November 16 - December 27, 2019 at the Grand Ole Opry House
The beloved TV classic RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER soars off the screen and onto the stage this holiday season. Come see all of your favorite characters from the special including Santa and Mrs. Claus, Hermey the Elf, the Abominable Snow Monster, Clarice, Yukon Cornelius and, of course, Rudolph, as they come to life in RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER: THE MUSICAL.
Fall Gathering Spot - Porch design by Miriam Wiggins and Parker Haven Interiors. Photography by Soloman Davis
An Attitude of Gratitude
“Piglet noticed that even though he had a Very Small Heart, it could hold a rather large amount of Gratitude.”
― A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh
Dear Readers,
I have always heard about an attitude of gratitude being integral to happiness. I actually believe and try to live my life in a mindset, that to give is to receive. To be grateful and humble for life’s blessings can make those blessings ten-fold. Of course, often times as grateful and as blessed as we may be, our hearts and minds can be in a state of unrest and seeming unappreciative. We can’t help it. It’s human nature. All around me, I can see quotes and hear advice to always find the good, see the glass as half full, turn lemons into lemonade; and again, I have always tried to be someone who pushed through disappointment and despair and kept trudging up the hill towards success or gladness. It’s hard sometimes. It’s been downright, seemingly impossible at times. And yet, somewhere, deep down in my core, I knew; a prayer, a smile, a thought of gratitude in my attitude, and I could find my way back to a grateful and humble place.
There is never a more poignant time of year than the holidays as they come upon us, and we begin the season of giving and gifting, thanksgiving and celebration. Our whole emotional guideline in the next two months, centers around giving back and feeling blessed. But when your heart and mind are in a state of unrest, it can be a challenge. So, my advice, my plan, nearly every time I catch myself thinking about the bad…rather than the good…is to look for the good in the smallest or least expcted ways. It’s a guarantee that my attitude of gratitude skyrockets, by just looking at my children and marveling in God’s grace in my life for giving me my sweet babies. Many days, a text from a friend that was just because can make a dreary and difficult workday turn around. An exchange of a smile or a laugh about something inconsequential with my husband can make a hectic, crazy morning turn lighthearted and, of course, when my soul cries in pain from some truly heartfelt agony, I can and do always turn my eyes to my faith.
Every day, we face hardships, hatred and suffering in a sometimes cruel and cold world. But those same days, we see beauty and kindness and good all around us. As we all begin the season of holiday cheer, celebration and thankfulness, take a moment and recognize the little things...the tiny moments of joy in your midst and simply feel grateful. Adopt an attitude of gratitude and as experience has shown, your heart will be lifted and your frown…no doubt... will turn upside down.
Happy Thanksgiving to all of you from all of us here at Robertson Media Group. We are certainly counting this amazing community and our wonderful place in it, among our greatest blessings, for which we are eternally grateful.
Shelly Robertson Birdsong Publisher | Editor In Chief shelly@robertsonmediagroup.com
Calhoun & Keeling Birdsong
YOUR SOCIAL SECRETARY
Here are a few events to add to your Social Calendar this month. Visit yourwilliamson.com for more events.
This year’s Annual Celebration will be the first event held at Williamson County’s newest mixed-use development, Northside McEwen. Hear from keynote speaker, Fred Diaz, president and CEO of Mitsubishi on their relocation to Williamson County. As the Chamber celebrates the year’s accomplishments, they will also look forward to the new and innovative programs and events that Williamson, Inc. will be providing in 2020.
Battle of Franklin 155th Anniversary Events
Carter House & Carnton | 5am-7pm | boft.org
The Battle of Franklin Trust will offer two different specialized battlefield tours on the anniversary of the battle at Carter House at 5am and 8am. From 9am to 4pm, the Carter House and Carnton will be open to the public for guided tours, with the last tour of the day starting at 3pm. From 5pm to 7pm, 10,000 luminaries, representing the casualties of the battle, will be lit at dusk at Carter House and Carnton. Both historic homes will be open for self-guided walk-through. Learn more about admission and details at boft.org.
Franklin Kiwanis Christmas Parade
Downtown Franklin | 2pm facebook.com/FranklinKilwanisChristmasParade
The Franklin Kiwanis Christmas Parade is a gift to the city from the Kiwanis Club of Historic Downtown Franklin. Winding through the streets of downtown Franklin, the parade is a celebration of the holidays and the official welcome of Santa Claus. Come join the parade!
Our October cover model signed autographs at the #MusicCityInvitational!
What a gorgeous evening at the #HeritageBall!
#CelebrationOfNations benefited Sister Cities of Franklin and Williamson County!
Celebrate the Holidays
The December edition of Your Williamson will showcase all things holiday! We’ll feature decor, gift-giving, food, entertaining and everything that you need to make it a memorable holiday season for you and your family.
The Battle of Franklin’s 155th Anniversary
BY ERIC A. JACOBSON
In the fall of 1864, the great American experiment was in tatters. Over 600,000 soldiers were already dead and great armies moved across the landscape. The war to preserve the Union and the war for Southern Independence had morphed into a war for the very survival of the United States of America and the destruction of American slavery. The war, by late 1864, had been elevated to a higher plane.
Franklin, Tennessee was just a tiny town of about 750 people when, on the last day of November 1864, nearly 60,000 soldiers arrived and forever changed the history of this area. Nearly 40,000 of those men were engaged in what became known as one of the most terrible battles of our Civil War – a conflict that shook even the most hardened veterans. Roughly 10,000 of those Americans – North and South – became casualties that afternoon and evening. Nearly 2,500 died on ground that was eventually covered up by 20th century development. The story of the Battle of Franklin was, for the most part, almost lost to time.
One hundred and fifty-five years later we look back on the events of November 30, 1864, but also on the entire war and what it all means today. The Battle of Franklin Trust was created a decade ago - through the wisdom of the respective boards and community leaders – to take charge of this critical story and tell all sides, no matter how difficult some of those stories might be. We talk with guests almost every day of the year about our shared history and why it matters today. We talk with them about how the politics of slavery drove us toward war, about how the Civil War was the redefining event in American history, and about how the Battle of Franklin was a story that should never have been forgotten.
When U. S. troops began arriving in Franklin about two hours before sunrise on November 30, 1864 they did not intend to stop. However, the bridges spanning the Harpeth River needed to be rebuilt and reinforced to allow the nearly 30,000 blue-clad soldiers to continue moving toward Nashville. Gen. John Schofield, commander of the U. S. forces, ordered the army to create a defensive position on the south edge of town. His intent was to evacuate after dark, but his opponent had other plans.
Gen. John Bell Hood, commander of the Confederate army, arrived south of Franklin around noon that day. He could see clearly that Schofield intended to withdraw
and Hood made the decision to attack before that could happen. For nearly three hours Southern troops formed up as the sun slipped toward the horizon. By 3:30 p.m. they were mostly ready. Then, almost as if time stood still, there was the ominous silence.
At 4 o’clock, the last great charge of a long and brutal war began as some 20,000 Confederate soldiers moved across the rolling and open fields. The almost surreal spectacle soon devolved into a violent and deadly conflict that raged into the twilight and then the darkness. For a short while it seemed as if the Southern troops might break the U. S. Army, but then, through a series of desperate actions, the tide turned. Barely three hours after it started the battle had already begun to wane and by 9 p.m. it was mostly over. By midnight the victorious U. S. soldiers were pulling away and they trudged north all night toward Nashville. Behind them lay a shattered Confederate army and a town that collectively was plunged into a nightmare.
Dawn revealed everything that the night had masked. Carnton was awash in hundreds of wounded Confederate soldiers. The Carter farm was a smoking and ravaged scene of destruction covered with thousands of dead and wounded. By the spring the war was finally over. Franklin was the doom of the Confederate Army of Tennessee. The old South did not die at Franklin, but something new slowly began to emerge. Today we continue the work of reclaiming the battlefield and telling visitors how history can shape the future.
At 4pm. on Saturday, November 30, 2019, please join us at Carnton for a brief ceremony as we remember what happened 155 years ago and why it matters to all of us. Luminaries representing some of the 10,000 casualties will be placed throughout the interiors of Carnton and Carter House and both homes will be open to the public free of charge from 5pm to 7pm. Please come out and see how the Civil War redefined America. Learn more at boft.org.
ERIC A. JACOBSON
The Battle of Franklin Trust
Sponsored Event
SOCIAL | Wine Down Main Street
Photography by Anna Robertson Ham
Wine lovers and supporters of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Middle Tennessee came out to enjoy the annual Wine Down Main Street at the beginning of November. The fun-filled event took place throughout downtown Franklin with thirty restaurant vendors, over 150 wines provided by Lipman, live music and a VIP Party at the Harpeth Hotel’s Riverside Ballroom. It was another fabulous year raising money and awareness for the organization with all proceeds benefiting over 4,300 middle Tennessee youth, served locally at eleven Boys and Girls Clubs in Davidson and Williamson Counties. To learn more about the Boys and Girls Clubs of Middle Tennessee, visit bgcmt.org.
