

• Breastfeeding

• A tour of the labor and postpartum rooms, operating room suites and nursery

You want a healthy pregnancy and a healthy baby, and that’s our goal, too. That’s why the CRMC Birthing Center is excited to once again be able to offer in-person birthing classes.

Options include a full day, from 9 a.m.-3 p.m., with an hour break for lunch and all topics covered, for a cost of $75, or a half day, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., covering all topics except breastfeeding, for $50.

Big brothers- and sisters-to-be are welcome to join you for the class. Simply comment upon registration that another child (note their age) will be attending so we can be prepared with a big brother/big sister swag bag and craft.

At the CRMC Birthing Center, our experienced team of obstetricians, midwives and nurses are here to support you and your baby throughout your pregnancy. The Birthing Center meets

the needs of all expectant parents, including those who wish to have natural childbirth in a home-like setting with the security of knowing that state-of-the-art equipment is close by in the event of an emergency.

All of the rooms in the Birthing Center are private to maximize parents’ time bonding with their newborn, and infants remain with their mothers throughout their stay unless they require special care. For those infants, CRMC offers care in their nursery area, which is in close proximity to the pediatrician staff and is outfitted with state-of-the-art equipment. Lactation services are available to new mothers, as well.

For more information about the birthing specialists and services available at Cookeville Regional, visit crmchealth.org/services/childbirth

To register for a birthing class, visit, crmchealth.org/prenatalclass

Why Go Anywhere Else? –

Alexia and Ben Dukes admire their newborn daughter, Grayson.

CRMC Offers Skilled Labor and Delivery Services with a Personal Touch.

or expectant mothers in Cookeville and the surrounding areas, Cookeville Regional Medical Center is a top choice for labor and delivery. Recently, Cookeville resident Alexia Dukes gave birth to her second child, daughter Grayson, at CRMC and had a wonderful experience.

“My labor with her was a whirlwind,” said Dukes. “It came in fast, I was overwhelmed, and I think my husband was a little overwhelmed, too.”

She chose CRMC for this birth because of how well they cared for her when she was giving birth to her first child, son Carson, at the hospital.

“We do have other options nearby, but I think the great experience I had with birthing my son just led us right back,” said Dukes. “We wouldn’t choose any other hospital.”

The care she received when delivering her second child at the CRMC Birthing Center further affirmed her choice.

“The nurses and staff knew exactly what they needed to do and were comforting,” said Dukes. “I just remember some of the nurses speaking to me and making me feel like I had known them for years and that they were there to help me and to make me comfortable and make my experience there incredible.”

And, even though Cookeville is a relatively small town, CRMC provides a high standard of care for labor and delivery, as well many other medical needs.

For more information about the Birthing Center at Cookeville Regional, call (931) 528-2541 or visit www.crmchealth.org

“It has been incredible to drive 10 minutes to get to Cookeville Regional Medical Center and have all the care we need with labor and delivery or any other medical care we might need,” said Dukes. “Why would we go anywhere else?”

Alexia Dukes, left, carries newborn daughter Grayson while her husband, Ben, swings their son, Carson, at Cane Creek Park.

WCTE Public Television dinner

See

more photos from the event on Page 22

WCTE staff Patti Cloud, left, Tiff any McDonald and Kathryn Howell greet attendees at WCTE's annual dinner.

WCTE public television held its annual dinner Thursday, March 30, at the Saltbox Inn in Cookeville.

WCTE President and CEO Avery Hutchins, left, presents the Joe Albrecht Award in recognition of Ottis Phillips. The Joe Albrecht Award is an annual honor given to those who have a strong record of giving back to their community without expecting anything in return. Accepting the award are Phillips' sons, Parker Phillips and Hunter Phillips; and Phillips' daughter Kristie Phillips.

By LINDSAY PRIDE HERALD-CITIZEN

When Bobby Q's owner Mike Migliore announced he was closing his doors in 2021, one of the servers called NewsChannel 5 and asked them to do a story on the longtime popular BBQ restaurant.

"So when the guy was there, none of the girls, not one employee wanted to be on the news," said Winchester native Lee Gann, who was the pitmaster at the time. "They asked if there was any way I would do an interview. I'm a terrible public speaker, but I talked to him, and maybe the third

or fourth question in, I started bawling. I could not stop crying. It was so embarrassing."