Emily Evans & Tracey Patterson Josh & Elena McCown
Madaleine Gray, Miguel Delgado, Hannah Roman & Spencer Ellis
Mac Maguire & Emily Cullum
Mike & Beth Larimer
Morgan & Eric Rees
George & April Khoury, Ty & Kristen Berutti
Cassandra Herrera & Nikki Warndorf
Shannon & Hunter Hillenmeyer
Donald & Heather Roseman
Jay & Katrina Jackson
Sara Ann Leonard, Lynn Leonard & Cathy Householder
Robert Blair, Denise & Steve Gilreath
Derby & Cassie Jones, Jodi & Eric Rall
Paul & Susan Higdon, Kenna & Steven Duncan
Sarah Hodrick
A Conversation with A Clean Beauty Junkie
Let us introduce you to Sarah Hodrick, Managing Director with Beautycounter, and clean beauty expert. We sat down this month to learn a little more about Sarah, Beautycounter and “clean beauty.”
YW: Welcome! Tell us a little about yourself:
Sarah Hodrick: Thank you for having me! Well, I was raised in a small town in Central Pennsylvania, spent several years in Virginia and North Carolina, and then in 2008, my husband and I moved to Franklin. Franklin reminds me a lot of where I spent my childhood; the beautiful farmland, a quaint downtown, Civil War sites, historic architecture. There is something very comforting to me about living in a small town where you cannot go anywhere without running into someone you know. I love that. At the same time, it is pretty incredible having access to a big city and all it has to offer. I mean, there is no better place to listen to live music than Nashville, Tennessee!
Before settling down in Franklin and starting a family, I studied secondary education and taught high school mathematics. My days are now spent shuttling our children to and from school and activities, playing tennis, spending time with friends, educating consumers on the need for safer ingredients, and advocating for clean beauty.
YW: Can you define Clean Beauty for our readers?
SH: Clean beauty is an industry that focuses on creating and producing personal care products with safer ingredients, both natural and synthetic. Consumers need to understand that natural does not guarantee safe (i.e., poison ivy, lead, cadmium), and human-made does not necessarily mean unsafe. Clean beauty chooses to avoid ingredients with proven or suspected links to human health issues such as endocrine disruption, cancer, infertility, allergies, et cetera. Instead of only selecting natural ingredients, we ask, "Is it safe?"
YW: Why is there a need for Clean Beauty?
SH: Here in the United States, the cosmetics and personal care industry is woefully unregulated. The last time a major federal law was passed regulating the cosmetics industry was 1938! More than 80,000 chemicals have entered commerce since then; the majority of these have not been tested for safety on human health. In fact, in the U.S., only thirty ingredients/chemicals have been banned or restricted from personal care products. In comparison, over 1,400 have been banned/restricted in the EU. Considering we live in a country that seems to regulate everything, this is shocking, right? Due to the lack of restrictions, companies can (sometimes unknowingly), use harmful ingredients and at the same time, legally claim their products to be natural, clean, green, safe, or pure. Until we have more healthprotective laws in place governing ingredient safety, the responsibility falls on the shoulders of the consumer.
YW: When were you introduced to Clean Beauty and the need for safer ingredients?
SH: My clean beauty journey began six years ago when I learned what I thought was a healthy lifestyle had a huge missing piece. I was trying to eat healthy foods, exercise daily, and make the best choices I could for my family. As a mother of two very young children, I was spending hundreds of dollars each month on organic foods and countless hours researching everything from the safest cribs to the greenest toys. Not once did I question the safety of the products I was putting on my skin and my family's skin. I assumed that personal care products were regulated and that if they were in stores, they were safe. I was wrong.
It was when a dear friend of mine introduced me to Beautycounter, an industry-disruptive brand at the forefront of the clean beauty movement, that I was enlightened. I immediately knew that I had to be a part of a movement that was sharing information, having significant social impact, and changing the future. So I became a Consultant and have not looked back!
YW: Tell us a little more about Beautycounter and its mission.
SH: At Beautycounter, we believe that all beauty should be clean beauty, and our mission is to get safer products into the hands of everyone. We educate our communities on the need for safer ingredients, and we share information that will help consumers make informed safer choices. We also advocate for stricter guidelines and health-protective laws that will protect consumers and shift the personal care industry away from using harmful and questionable ingredients. Finally, we formulate high performing, safer products, and have proven that beautiful can be healthy! Having curated a Never List™ that contains over 1,500 questionable ingredients that we will never use when formulating our products, we hold ourselves to unparalleled standards of safety. Even more exciting, our products have been recognized as performing as well as, if not better than, other high performing luxury brands.
If given a choice between two lipsticks that are equal in performance, but one contained traces of heavy metals, and the other did not, wouldn't you choose the safer option? We are working towards creating a future where consumers will not have to make that choice.
YW: Sounds like Clean Beauty is not just a fad?
SH: This is not just a women's health issue; it is a human health issue. As more consumers become aware of the lack of regulation, the more they will start demanding products that are significantly safer for their health, and the sooner we will see a significant shift in the industry. What was considered a clean beauty trend is now projected to be a $22 billion industry by 2024, so I would say clean beauty is
here to stay! No one should have to compromise their health when using personal care products, and we at Beautycounter are doing something about it.
YW: What are three Beautycounter must have products for fall?
SH:
1. Rosewood Lip Trio: Rosewood is the perfect lip shade when transitioning from summer to fall. If you are like me and some days you just cannot decide between lipstick or lip gloss, this limited-edition set is ideal as it includes not one, but two lipsticks (one color intense and one sheer), and a moisturizing lip gloss with zero stickiness.
2. Dew Skin Tinted Moisturizer: It’s a minimal amount of makeup with massive results. The sheer coverage will leave skin looking hydrated and healthy. Bonus: The SPF20 will keep protect skin from the UV rays that penetrate clouds.
3. Velvet Eyeshadow Palette in Classic: The soft nudes and neutrals of this palette are stunning, and they work with a variety of skin tones. I love that you can quickly go from a daytime to evening look just by adding a touch of shimmer!
YW: Finally, as we enter colder months, do you have any tips for preventing dry skin?
SH: Between the blustery cold air outside and the dry heat inside, our skin can take a beating during colder months!
1. Drink more water. It sounds so simple, but first, we need to hydrate our skin from the inside out. Keep a Hydro Flask of water with you throughout the day to make it that much easier to continually hydrate!
2. Take shorter, lukewarm showers. I love a ridiculously long, hot shower as much as anyone, but it strips hair and skin of natural oils. Instead, take 5-minute lukewarm showers; your hair and skin will thank you.
3. Install a humidifier: Indoor dry heat wreaks havoc on our skin. Help your skin stay hydrated by adding moisture to the air using a cool air humidifier in the room(s) you use most.
4. Use plant-based oils. Do not let the word oil scare you! Botanical oils will not leave your skin looking greasy, I promise! Instead, they are absorbed instantly, locking in moisture, leaving your skin looking luminous and smelling heavenly. It is best to apply oil to damp skin immediately after cleansing. My personal favorite: Beautycounter’s No. 3 Balancing Facial Oil. It is my can't-live-without product.
5. Moisturize, moisturize, moisturize. Did I mention the importance of moisturizing? Creams and balms are what I recommend, as they will seal in moisture and better protect your skin. My personal favorites: Beautycounter’s Body Butter in Citrus Mimosa, Melting Body Balm, Counter+ Lotus Glow Cleansing Balm, and Countertime Tetrapeptide Supreme Cream.
SARAH HODRICK
Sponsored Event
SOCIAL | Heroes in Heels
Photography by Kimberly Savannah Whiting
Breast cancer patients and survivors came together in October to strut their stuff on the runway for the annual Heroes in Heels. This fashionable event raises money for the Maryland Farms After Breast Cancer (ABC) Program. Proceeds benefit the Maryland Farms YMCA Annual Campaign and ABC Program, which provides comprehensive exercise, nutrition and wellness services free of charge to breast cancer patients and survivors. During the program, participants receive lymphedema education and screening, exercise in a group among other survivors with a Pink Ribbon-certified personal trainer, meet with a registered dietitian, attend small groups for emotional support, and have free use of the YMCA facilities and group fitness classes. To learn more about Heroes in Heels and the ABC Program, visit ymcamidtn.org.
Heidi Stogner, Rene Ciarametaro, Marcells Tudeen, Connie Cromer, Mary Ellen Hofstetter, Maria Duvall & Ginger Piranian
Alex Knight, Ingrid Camseo & Corey Ferrell
Andrew Freeman, Bretta Freeman & Tony Wall
Sine Thieme & Andrea Arkava
Tasha Burress, Rochelle Moore & Michelle Monzon
Pam Simmons & Ruth Cirillo
Carol Gray, Chrisi Ford, Catherine Harralson, Christi Chambers, Anh Pham & Cassie Jones
Matt Schroer, Owen Schroer & Josie Foranoce
Lynne McAlister, Mary Ann DeMeyers,Kathy Moon, Joanna West & Cathi Aycock
Honor Garrett & Ian Dinkins
Marc Shaver, Kylie Kolz, Shelley Kolz & Jim Enright
Fall Garden Party
STYLED
BY EMILY GOODIN PHOTOGRAPHY BY WEATHERLY PHOTOGRAPHY
It’s finally feeling like fall outside! If you’re anything like us, our fall schedule is filled with fun get-togethers: Dinner parties, pumpkin carvings, bon fires…all of those lovely ways we all enjoy the wonderful fall weather!
So, our calendars are full…now the big question: WHAT TO WEAR? Emily Goodin is giving us some great ideas on fall dinner party style!
“First, choose to dress in fall colors! That’s number one! Rusts and browns, creams and greens, maroons and plums…even mustard yellow! Don’t be afraid to mix colors and textures,” says Emily. “A striped sweater with a corduroy skirt is SO on trend! A simple slip dress with a chunky sweater is perfectly cozy and feminine. A maxi with a flower or feather hair accessory is very boho chic. If simplicity is more your vibe, choose a simple, cotton dress with a 3/4 sleeve in a burnt orange. And who can go wrong with a wrap dress in deep forest green! Be playful with your choices this season! Top off your look with some booties (or tall boots), a pair of statement earrings and a cross body bag and you’ll be ready to mingle IN STYLE!”
• The Truck (made by Hudson Trailer Company and it’s the first one in Nashville) is from Wanderlust Events, located in Nolensville.
• The clothing is from Nordstrom and was curated through Emily Goodin of Effortless Style. Emily also designed the tablescape using new and vintage pieces.
• Models are all local from Tribe Talent.
• Hair stylist is celebrity stylist, Genia Church.
• Makeup was provided by Faith of Every Moments Makeup.
Learn more about Weatherly Photography at brand-photographer.com, and Effortless Style at effortlesstyle.com.
Modern Innovators
BY ELIZABETH SCOKIN
November is our business issue and this month I’m thrilled to bring you three modern innovators: Agenia Clark, Pam Lewis and Marsha Blackburn. These ladies have knockeddown doors, each in their own industries of philanthropy, music and politics. They give us an impressive message of total self-empowerment but at the heart of this column is their style - their lucky charm, a no-fail party trick, what they think is the most common fashion faux pas, and so much more that reveals who they are in their personal lives. So, go ahead and get your month off to a gorgeous start.
Agenia
Who is your favorite writer? When it comes to books, this is never a fair or easy question. Over the years, I’ve read everything written by Ann Patchett, Kaye Gibbons, Malcom Gladwell, Fredik Bachman, Alice Walker, Harper Lee, Toni Morrison, Al Roker (Al Roker & Deborah Roberts), and the many I can’t think of right now. However, my all-time favorite, only wrote one book: John Kennedy Toole’s, A Confederacy of Dunces.
What is your lucky charm? My husband, Charles. After thirty years, he still knows how to keep me grounded.
Name six people dead or alive you’d like to have at your dinner party: Since this is the centennial of the 19th Amendment, I would choose Frederick Douglass, Lucretia Mott, Susan B. Anthony, Ida B. Wells, Carrie Chapman Catt, and Anne Dallas Dudley.
What is your idea of earthly happiness? A day with my children and grandchildren.
What was your first job? Working in my grandmother’s garden.
President/CEO of Girl Scouts of Middle Tennessee.
What is the quality you most admire in a woman? Women who are willing to make a difference; be creative, innovative and willing to share.
What is your no fail party trick? Don’t do it all. Everyone in my family loves to cook. So our family dinners are always fun and easy to organize because I don’t do all of the cooking. My mom’s collard greens, Aunt Julia’s fried corn, my husband’s smoked brisket, my daughter’s chocolate chip cookies and Aunt Ethel’s lemonade. All I have to do is set the table! How easy is that?!
What qualities should a good leader have? Listen carefully and intently, understand that you lead people and you manage assets.
What do you most value in your friends? Kindness and loyalty.
Who is your favorite writer? Ayn Rand and Malcolm Gladwell.
Who do you think is the most stylish man? Hmmm... that’s tough. I guess all of the 007’s and I do find George Clooney pretty dreamy mostly because he doesn’t seem to take himself too seriously.
What do you most value in your friends? A sense of fun, loyalty, reliability, kindness.
What is your ultimate accessory? Earrings, mascara, lip stick!
ELIZABETH SCOKIN
Tales from The Powder Room
Philanthropist, party planner and designer Elizabeth
Founder and President of PLA Media
What is your best shopping tip? First, you probably don’t need it, so buy unique and mostly (unless you can’t live without it and will regret not purchasing), buy on sale. I like choices and variety so sales give me a chance to buy more of what strikes my fancy.
What qualities should a good leader have? A humble demeanor, a willingness to listen and learn, to empower those around them, and be willing to reach across the aisle.
Clark
Marsha Blackburn
United States Senator
Pam Lewis
Photography by Anna Robertson Ham
Front St. Tavern is shaving for a good cause! Participants came out to the “Movember” Charity Launch event on November 1st to get a clean shave and enter the no-shave November charity contest, hosted by Front St. Tavern. The eatery partnered with Artistry Hair Salon to shave their “Mo Bros” and raise awareness and money for prostate and testicular cancer. All of the “Mo Bros” will return to Front St. Tavern on November 30th to be judged on their beards. To learn more about the “Movember” Charity and Front St. Tavern, visit frontsttavern.com.
Beth McCaig, Megan Suttle & Lindsey Byrd
Ryan Donahue & Frank Miller
Jonathan Kinchen & Maggie Suydam
Sarah Durbin & Sarah Turnbow
Adam Zinser
Megan Suttle & Jorian Loftin
Kyle Burke & Beth McCaig
The Whole Wellness Package with Rejuvenage MD
BY ANNIE OSTEEN
With a desire to be the premier destination in Williamson County for hormone essentials, sleep and medical aesthetic treatments and services, Rejuvenage MD offers it all and with impeccable customer service. Their philosophy that beautiful skin begins on the inside, combined with their all-encompassing wellness services, create a uniquely designed med spa experience. They subscribe to the belief that if the inside lacks a healthy model, one can never get the optimum rejuvenation on the outside.
Dr. Kumar, along with his fellow physician and wife, Dr. Oomman, established Rejuvenage MD to reflect their combined medical philosophy: To deliver the most advanced patient treatments safely and successfully. Their commitment to patients and their common interest in providing the highest quality of wellness and aesthetic medicine uniquely position them to address several aspects of a person’s life. Their focus is on providing a holistic approach in treating an individual client.
Dr. Oomman, with thirteen years of medical experience, is a tripleboard certified Neurologist with a Ph.D in Neuro-Physiology and an MD-Neurology. Her focus on neurological skill set brings an added advantage to the center as she incorporates her sleep medicine and migraine knowledge into the wellness component. Dr. Kumar is board-certified with fifteen years of experience in primary and hospitalist care. Dr. Kumar is also a master trainer for National Aesthetics Training programs such as Apollo Medical Innovation and Empire Medical program.
Without proper focus on four key components: Sleep, balanced hormones, good nutrition, and exercise, Rejuvenage MD believes that none of us will experience optimal health. One of the services that Rejuvenage MD offers is specialized hormone testing. Dr. Kumar states “We like to say we can get most patients hormonally balanced within six months, or less. We want to review and learn their health history, and any potential-underlying issues, that may be causing their issues of imbalance, other than age.” In addition to the hormone testing, Rejuvenage MD is proud to have a certified nutritionist on staff, Melissa Mooney-Lopez of BeWellMel.com, to best direct our clients into the best possible start-up program; complete with customized beneficial and proper food choices. As a client positively progresses forward, they are then integrated into a comprehensive and intense cardiac and muscle building program.
As part of their skin care and spa services, Rejuvenage MD also administers the Exo-Glo facial, one of the latest and most rewarding facial treatments available on the market. This particular procedure uses exosomes to help improve the appearance of the skin as it builds more collagen while also helping diminish those pesky fine lines. They offer the Vivace Treatment, which is a substantially advanced, micro-
needling procedure that delivers maximum results, with NO down time. You get beautiful results instantly. Of course, one of Rejuvenage MD’s most popular procedures is laser, pain-free, hair removal. For real…no pain!
In the same timeframe as opening their wellness business, the two physicians received information that their only son, now five years old, was autistic. As a result, Dr. Oomman and Dr. Kumar have plans to start a foundation, aptly named Dante’s Journey, after their son. Their hope is that it becomes a locomotive that will help drive better planning, provision for education, opportunity, and actual real-world paying jobs for the nearly 500,000 teens that will grow into adulthood with a diagnosis of Autism. Currently, nearly half of twenty-five year olds with Autism have never held a paying job. Dr. Oomman explains, “Not only are we are 100% committed to help our son, but also to help discover a better way to provide help for people with Autism and their families. And the more we learned about it, the more we became aware of the need for all these newly diagnosed children to have a place to work and live as they grew older, so they evolve with a greater sense of self-worth and confidence.”
Walking into Rejuvenage MD and expecting the highest level of service, attention, and the latest researched techniques is genuinely endorsed by Dr. Oomman and Dr. Kumar. It’s evident that they are introducing Williamson County to a unique and informative way to understand personal health and wellness, while incorporating personal experience and compassion into the mix.