Gann, who'd only been living in the Cookeville area for the past six years, said she became known as the "Bobby Q's girl who was crying on the news," and her crying in the television news story caught the attention of Michael King, who owns Monell's restaurant in Nashville.

"He thought about a business

Open for for Business

Bobby Q's pitmaster Jonathan Savage opens the door to the smoker to prepare meat for the restaurant's grand reopening.

Bobby Q's general manager Lee Gann with longtime Bobby Q's owner Mike Migliore and new owner Michael King, who also owns Monell's in Nashville.

Steam rises from baked beans and potato salad at a special preview event for the reopening of Bobby Q's.

open for 35 years, that was a huge thing to be open that long," Gann said. "He came down the next day after seeing the news. He told Mike he would buy the business if I would stay. He told me, 'I have to have you on board.'"

Gann had been the pitmaster, the person who smokes all the meat, at Bobby Q's for the past three years, but she first started working there as a dishwasher in 2017.

"When I came here, I'd probably been here two weeks," she said. "I saw an ad on Indeed for Bobby Q's, and Mike (Migliore) just happened to be at a booth when I walked in."

Bobby Q's, which Migliore purchased in 1985, moved from Washington Avenue to its current location in 2013 to what was the Made with Love Cafe at 428 E. Broad St. in 2013.

Gann, a single mother who had previous experience working at George Dickel and Speedway cafes,

had spent the past year being a caregiver to her own mother before she passed away.

"I had no clue what I was going to do with myself," she said. "They saved me here. I was really considering going back home."

When the previous Bobby Q's pitmaster left a note on the white board one day that said, "Good luck with your turkeys," Migliore asked Gann if she wanted the job.

"I was so scared," she said. "You lift hundreds of pounds of meat, and you took it up and down stairs, outside. I said, 'I'm not sure. I'm not confident I can pull this off. That's the most important job in the building.' He said, 'Lee, I have all the faith in the world in you. You can do this.'"

Now, at the restaurant where she started working as a dishwasher six years ago, Gann is the general manager of Bobby Q's, which reopened this month after a year

STAND UP AND SAVE THESE MOM AND POP OPERATIONS. WITHOUT THEM, WE LOSE THE FABRIC AND HISTORY OF SMALL TOWNS.

Michael King Owner of Monell's Restaurant, Nashville

A family walks by the renovated Bobby Q's restaurant, which reopened at 428 E. Broad St. in Cookeville.

of renovations with seating for 70 inside, plus additional seating outside on a new, covered deck.

"I'm proud of what we're doing now," Gann said. "It's a collaboration of me and Jonathan (Savage, the new pitmaster). He's worked for Bobby Cuties and Martin's BBQ. He has a license to sell and bottle his own BBQ sauce."

Gann said the renovated restaurant is a marriage of the two businesses — Bobby Q's and Monell's.

"I think everybody is going to be very surprised on how this is going to be run, cafeteria style," she said.

"You step up to the counter. The meats are different prices for the plates. The hot sides are in front of you. You watch them plate them. It's an open kitchen. They hand the meat through. Your longest wait time is going to be you paying the cashier."

Several people who previously worked at Bobby Q's are on the new team under Gann's management.

"Our staff knows our recipes," she said. "At least four of us know the Bobby Q's recipes."

King and Gann brought Bobby Q's banana pudding to the banana pudding festival earlier this month at the Putnam County Fairgrounds.

"I am blessed. I am grateful. I am excited. I'm proud to be involved with this amazing community and restaurant scene," King said.

Bobby Q's at 428 E. Broad St. in Cookeville is open 8 to 10:30 a.m. Sunday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday for breakfast; and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday through Friday and 1 to 8 p.m. Saturday for lunch and dinner.

"Stand up and save these mom and pop operations," King said. "Without them, we lose the fabric and history of small towns."

Bobby Q's catfish and hushpuppies were featured at a special preview event.

Bobby Q's general manager Lee Gann and employee Cassie Kerr prepare the restaurant's signature banana pudding.

Jenny Hanger, sister of Bobby Q's general manager Lee Gann, enjoys the food at a special preview of the reopening of Bobby Q's, with Heather Davis of Tullahoma.

Community dedicates 'Tree of Hope' honoring tornado victims

Artist Brad Sells talks about the process of sculpting the newly dedicated Tree of Hope at Dogwood Park.

Thenames are forever burned into our collective memory, but as a ceremony dedicating a "Tree of Hope" sculpture at Dogwood Park was concluding on an April afternoon, those names were recalled once again: Jamie Smith, Josh Kimberlin, Erin Kimberlin, Sawyer

By JIM HERRIN HERALD-CITIZEN

Kimberlin, Patricia Lane, Stephanie Field, Harlan Marsh, Todd Koehler, Sue Koehler, Jessica Clark, Keith Selby, Cathy Selby, Leisha Rittenberry, Robert Dickson, Terry Curtis, Dawson Curtis, Bridgett McCormick, Amanda Cole and Hattie Collins — 19 lives cut tragically short when a tornado ripped through the community on an early morning in March, three years ago.

bell as Tyler Mitchell of Leadership Putnam reads off the names of those lost in the March 2020 tornado.

The sculpture that sits on the southside of the park, just off Broad Street, was the idea of the Leadership Putnam class of 2022.

"This is both a solemn and a celebratory occasion," said Cookeville Leisure Services Director Rick Woods. "We gather here today to remember those individuals and families affected by the storm of 2020, and we also celebrate the creation of a unique piece of art in our downtown public park."

Artist Brad Sells did the design and David Fricke did the bronzing and casting.

"The process of taking a sculpture made out of found objects and turning it into bronze is very complex," Sells said.

"You've got 120 different pieces to put together like a puzzle."

Each of those pieces, he said, has significance.

"The tree is a symbol of our community," he said. "It's a symbol of strength — the roots deeply embedded in the soil. The tree is a symbol of shelter and protection. (With) the objects, I was channeling the randomness of the debris field left behind after the storm."

He did not use any objects from the storm, but said repurposed piano legs make up the base of the tree, while a stormtrooper mask, "some Angry Birds, a baby Jesus, a small Yoda, Eiffel tower, a baseball glove, a 7-Up bottle from the '70s" are all part of the structure.

"The kind of things you would see out in the field during the cleanup," Sells said.

"I wanted the tree to be tattered, yet resilient and determined to regenerate and survive," he said. "The leaves represent the 88 people injured in the storm, and of course, the birds represent the 19 people that we lost."

Cookeville Mayor Laurin Wheaton said, "The sculpture is titled 'When The Robin Comes,' and it will forever serve as a reminder of how Cookeville and Putnam County came together in a time of tragedy to support, to comfort and to assist one another."

Dedicating the Tree of Hope sculpture at Dogwood Park are, from left, Angie Wells, Amy New, Luke Eldridge, David Fricke, Eric Walker, Tyler Mitchell, Geoffrey Root, Emily Gibson, John W. Smith, Brad Sells, James Mills, Laurin Wheaton, Chad Gilbert and Randy Porter.

Birds on the newly dedicated Tree of Hope at Dogwood Park represent the 19 victims.

May 5: Tennessee Tech Spring Commencement will begin at 9 a.m. for the colleges of business, engineering, fi ne arts, graduate studies and interdisciplinary studies and at 1 p.m. for the colleges of agriculture, arts and sciences, education, graduate studies and the school of nursing at the Hooper Eblen Center. For more information, visit tntech.edu/commencement/index.

php#schedule

May 5-6: 2023 Southern Marketplace beginning at 10 a.m. May 5 through 4 p.m. May 6 at Acres of Grace at 2258 Henson Road in Red Boiling Springs features 80-plus vendors including craftsmen, artisans, boutiques, antiques food trucks, snacks, coffee and food on a multi-generational farm. For more information, visit https:// www.visitcookevilletn.com/events/ event/2920802

Mayberry Outdoor Dinner Theater at Granville, featuring "Best of the Darlings." Th is event is scheduled as an outdoor event, but provisions are made for moving indoors

in the event of inclement weather. Tickets are $35 per person and include a meal and the performance. Purchase your tickets online or by calling 931653-4151. Reservations are required.

May 6: Cookeville Leisure Services eighth annual Storyfest in the Park, an all-day, family-friendly event that features professional storytellers from across the region, including headliner Tim Lowry, as well as an amateur storytellers’ competition. The free event takes place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Dogwood Park.

Granville Cornbread and Moonshine Festival, featuring the 10th Annual Cornbread Cookoff. The Tennessee Whiskey Trail Guild will also participate with 12 area distillers on hand to offer samples of Tennessee Moonshine. concerts by Fredonia Bluegrass Band and the Front Row Barber Shop Quartet will be featured, along with Elvis Tribute Artist, Wayne Euliss, and a "Best of Elvis" concert by Ken Underwood.