Photography by Paige Atwell
On October 23rd, golfers and supporters alike, gathered at Vanderbilt Legends Club to celebrate the second annual Music City Invitational. Guests were treated to lunch before teeing off at noon, along with door prizes, drinks, longdrive competitions, and a putting contest throughout the day. Our very own October issue cover model, Hannah Grace Mullowney, was there to sign autographs. Each year, the Music City Invitational aims to celebrate the gift of Down Syndrome by creating awareness while working to help change the public perception of individuals with down syndrome. To learn more about the Music City Invitational, visit musiccityinvitationalgolf.com.
Hannah Grace & Stephanie Mullowney
Mandi Ashley & Rhonda Wicks
Brandon Vendeventer, Hal & Emilee Bruin
Tod Roadarm & Denise Tinney
Dave Omeara, Matt Honeycutt & Casey Price Elena & Jean Michalak
Stephanie Lee & Julie Mathews
Jeff Lyons & Bryan MCmillian John Hall & Johnny Harder
David Saville, Bethany Stineman, Natalie Pistole, Aaron Tornquist, Nicole & Becky Schwab Sten Morgan
How To Reset Your Routine & Goals for Fall & Get Ready for the New Year
Now that fall has begun-- a natural time - as the days get shorter, we set our clocks back and the leaves start to turn -to reset our goals both at work and at home.
Whether your goal is to get back on track with your eating habits or get organized to feel less stress, there are ways that we also must begin to take care of ourselves. It’s the perfect time to get ahead of the holiday and new year stress - which can take a huge toll on us.
According to an article by Harvard Medical School, ninety percent of people feel holiday stress and it’s important to be “readying ourselves to face these stresses.”
Fall is the perfect time to take stock in your goals and realign. Here are some practical tips for body-reset as well as goal (re)setting for fall:
Reset the lighting in your workspace and home. As fall approaches and the days get shorter, create the effect of sunlight while you’re up and working. This will help your circadian rhythms and, ultimately, positively affect your mood.
Reset your sleep by making it a priority. Your body will respond to the dark; let it, by going to bed earlier.
Reset your goals. Make goals attainable by keeping them short term: Set 30-day, 60-day, and 90-day goals. If you’re trying to accomplish the weight loss goal that you set for yourself on January 1st and you haven’t started yet, it’s time to reevaluate what you can do in the next month, two months, or three months.
Reset what’s “In” and what’s “Out.” Spring cleaning? How about fall clearing! Cut back on what’s not working. This could be goals that you haven’t achieved after several year; scaling back or revamping the business idea or dream could be what you need since old tactics are not working. Breathe new life into ideas by switching perspective and implementing another strategy.
DR. WAYNE PERNELL
Dr. Wayne Pernell
Sponsored Event
SOCIAL | Pumpkinfest
Photography by Kimberly Savannah Whiting
The Heritage Foundation’s 36th Annual Pumpkinfest took place in October and is middle Tennessee’s largest family fall festival, with over 65,000 people in attendance! The festival stretched along Main Street and its side streets in downtown Franklin and offered tons of festive fun for people of all ages. Although the wind and the rain cut the festivities short, those that came out earlier in the day had a blast. Guests experienced vendor booths, costume contests, pumpkin carving, a chili cookoff, live music performances, activities at Franklin Grove Estate and Gardens and more. To learn more about the Heritage Foundation of Williamson County and their events, visit williamsonheritage.org.
Reney, Kristy & Vivienne Jones
Sade Hinckley, Emmanuel Fuentes, John & Shea Shaffer
Vid Hood
Ava & Charlotte Coalmer
Eric, Miles, Sadie & Lindsey Tanking
Greg, Dorcus & Ethan Abel
Patrick, Madison & Cecelia Crawford
Isabella, Makayla & Cooper Lo Porto
Brienne, Noah, Thomas & Mary Butler
TJ & Alycia Adams, James & Annmarie Wilson, Tyson Adams, Whitney Wilson, Kim & Todd Giffin, Sarah Perry Thomas Krause & Rebecca Owen
Eliza & Gweny Barr, Meredith & Amy Paglia
Jamie, Logan & Xander Crosslin, James & Jennifer Stuby Arya Ingram
Kylene Valoris & Lauren Cougan
Julie Deason
Lisa Gandh, Aryana Gandy, Mike Hoff & Fran Shepherd
The 46th Annual Heritage Ball
The Heritage Ball is the longest running black-tie affair in Williamson County. Each year, approximately 700 guests gather to support and celebrate the work of the Heritage Foundation of Williamson County and to raise funds for future preservation projects. In addition to a seated dinner and dancing, the ball features a cocktail hour and other fundraising opportunities.
This year’s Heritage Ball theme was “Discovery – discover our past, our present and our future.” The longstanding tradition of this glamorous evening in Franklin will continue with natural elegance, pairing the old and new and setting the environment for unity and togetherness. Like dinners at Monticello in Tracy Frist’s home state of Virginia, the ball had unique elements that lent a “feast of reason” to the affair, while focusing on the peoples of Tennessee. The Frists and the Heritage Foundation team worked closely with Amos Gott of AmosEvents to develop the vision and design of the historical evening. Additionally, G Catering provided the menu for the evening and McConnell Hospitality Group created the Ball’s signature cocktail, The Franklin Grove, which paid homage to heritage and the flavors of fall, and made with Old Hickory Straight Bourbon.
Some very exciting special guests of the Heritage Ball were performer Kix Brooks as the headlining act, and a surprise accompaniment by Reba McIntyre!
Estèe Lauder was the presenting sponsor of the Heritage Ball Late Party.
The Honorable and Mrs. William Harrison Frist Chairs of the 46th Annual Heritage Ball
Senator Bill Frist, M.D. is a nationally acclaimed heart and lung transplant surgeon, former U.S. Senate Majority Leader and chairman of the Executive Board of the health service private equity firm Cressey & Company. Representing Tennessee from 1994 -2006, Senator Frist now serves as an adjunct professor of Cardiac Surgery at Vanderbilt University and clinical professor of surgery at Meharry Medical College. His current board service includes the The Nature Conservancy, Nashville Health Care Council, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Smithsonian Museum of the American Indian, Kaiser Family Foundation and Bipartisan Policy Center. In the private sector, he serves on the boards of Select Medical, Teladoc, AECOM and others.
Tracy Frist holds a master’s degrees in creative and analytical writing from Hollins University. She’s taught K-12 youth in order to study impacts of animals on children’s classroom behavior and taught undergraduate pre-service teachers at Purdue University. In addition, she is the founder, owner and operator of Sinking Creek Land and Cattle, LLC, a primarily women run agricultural operation in southwestern Virginia. Frist has been active in social and economic development in Haiti, Cuba, China and Ireland, working through the boards of The Nature Conservancy, Nashville Health Care Council, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Smithsonian Museum of the American Indian. She currently serves on the board of the Heritage Foundation of Williamson County.
Heritage Foundation Board:
David Garrett, PRESIDENT
Sean Carroll, SECRETARY
Pam Chandler, VP OF MEMBERSHIP & MARKETING
Josh Denton, VP OF SPONSORSHIP & DEVELOPMENT
Bryan Doleshel, VP OF DOWNTOWN FRANKLIN ASSOCIATION
Cassie Jones, VP OF FESTIVALS & EVENTS
Chris Knopf, VP OF FINANCE
Emily Magid, VP OF FRANKLIN GROVE ESTATE & GARDENS
Sondra Morris, VP OF PRESERVATION & EDUCATION
Jennifer Parker, VP OF THE FRANKLIN THEATRE
Danny Anderson
Tyler Borders
Lisa Campbell
Adam Dietrich
Donna Douglas
Stephanie Farmer
Tracy Frist
Kay Heller
David Hopkins
Ann Johnson
Jeff Ledbetter
Ellen Smith
Nancy Smith
David Akers, Hollie Alexander, Brianna Mason, & Gerald Odom
Brenda Hauk, Melanie & Houston Moran, Danny & Teresa Anderson
Ball Committee:
Mrs. Tracy Frist, Chair
The Honorable William H. Frist, Chair
Mr. Amos Gott, Designer
Mrs. Katie Lillard, Late Party Chair
Mrs. Sarah Locker, Late Party Chair
Mr. Danny Anderson
Ms. Sydney Ball
Mrs. Bari Beasley
Ms. Amanda Bledsoe
Mrs. Kaylen Carrick
Mrs. Katie Davis
Mrs. Bethni Hemphill
Ms. Meg Hershey
Mr. Robert Hicks
Mrs. Kimberly Higdon
Ms. Shannon Lapsley
Mr. Gerald Odom
Mr. Shane Tarleton
Mrs. Amy Tarter
Mr. Milton White
2001 Ms. Mary Lankford and Mr. Loy Hardcastle
Past Ball Chairs:
1972 Mr. and Mrs. Mark Garrett
1973 Mrs. Marty Ligon
1974 (No Heritage Ball)
1975 (No Heritage Ball)
1976 Mrs. Caroline Cross and Ms. Mary Frances Ligon
1977 Mr. Richard Felts
1978 Mr. Harrison Hein
1979 Mr. and Mrs. C. Dewees Berry
1980 Mrs. Bet White Wise and Mrs. Sandy Ziegler
1981 Mr. Danny Anderson and Ms. Cecil Ewin
1982 Mrs. Margaret Martin and Mrs. Mary Pearce
1983 Ms. Dottie Morton and Mr. Ron Shelton
1984 Ms. Joanne Wells and Mrs. Gerri Steltjes
1985 Ms. Ann Floyd
1986 Mrs. Susanne Stevenhagen
1987 Mrs. Anne Cain
1988 Mrs. Ann Conway
1989 Ms. Pegine Hill
1990 Mrs. Heather Argo
1991 Ms. Linda Guthrie
1992 Mrs. Heather Argo
1993 Mrs. Marcia Franks
1994 Mr. John Hackney
1995 Mrs. Ann Conway
1996 Mr. Danny Anderson, Mr. Julian Bibb,lll, Mr. and Mrs.
George Fehrmann, Mr. John Hackney and Mr. Jim Short
1997 Mr. George Fehrmann
1998 Mr. Danny Anderson
1999 Mr. and mrs. larry and Candie Westbrook
2000 Mr. Jason Jackson and Mrs. Joy Morris
2002 Mr. Ralph Drury and Mrs. Tree Woolard
2003 Mrs. Teresa Anderson and Mrs. Candie Westbrook
2004 Mr. and Mrs. Ed Underwood
2005 Mr. and Mrs. Wayne Evans
2006 Mr. and Mrs. J.R. Roper
2007 Mrs. Shelly Robertson Birdsong and Mrs. Damon Rogers
2008 Mr. and Mrs. Danny Anderson
2009 Mr. and Mrs. Porter Calhoun
(Continued on next page)
2010 Ms. Anita Hogin and Mr. Hugh Howser
2011 Mr. Tim Pagliara
2012 Mr. and Mrs. Jamey Parker
2013 Mr. and Mrs. Andy Marshall
2014 Mr. and Mrs. Brian Beathard
2015 Mr. and Mrs. Coleman Aycock
2016 Mayor and Mrs. Ken Moore
2017 Mr. Greg Flittner and Mrs. Nancy Smith
2018 Ms. Emily Magid
2019 The Honorable and Mrs. William Harrison Frist
Jr. Heritage Ball Hosts:
John Duncan*
Duncan Knopf*
Evey Knopf*
Jackson Rowley*
Mary Claire Jones
Mary Courtney Finn
Zoey Arzt
Eli Moore
*Jr Heritage Advisory Committee member
Many Thanks to Our Sponsors and Key Supporters
Pinnacle Financial Partners were the presenting sponsors of this year’s Heritage Ball. “We were beyond thrilled to announce Pinnacle Financial Partners as the presenting sponsor for the Annual Heritage Ball,” said Heritage Foundation CEO Bari Beasley. “Pinnacle has been a longtime sponsor of the Heritage
Heritage Foundation, specifically the Heritage Ball, since 2005.
serve,” said Vickie Manning, area manager for Pinnacle in Williamson County. “Each one is unique, and Franklin is very special in its consistent efforts to preserve its heritage. Pinnacle has four offices in Williamson County, and many of our associates call it home. That’s one of the reasons why we are so honored to play a significant role in helping the Heritage Foundation in their efforts to keep Franklin’s history alive.”
Patron Sponsors
Saving the Places that Matter in Williamson County
Franklin Grove Estate & Gardens
The Heritage Foundation of Williamson County has been working on the largest preservation project in the Heritage Foundation’s fifty-two-year history. Franklin Grove Estate & Gardens, the former campus of O’More College of Design in downtown Franklin, has quickly stolen the hearts of many community members, including Senator Bill and Tracy Frist. The efforts of this year’s Heritage Ball are in support of this monumental project. The five-acre campus is home to two historic mansions which Heritage Foundation plans to restore and rehabilitate. These gorgeous homes will house publicly displayed historical and art collections and Williamson, Inc’s new Center for Innovation, an idea and entrepreneurship hub. The Heritage Foundation also plans to move the Lee-Buckner schoolhouse, an endangered Rosenwald school the foundation saved from development in Spring Hill, to the property. The schoolhouse will showcase an exhibit, educating the public on local African American history and, specifically, the history of students and teachers who spent time at the school. Lee-Buckner will also be used for its original purpose, as an educational space, the new home base for the Heritage Foundation’s thirty-five-year-old Heritage Classroom program.
Last, but certainly not least, Heritage Foundation envisions several new event spaces on the property, including the breathtaking Victorian-era conservatory for receptions and dinners and a stunning carriage house, as well as beautiful and extensive gardens. The property will be open to the community and will foster unity, arts, education and preservation in the heart of Williamson county.
To date, Heritage Foundation has raised over $8 million towards the purchase of the campus and schoolhouse restoration. There are several lead donors on the project, notably Sondra Morris who made a substantial gift toward the purchase of the property. Emily Magid made a gift toward the Lee-Buckner portion of the project, and Calvin and Marilyn LeHew made a gift toward the Victorian mansion, which will be home to the Center for Innovation. Special thanks to each one of these donors for their commitment to this project. The full vision for the project is estimated to cost about $18 million. This campus will be a true asset to the Franklin and Williamson County community.
The Man Behind the Design of the 46th Annual Heritage Ball
The Heritage Foundation of Williamson County was honored to have the talented Amos Gott of AmosEvents as event designer for the 46th annual Heritage Ball. Amos is known for planning some of Nashville’s most spectacular events - from celebrity weddings to corporate celebrations to iconic galas like Swan Ball and Ballet Ball. Amos had been planning events full-time in Nashville for more than eight years when he was invited to design Swan Ball. As the president and chief event architect for AmosEvents, Gott has planned events for more than 1,000 guests and notable corporations all over the country. “We are honored to have someone with such a wide range of expertise,” said Tracy Frist. “The combination of Amos’ talent and the strong team at the Heritage Foundation allows us to create another wonderful guest experience in a long line of many memorable balls.”
This year’s Ball was truly a site to see. Upon entry, guests were treated to a beautiful cocktail tent that led into the grand ballroom. The lighting, florals, greenery and tablescapes were breathtaking. Learn more about Amos Gott and AmosEvents at amosevents.com.
Amos Gott
Sponsored Event
SOCIAL | 46th Annual Heritage Ball
Photography by Jennifer Franks, Amanda Mae & Kim Whiting
This was Williamson County’s night to shine and celebrate the success of preservation efforts in our community. Corporate Sponsors in harmony with local residents and supporters, converged on the Eastern Flank at Carnton, in their most fabulous black tie finery. Ladies pulled out all the stops with their fashion and the gentlemen were dapper and debonair in a variety of tuxes and formal attire. The Ball was a feast for the senses with beautiful decor, dancing, entertainment and awards. The historic backdrop set the tone for an evening of superb and grand revelry.
Natalia & Scott Maskalunas
Sydney Ball & Ryan Weddington
Mary Courtney Finn & Mary Claire Jones
Adam & Ginger Caldwell
Belinda Stewart & Michael Davidson
Sponsored Event
SOCIAL
| Heritage Ball 2019
James & Lexie Armstrong
Tatum & Clay Perry
Barry & Jackie Alexander
Ryan Weddington, Sydney Ball, Allena & Gary Bell Kix Brooks Joy & JR Roper
Tim & Jill Sovie, Erin Keogh-Rankin, Ilene & Joshua Giamanco
Blake & Debra Wintory
Reba McEntire & Mark Humphreys
Calvin & Marilyn Lehew
Julie & John Schneider
Bethany Lay & Janet Smith
Ginna & Tucker Felts
Morgan & Amir Abtahi, Byron Stevens, Mindy & Robert Boyce
Barbara & Dave Crawley
Candy & Lawrence Sullivan, Becky & Rogers Anderson
Vicki & Michael McNamara, Lisa Nierste Morris & Mike Morris
Holley & Gabriel Sedlack JC & Cristina Estrada
Andrew & Rebecca Warren
Stacey Ligon, Emily Evans, Malinda Brown & Julie Kesler
Monty & Lisa McInturff, Beth & David Dunlap
Jamey & Jennifer Parker
Steve & Amy Beth Mason
Nancy Smith, Greg Flittner & Pam Chandler
Betty Jane & Bert Chalfant
Jessie Carter, Brooke Sweeney, Cameron Anderson & Carly Waugh
Jackie Alexander
Amy Talley
Tatum Perry
Martha Bryant Jenny Jackson
Shannon Lapsley & Meg Hershey
Marty Ligon
Joy Roper
Liz Todd Lauren Murphy Pam Chandler
Tracy Frist’s Heritage Ball Look
A dress fit for a princess! Or a Ball Chair! Tracy Frist wore a Prussian blue Italian duchess satin emblazoned with a silver Swarovski crystal embroidered spray of feathers designed in New York City by Donald Deal. Beth Franklin of Gus Mayer helped guide Tracy to the once in a lifetime experience with the designer.