May 12-13: May Market from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday featuring 50-plus local merchants at the Leslie Town Centre at 1 W. First St. in Cookeville. Admission is $2, and admission for children under age 10 is free. For more information, visit https://www.visitcookevilletn.com/ events/event/2849749

Cookeville Leisure Services School of Dance performances at 7:30 p.m. at the Cookeville Performing Arts Center. Tickets are available by calling CPAC’s box office at 931-528-1313 or visiting cpactn.com.

May 13: CityScape Taste of the Town. For information, visit cityscape.com or call 931-528-4612.

May 18: Putnam County Schools VITAL graduation at 6 p.m. at The Edge at Life Church in Cookeville.

May 19: Upperman High School graduation at Tennessee Tech Hooper Eblen Center at 6 p.m.

May 19-21: Ride the Tide Music Festival at 555 Charlie Roberts Road in Pelham features The Caverns and Mike Farris of The Screamin' Cheetah Wheelies with a new music festival with camping. For more information, see visitcookevilletn.com/events/ event/2849750

May 20: Cookeville High School graduation 10 a.m. at Tennessee Tech Hooper Eblen Center and Monterey High School graduation at 4 p.m. at the Monterey High School gymnasium.

May 27: Granville Heritage Day with Middle Tennessee's Largest Antique Car Show, an Antique Tractor Show and the Uncle Jimmy Thompson Bluegrass

Festival and Fiddle Contest. A festival fee of $5, along with a $5 parking fee gains admission to all attractions.

June 2, 9, 16, 23, 30: After Dark Movies in the Park, beginning at dark in Dogwood Park. Admission is free. The After Dark Movies in the Park series, sponsored by Rep. Ryan Williams, brings family-friendly movies to Dogwood Park each Friday night in June. Bring a lawn chair and blanket. Concessions are available.

June 4: Middle Tennessee Bridal Show and Market from noon to 4 p.m. at 8400 Silver View Lane in Silver Point featuring wedding professionals to help brides fi nd the perfect gown, reception venue, invitations, photographers, music, bar service, catering, event decorators, honeymoon destinations. Tickets are free in advance by contacting McKenzie Ihrie at leericlodge@gmail. com or at 931-858-4878.

June 9-11: Tennessee Tech's Bobby Nichols Golden Eagle Scramble to raise funds for Tennessee Tech Athletics at the Golden Eagle Golf Club and White Plains Golf Course. For more information, visit ttusports.com/FanZone/Special_ Events/Bobby_Nichols_Scramble/ BobbyNicholsScramble

June 10: Fish for free at Cane Creek Park. Th is annual event, presented by Tennessee Tech University's Student Fisheries Association, Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency and Cookeville Leisure Services, coincides with Tennessee's Free Fishing Day, so no fishing license is required. Participants should bring their own fishing gear and bait.

June 17: Cookeville's oldest charity golf tournament raises funds to support cancer patients in memory of Anne Cameron. For information visit cookevilleregionalcharity.org/ community-events/

June 24: Summer Splash 5K is a family friendly run/walk with optional splash stations along the course. The event is held in memory of Sarah Alice Bagci and participants are encouraged to run or walk in memory or honor of a loved one impacted by cancer. Dogwood Park, 6 pm. Sign up at cookevilleregionalcharity.org/ community-events/

June 30-July 1: Smithville Fiddler's Jamboree. The 52nd annual event will take place on the square in Smithville, Tennessee. Each day begins at 9 a.m. with over 35 music and dance categories, streets full of hand-made crafts, and a variety of food booths. More information is available at smithvillejamboree.com.

July 1: Algood fi reworks show at Algood City Park. This celebration happens every year on the Saturday before the 4th of July. For more information, visit algood-tn.com.

July 3: Monterey fi reworks show, scheduled to take place in the parking lot between the Monterey Depot and the old Adams USA building. For more information, visit townofmonterey.com.

July 4: Red White and Boom

Cookeville’s ninth annual Independence Day celebration at the fairgrounds on South Jefferson Avenue includes Tennessee’s second largest fireworks display and many other patriotic activities. For more information, visit bettercookeville.com/ rwb-2023-countdown.