“To have this kind of loving support from a retailer when engaging with a fundraiser to help the community is a rare thing,” said Tracy Frist.“There is a unique element of caring and support that Beth gives that is unique to our small town feel in Nashville. Gus Mayer, the retailer she manages, is a foundational element in our close-knit community.”
Additionally, Tracy wore pear shaped chandelier diamond earrings with a 25.4 total carat weight by Norman Silverman and a diamond radiant cut tennis bracelet with thirty seven stones with a 27.30 total carat weight provided by Grogan Jewelers by Lon.
your Party Pics from the 46th Annual Heritage Ball at
Heritage Foundation Patron’s Award
Now, in its 44th year and 50th recipient, the Heritage Foundation’s Patron’s Award recognizes an individual or organization that has shown exceptional leadership and made significant contributions to historic preservation efforts in Williamson County. This year, that honor was given to Heritage Foundation board member and volunteer Pam Chandler at the Sponsor’s Party in September. To select the Patron Award honoree, nominees are selected and voted upon by the Heritage Foundation board of directors.
Past Heritage Foundation Patron’s Award Recipients
1976 Mrs. C. Dewees Berry IV and Mr. James H. Armistead
1977 Mrs. Joseph H. Bowman, Sr.
1978 Mr. Herbert Harper
1979 Mr. Boardman Stewart
1980 Mr. Mark R. Garrett
1981 Ms. Sandy Zeigler and Mr. George M. Zeigler
1982 Dr. Joe Willoughby
1983 Mr. Edward R. Stolman
1984 Mr. and Mrs. Calvin Lehew
1985 Mr. John Noel
1986 City of Franklin
1987 Mrs. Eloise O’More
1988 Mr. Danny Anderson
1989 Mrs. Ann Herbert Floyd
1990 Mr. Robert Poe
1991 Mrs. Marty Parish Ligon
1992 Mr. and Mrs. Peter Jordan
1993 Mrs. Ann Lacey Conway
1994 Mrs. Heather M. Argo
1995 Mr. John Hackney
1996 Mr. Julian Bibb, III
1997 Mr. Rick Warwick
1998 Mr. Ed Silva
1999 Mr. Rick Moody
2000 Mr. Bill Barkley and Mr. Aubrey Preston
2001 Mrs. Eunetta Mayberry Kready
2002 Mrs. Judy Hayes
2003 Mr. Gordon Inman
2004 Mr. and Mrs. Ernie Bacon
2005 Franklin Charge Board and The City of Franklin
2006 The Honorable Cornelia A. Clark
2007 Mrs. Damon Rogers
2008 Ms. Emily A. Magid
2009 Mr. Bryan Echols
2010 Mrs. Shannon Martin
2011 Mr. David Garrett
2012 Mr. Tim Pagliara
2013 Gentry Family
2014 Mr. Robert Hicks
2015 Mrs. Mary Pearce
2016 Mr. Cyril Stewart
2017 Mr. Joseph Bowman, IV
2018 Mr. and Mrs. Andy Marshall
2019 Ms. Pam Chandler
Inaugural Tracy Frist Legacy Award
On the heels of the release of the new eight-part sixteen-hour docuseries, “Country Music,” directed and produced by Ken Burns; written and produced by Dayton Duncan; and produced by Julie Dunfey, the Heritage Foundation of Williamson County awarded Dayton Duncan the 2019 Tracy Frist Legacy Award. Duncan is an award-winning writer, having authored thirteen books, and an Emmy-award-winning documentary filmmaker, having been involved with the work of Ken Burns for nearly thirty years.
CEO of the Heritage Foundation Bari Beasley said, “Tracy Frist and Senator Bill Frist would like to shine a national spotlight on Williamson County and the great history and preservation work our community supports every day. To do so, the Frists have been instrumental in creating the new Tracy Frist Legacy Award, which will honor someone at a national level right here in Franklin. The award will be given annually at the Heritage Ball. This year, I could not be more honored to have Dayton Duncan join us. His work speaks for itself, and I know our community will be proud to host him in October.”
Andy & Betty Hawkins
Lisa & Aaron Kirchner
Meredith McKellar-Rowley & Susan Denton
Dayton Duncan
Presenting
Many Thanks to Our Sponsors and Key Supporters
Many Thanks to Our Sponsors and Key Supporters
Presenting
Presenting Sponsor of the Heritage Ball
Mr.
Barry and Jackie Alexander Chuck McDowell and Jo Ellen Drennon McDowell
Presenting Sponsor of the Late Party Premier Sponsors
Mr. and Mrs. Danny Anderson
Presenting Sponsor of the Late Party Premier Sponsors Patron Sponsors
Mr. and Mrs. Mark Humphreys Marty and Ronald Ligon
BEDS / 5 FULL & 1 HALF BATH $1,199,900 / 6,435 SQ FT
The Historic Franklin Wine Collection
BY CARRIE DRURY
My father has owned a boutique wine distribution company for ten years. Due to his decline in health, I took over daily operations a year ago. We are a small distribution company that works with familyowned, limited production, small batch vineyards that are unique and distinct in style, thus their name: “Boutique.”
Now that the wine is being sold in grocery stores and the fact that there are over 600,000 wine labels out there, being small and trying to compete with the larger distributors forced me to re-evaluate our portfolio. We rely on the retailers and restaurants that carry our brands to hand sell them and bring attention to them, and that unfortunately does not always happen, so we get lost in mass-produced consumer wines that are brand popular. For that reason we are working hard to bring in more spirits. We are looking for small batch bourbons, gins and rums. We have found, what I believe, is one of the best tequilas on the market in our Vikera Tequila brand and very proud to have brought it to middle Tennessee. But because we are known as a wine business, I wanted to find a “niche” wine.
Driving through downtown Franklin one day, I started thinking of how I could incorporate my new love of the wine business with the love of my hometown. Franklin has come a long way from being what it was when I was growing up here to what it is now. As I was stopped at a red light, I noticed I hardly knew a face on the sidewalk. I watched as tourists went in one store and then another. I starting thinking; what if I designed a custom wine label that would appeal to tourists and locals alike? I began writing down ideas, drawing sketches, and came up with The Franklin Historic Wine Collection, making The Battle of Franklin our first series in that collection. I found a talented graphics designer who got my vision from the start and with that, my idea took life! Never having done this before, there were a few hurdles. It’s not as easy as designing a label, placing it on a bottle and selling it to a restaurant or store. There are so many rules and regulations to follow. There were days when I just about gave up.
Once I received approval on the label, it was time to choose the wine. Thinking that was going to be the easy part, actually turned out to be a little harder than expected. At first, my thought was that we would sell the wine as a novelty - something the tourists could take back home with them from their time spent here. And that our locals would enjoy a local wine brand as well. However, I wanted the wine to be really good and not just simply “novelty” tasting wine. We spent months tasting wines and though that was, and does sound fun, it was also overwhelming. In the end, I chose a vineyard from Santa Barbara and worked extremely close with the winemaker in selecting exactly what we would bottle. I was involved in the entire winemaking process, from harvest to bottling.
My dad has always said there is a story to be found in every bottle of wine. These wines have a story. I will be so proud to see people
enjoy them. Learn more about Harvest Beverage Company at harvestbeveragecompany.com and The Battle of Franklin wine collection at franklinwinecollection.com.
The Historic Franklin Wine Collection, first of many in the series, is The Battle of Franklin:
Carnton - Cabernet Sauvignon 2017 - Santa Ynez Valley, California
Eastern Flank - Pinot Noir 2018 - Santa Barbara County California
Cotton Gin Assault - White Blend 2018 - Santa Barbara County, California
Winstead Hill - Chardonnay 2019 - Santa Barbara County, California - To be released April 2020
CARRIE DRURY Owner of Harvest Beverage Company Director of A Vintage Affair
BELOVED HARVEY STATUE UNVEILED
Dogs are a big part of our county’s history and one pup in particular was recognized and honored recently! Animalia Health and Wellness and the Battle of Franklin Trust welcomed Harvey to the Carter House. Harvey was the beloved mascot of the 104th Ohio Volunteer Infantry. Through the generosity of Animalia, a bronze sculpture of Harvey is the first tangible component completed for the new Carter House museum and was unveiled in October.
The 104th Ohio was located on the main Federal line of defense south of Franklin, positioned near Fountain Branch Carter’s cotton gin, on the afternoon of November 30, 1864. Harvey was well-known and mentioned by soldiers. Adam Weaver of Company ‘I’ wrote, “The regiment’s mascot, old dog Harvey, just paid us a visit. He somehow always looks me up. After a little bite and a hand pat too, moves on to Company ‘F’ boys.”
The Battle of Franklin Trust Curator Joanna Stephens wanted to recreate Harvey because of the humanity that animals bring to the very tragic and chaotic wartime period in America. Dogs and their loyalties to humans, speak to all demographics. Artist Janel Maher of Janel Maher Fine Art, known for capturing the heart, soul and very essence in her sculptures, brought Harvey to life so all future visitors could experience the beloved mascot. Go visit Harvey today!
Designing a Viable Path through The Path Project
BY ANNIE OSTEEN
In 2008, Jim and Melinda Hollandsworth, a pastor and special education teacher, met a family living in a mobile home community near their home in Georgia. This meeting would change the course of their own family path. This family introduced the Loganville couple to a neighborhood, not far from their home, where very few children were graduating from high school and countless kids were heading in a destructive direction.
It was then that the Hollandsworths designed an educational template that would empower Latino youth living in at-risk mobile home communities, to give them a better chance of graduating from high school, thus giving them more power over their future. The Path Project was born.
The Path Project is introduced into mobile home parks by establishing a community center, where teachers and volunteers are able to generate an impact with programs that influence children from preschool to high school. The Path Project programs focus on literacy and the importance of daily homework but have also organized leadership and mentoring programs for teenagers. Additionally, the Hollandsworth’s, having also had a Christian motivation behind the inception of The Path Project, quickly identified the genuine blessing of composing a program that not only created an encouraging scholastic atmosphere but also promoted the love of Christ through the program.
The Path Project quickly grew and now operates in eight mobile home parks – most of them in Georgia, but one here in our own backyard in West Franklin. Franklin Estates mobile home park, located off of West Main Street, became home to Tennessee’s first Path Project in 2012, with the support and dedication of Rolling Hills Community Church. Margaret Jane Strelecki, the Path Project Community Director of Franklin Estates, a former history teacher in a very large immigrant populated school in Houston, prepared her to lead the first Path Project in Tennessee. Her passion of the project has induced enthusiasm amongst not only the students that reside in Franklin Estates but some of the teachers that see these same children at school each day.
Strelecki believes in the importance of each component that makes The Path Project a success - with volunteers serving as a substantial element of that success. “Volunteers serve as role models and make it possible for children to receive individualized encouragement and
support. Volunteers don’t need to be trained as a teacher or even know the latest way to do math. Volunteers just need to be there, smile, ask questions, and offer encouragement. Those are the things that matter most and have a lasting impact,” she says.
Consistency for anyone is important but certainly crucial to children, especially at-risk children. Volunteers, who are interested in working with The Path Project, are asked to examine their time allowance carefully before committing as the consistent weekly investment is important to the success of the children that are participating.
In Franklin Estates, The Path Project runs after-school programs Monday, Tuesday and Thursday during the school year (SeptemberMay). Strelecki adds “ we do summer field trips and camps, but there isn't a regular schedule. One of our most successful summer programs is a week-long summer book club. In the past, we’ve had as many as thirty kids attend our book clubs and were blessed to have ten Poplar Grove School teachers volunteer their time by leading the groups. Their teachers are coming into their neighborhood to spend time with them. It’s an important message to these kids that they are valuable.”
The Path Project, a 501c3, provides snacks each day that the community center is open. They arrange transportation for the kids when needed and they also provide school supplies, books, etc and nearly all is donated, if not purchased by the staff. Sadly, only a small fraction of the Franklin community is aware of The Path Project’s existence and the significant influence that’s been in-motion to secure continuity within the Franklin Estates mobile home park. Despite this, The Path Project has been able to elevate and nurture children to a better future for the last seven years in our very own backyard. Taking positive steps forward to create a more evident, viable path for these at-risk kids, through The Path Project, is something our community should put on the priority list. To find out more about donating or volunteering with the path project, please visit pathproject.org.
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Hosting a Backyard Bonfire Party
BY KRISTA EHRET
The chill in the air signifies the change of season that we all so “patiently” waited for - fall has officially arrived! Open windows, falling leaves, and pumpkin spice everything, are all telltale signs that fall is finally here. This is my favorite time of year to entertain, mostly because we can be outdoors without the woes of humidity and pests that the summer offers in droves. Between the living room football parties and the cozy holiday gatherings, take some time to have a casual family-friendly bonfire that gives everyone the opportunity to enjoy the autumn air and connect before the craziness of the season sets in. Here are some ideas:
Set the Mood.
Let's be clear, casual does not mean drab. Take some time to make your backyard area cozy and inviting. If you live in the country and can actually have a bonfire, wonderful, If you're city-locked, then dust off the old fire pit and make that your focal point. Make sure you have ample seating either with furniture or thick quilts all near the fire feature. String lights, lanterns, and tiki torches are all great and inexpensive ways to add some ambiance as well as keeping things from getting too dark.
Offer Food and Drink Stations.
Everyone loves a good food station. Just ask every wedding guest for the last ten years. Being able to customize your dinner is fun and allows the prep work to be done ahead of time. It's the best of both worlds for the host and the attendees. You want food that is easy, filling, but still season appropriate. Ideas for main course stations could be hotdogs (especially if you have an actual bonfire), chili bar, mashed potatoes, and mac and cheese. Display cute serving dishes with toppings to go along with each. S'mores are the ideal dessert. If you want to keep things a bit less messy, you could consider a s'mores dip, a caramel apple dessert bar, or a couple of cobblers. For drinks, I suggest a white and red wine, seasonal craft beer, a domestic beer option, and then either a coffee bar or an apple cider bar with the option to make either boozy. Include a hot chocolate option for the kiddos.
Keep Everyone Comfy.
I personally love a little nip in the air. However, I have friends that cannot stand the cold. Make sure to accommodate everyone by having extra throws or coats at the ready. Also, have a sitting area set up inside, possibly near a lit fireplace, so that those who have babies, or just don't want to be outside, can be indoors without feeling like they're imposing or an afterthought.
Safety First.
Consider the age of any children that will be invited as well as your adult to child ratio. Toddlers will be mesmerized by the fire, but may not be able to control themselves from getting too close. Consider having a babysitter and some activities set up inside so that the younger kids can play safely and the adults can have a moment to relax and chat.
KRISTA EHRET The Lady Entertains
From intimate dinner parties to huge annual events, Krista believes we can always find an excuse to celebrate. With a background in interior and event design, she loves bringing people together in
BETH
The holidays are a special time of gathering family and friends that we hold dear. As hosts, we often spend all of our time finding the perfect time, place, décor, and menu for the gathering and sigh with relief once everyone has arrived and is seated. The truth is that the heavy lifting is over with, but the intentionality is not. Our human nature is to gravitate towards those people who are like us, including by age group, hence the infamous ‘kids table.’ This holiday season you have the chance to set your guests up for successful interactions with family and friends of all ages.
Be purposeful about seating and task assignments.
This one deserves some forethought. Before your guests arrive, spend time thinking through who you task with the assignment of cultivating conversations between people. Ideally, this request will go to someone who knows the most people at the gathering or is just in general an outgoing individual. If your guests will be seated, then plan seating assignments carefully. Think about who may not naturally get much time together and place them together. If possible, include kids at the table with the adults.
Observe meaningful traditions.
Pay homage to relatives and friends you have shared life with through honoring traditions. Favorite recipes, songs, and movies are a few of the ways you can keep a thread of the past going in to the future. The holidays often give us time with family and friends that extends beyond a meal so have some ideas of things to do together, before, and after dinner. Have grandpa ask “Alexa” to play his favorite music before dinner. Winding down after dinner? That’s a good time to ask your great aunt to jot down her recipe for the pie she brought. Having the older generations teach the younger generations keeps traditions alive. If you don't have any family traditions, let this be the year that you start a new one.
Give thanks together.
Having each person share what they are thankful for at any gathering will bring about good conversation. You may even want to have conversation starters like: Name one thing you appreciate about
Bridging the Gap
how can i get the younger and older generations to interact at my holiday gatherings?
someone in the room or what is one compliment you have never paid to someone in the room. For more great conversation starters, check out our blog on steelmagnoliaspodcast.com
Serve together.
There is no better way to enjoy the holiday season than by serving together as a family or group of friends. There are always needs all around us and serving together can make for a wonderful way to give back to the community, together.
Laugh together.
Pull out old photo albums and ask questions about those photos and the people in them. Look at newer digital photos that the older generations may not have seen. You could even make a new digital scrapbook together. Play games (both board and video), and have the older/younger ones teach each other how to play. Both of these activities are bound to bring about laughter and fun interactions!
For more ideas on how to plan for a wonderful family gathering, check out our Thanksgiving Episode (Episode 1) of the Steel Magnolias Podcast.
Lainie Stubblefield and Laura Beth Peters (Co-Hosts of the Steel Magnolias Podcast) Available on Apple Podcasts, Google Play and Tune In as well as steelmagnoliaspodcast.com
BETH PETERS & LAINIE STUBBLEFIELD
Steel Magnolias Podcast
These two sisters co-host the weekly podcast, Steel Magnolias – Holding on to the Good of the South. As Native Nashvillians they love family, traditions and all things Southern. Both sisters currently reside in Franklin, Tennessee. You can connect with them on Instagram at @SteelMagnoliasPodcast.
BY LAURA
PETERS AND LAINIE STUBBLEFIELD, STEEL MAGNOLIAS PODCAST
LAURA
Sponsored Event
SOCIAL | Franklin Wine Festival
Photography by Paige Atwell
Franklin Wine Festival is a fall event not to be missed. This year was no exception! Celebrating its fifteenth anniversary, the Franklin Wine Festival is one of the Nashville areas best food and wine events. Guests filled the Factory at Franklin for an evening of food from local restaurants, entertainment by Erin Kinsey and The Winnie Blues and most importantly, great wine from top sommeliers and winemakers across the country. Franklin Wine Festival benefits Big Brothers Big Sisters of Middle Tennessee, an organization that provides mentorships between adults and children that have a lasting effect on young people in our community and beyond. To learn more about Big Brothers Big Sisters of Middle Tennessee, visit mentorakid.org.