July 29: Genealogy Festival in Granville. For information, visit granvilletn.com.

WCTE Public Television dinner

Tracy Epps, left, receives the Volunteer of the Year award from WCTE President and CEO Avery Hutchins.

WCTE President and CEO Avery Hutchins presents the Makers Award to Teresa Chasteen-Dunn.

Songwriters Jay Clark, Verlon Thompson and Darrell Scott perform at the WCTE annual dinner.

Why I Love…

Cookeville Hannah Davis

Did you grow up in Cookeville? If not, how did you get here? Where did you go to school? Tell me about your family.

I grew up in Cookeville. I was homeschooled most of my K-12 years. I spent a few years in public education at Park View Elementary School and Cookeville High School, but graduated through Daniel 1 Academy. I did venture out a few years in college to pursue music and musical theatre at the University of Mobile in Mobile, Alabama. Then received an offer to sing at Lee University with Lee Singers and their smaller group, Second Edition, in Cleveland, Tennessee. I found my way back to Cookeville and finished my degree in Communications: Journalism from Tennessee Tech University after being exposed to a publicist in the music industry during an internship in Nashville. Tennessee Tech is a beautiful gem in our community, and it really is its own little city within our city. I had a great experience and education at Tech. I did commute back-and-forth from Nashville for internships and a job in the music industry for several years, before deciding that I wanted to plant deeper roots and work in Cookeville.

I met my husband, Justin Davis, when I was in fifth grade. We didn’t date until we caught back up at Tennessee Tech University at the Baptist Collegiate Ministry where we led worship together. I went to watch him and his friends play intramural volleyball at Memorial Gym at Tech and the rest is history. We have been serving in ministry together and been married for almost 12 years with four kids, Emma (9), Ben (7), Ava (6), and Anna Kate (2) and two golden retrievers, Molli and Dolly.

We love having all our family close by and have the sweetest community of people here. Cookeville has so many opportunities for kids to explore activities and extracurriculars. It’s one I thing I love about Cookeville. Our kids are involved in ballet and dance at The Centre, Girl Scouts, soccer, lacrosse, piano, Cookeville Children’s Theater, and our church, Washington Avenue Baptist Church. They love their schools, friends and our neighborhood. It’s a fun season we are in.

You are known in the community as a public relations professional at Cookeville Regional Medical Center, then at the Putnam County Schools and now back at CRMC. What made you want to pursue a career in public relations and marketing, and what do you love about it?

In my time in college, I had the opportunity to intern at a record label where I started in radio promotions. I began working for the publicist at

that company. It was then I fell in love with the world of public relations. I followed her wherever she went from her own company to Warner Brother Music.

I love that every day there is something new in public relations and marketing. No day is the same. The ability to create a vision, plan and execute the strategy is a thrill for me. Hearing people’s stories is a joy, and sharing that to reach others who might be going through the same thing. I enjoy helping the people around me and the organization I work for. It’s really all about people and helping them meet their goals. Then creating strategies to make that happen. If you’re loving people well and keeping the patient, families, parents, students at the forefront of everything you do, it’s hard not to love what you do.

I am blessed to have worked at two of the greatest assets in our community: Cookeville Regional Medical Center and the Putnam County School System in Marketing and Communications.

You and your husband, Justin, are also the owners of a local business, Vertical Coffee. What do you love about owning a business in Cookeville, and what are you most looking forward to in the future of Vertical Coffee?

Justin and I have a heart for the people of Cookeville and our community. Justin and I had our first date at a coffee shop and we are coffee connoisseurs, so owning a wholesale roasting company and a coffee shop has been really cool and to do it right here where our hometown is great. We were most excited about providing employment opportunities for Cookeville and growing the employees not just as baristas, but as people. Most are from Cookeville and others are Tech students and they’re family. Our kids love that we own the coffee shop. They like to go in and hang out, climb on coffee bags and get hot chocolate. Emma likes to try the different coffees and drinks. It’s limited as she is nine, but I love seeing it through her eyes.

The future of Vertical Coffee Company is bright as we will be expanding and moving our sit-down and roasting company across the street to 8. W. Spring St. where the old cars sat for decades next to the laundry mat that is being renovated too. We plan to keep our current location at 17 W. Spring St. and have some ideas for that space. We are all for the Spring Street area continuing to grow and bring more foot traffic to the businesses around us. We look forward to our new space and serving our customers.