Marney Yenzer & Vicki Estrin
Kendall & Doug Swanson
Matt & Sue Ciaramitaro
Courtney & Jim DeTrude
Lisa Bird & Meredith Douglas
Deborah Abrams, Kim Smith & LeAnne Roberts
Bruce Carlock & Pam Cherry
Rachel Gann, Angie Gregory, Jim & Mary Ehrlich, Derek & Lizzie Wesolowsk
Christie Brown & Stefanie Bone
Jay & Cindy Defrancesco
A Fall Gathering Spot
BY JENNIFER PARKER
A Fall Gathering Spot - Porch design by Miriam Wiggins and Parker Haven Interiors. Photography by Soloman Davis
There is no doubt in my mind that fall is one of the busiest times of the year. This favorite season of mine showed up late this year, but alas it’s finally here!
Hooray! I love that we start the holiday season with Thanksgiving as it’s a true favorite holiday of mine. I love it because it’s about gathering for great food with family and friends without the pressure of gifts and timelines.
Our front porch is a gathering spot that we use year round, especially Thanksgiving. I had the pleasure and honor this year to enlist the help of the fabulous Miriam Wiggins to assist me in making our porch a welcoming place for this wonderful holiday. I first saw Miriam's amazing work on the steps of the Heritage Foundation of Williamson County in downtown Franklin last year and it stuck with me. As crazy as the fall is with running my own company, kid schedules, and social commitments, I needed help this year and thankfully, Miriam came to the rescue!
Using a true cornucopia of multi-colored pumpkins, corn stalks, hay bales, and mums, Miriam created this delightful landscape on our front porch to welcome in the season. I added two magnolia wreaths on the front door as well as some large lanterns were placed strategically around the area. I adore electric flickering candles in my lanterns and use a few that work on a timer to highlight the porch at the start of dusk. This simple added touch makes for amazing fall ambiance.
So in the season of thankfulness, I am grateful for friends who are generous with their talents and I am thankful for a thriving business that allows me to help bring beautiful designs into the homes of others.
I hope this season of Thanksgiving brings your family Joy and the gift of Gratitude.
As always, let me know if I can help you bring some fresh design into your own home. You can follow me @parkerhaveninteriors, and give me a shout if you need Miriam’s number!
Photography by Kimberly Savannah Whiting
The Refuge Center for Counseling held its celebration and seventh annual fundraising event, Hope Grows, in October at The Factory at Franklin. The event featured a performance by multi GRAMMY award-winning artists Jars of Clay, as well as a presentation of the Hope Award to several members of the community. All proceeds from Hope Grows directly benefit the clients and programs of The Refuge Center for Counseling, which offers affordable, high quality counseling services for individuals, children, families and couples. For more information, visit therefugecenter.org.
Ashley Vicari, Christine Snipes, Laura & Sean Cawley
Janean Vance & Nicole Smith
Andrea & Rusty Bragg Leigh & Bill Parsons
Jenny & Eric Baer
Tracey & Jason Sain
Marybeth & Tim Bauer
making a living in Williamson County!
BY TIM KEARNS
This edition of Your Williamson focuses on businesses in Williamson County...and there are many. This month, I chose to share about three business owners who are fine Southern Gentlemen that have taken good care of me!
David Patton owns a Lawn Care business, Pure Turf, LLC, based in Brentwood. If you want your lawn to look like your favorite golf course or the Titan’s field, give David a call. David relocated from Alabama in 2001 to play baseball at Lipscomb University. After graduation, having spent many years playing baseball or golfing on high quality turf, he decided that he should turn a passion into a career. David founded Pure Turf in 2007 and takes care of the very best lawns up and down the I-65 corridor in both Davidson and Williamson Counties. His primary focus is on the cool-season grasses, and offers a twelve-month plan that includes: fertilization, fungicide, and insect control that will truly make your lawn the envy of the neighborhood. When he’s not working, David enjoys playing golf, hunting, watching college football or being with his wife, Paige, and two children Charlotte and Foster. If you don’t have a green thumb but you do want to earn Yard-of-the-Month in your neighborhood, give David a call at Pure Turf. The biggest issue I’ve had is that all of my neighbors use David too so it’s tough for my house to stand out because they all look good!
A business I have frequented almost daily since 2001 is Franklin Athletic Club. It is two and a half miles from my house, reasonably priced, and whether you’re a weightlifter, triathlete, or just love to stay in shape, this could be your gym. Aaron Kirchner and his wife Lisa own FAC. Aaron’s passion for exercise runs in his veins. He started bodybuilding as a teenager and placed fifth in Mr. Teen Florida. He has certifications in personal training, nutrition, and training the older population. He, not only enjoys triathlons and has completed multiple races from sprint to full distance triathlons, Aaron is an Ironman finisher. Along with swimming, biking, running, weightlifting and yoga, he enjoys teaching social dance with Lisa. They primarily teach West Coast Swing across the country and has participated in exhibitions as they travel. Aaron doesn’t have children – however they have two four-legged ones. Stella is an eight year old Golden Retriever from Adopt A Golden Nashville and they are currently in the process of adopting their newest family member, Butler, is a seven year old Golden. Stella often attends Lisa's Friday morning yoga at FAC and likes to share Aaron’s mat. She is also one of BrightStone's pet therapy dogs. Aaron is a true Southern Gentleman and if you’re looking for a Gym to call home, give Franklin Athletic Club a try.
When your daughter gets married it’s good to know someone in the liquor industry. Jeff Warzynski at Cool Springs Wine and Spirits (CSWS) is my guy. Jeff has been the Wine Manager at CSWS for the past three years, a job title he has held in the industry for twenty-six years. If you know your events head count but are unsure of the quantity of alcohol to buy; beer, wine or spirits, he’s the man to see. When Jeff is not helping people with their wine selections, he’s spending time with his wife, Stephanie, and his three children. You can also find Jeff firing up his grill in BBQ Competitions or roller-blading through his neighborhood. When I asked him about his “go-to” wine for his own consumption, he said he’s partial to Hendry Wines because the owner, Michael Hendry, is a dear friend. In fact, it was Hendry Vineyards in California where he and Stephanie shared their vows a year ago. Jeff’s passion for wine has taken him across the globe to wine regions of New Zealand, Australia, Italy, France, Chile, Oregon, and many trips to California. Imagine my surprise when the CSWS truck showed up with the alcohol order at my daughter’s wedding venue and Jeff was actually the one driving. It’s that kind of service that keeps me coming back to Jeff and CSWS for my monthly wine purchases. Even though he’s originally from Michigan, he has certainly proven himself to be a Southern Gentleman. Stop by and see Jeff at Cool Springs Wine and Spirits soon!
A Southern Gentleman Is...
TIM KEARNS
Puckett’s Boat House Private Room
Catering by Scout’s Pub
BY ANNA ROBERTSON HAM
When it comes to the dining industry, brothers, Curt and Mason Revelette, are no strangers to the business. Curt and Mason have been involved in the restaurant business for many years. Their family owns and operates Jonathan’s Grille, now with seven locations and four more opening in the coming year. One of their most recent endeavors has become a favorite among Williamson County locals. The Rutledge was the vision and desire to have a fine dining steakhouse but with an urban and more fun-filled atmosphere.
The Rutledge opened this year and brings an eclectic, artistic atmosphere to the Cool Springs area, but also welcomes the sports enthusiasts with two seventy-inch flat screens over the bar. Artwork, which has been chosen by Curt and Mason from well-known artists in both New York and California, is displayed throughout the restaurant. They wanted to give their patrons the opportunity to step inside a gallery and see unique art that they would not otherwise see. The overall concept was to really give their diners a place to come in and experience more…while having a great bourbon and delicious steak.
I had an amazing tasting at The Rutledge recently and learned more about the restaurant from Mason. He informed me about the menu selections, seasonal offerings, and the brews and spirits offered which they like to keep local with distillers and brewers. The brothers pride themselves on keeping a menu of offerings that are top notch and are very immersed in the selections made. I got to try a few of them while there.
The first dish that I enjoyed was the Ahi Tuna which is lightly seared with a kale couscous salad. This dish was flavorful and vibrant. I really loved the sweet sauce that accompanies the tuna and the beautiful blend of flavors.
Next, I tried the California Roll, which is one of many sushi rolls offered by the eatery. The California roll has surimi, avocado, asparagus and red pepper,
MASON & CURT REVELETTE
which completely sets itself apart from the norm. The asparagus and red pepper provided a wonderful crunch and sweetness to the sushi roll that you wouldn’t expect.
After that, I enjoyed the bone-in ribeye served with a loaded baked potato. Fourteen ounces of seasoned and seared ribeye with a mound of herbed butter right on top, so that it melted down into each cut and bite. It was absolutely delicious and cooked to perfection.
Lastly, I tried a new menu offering, the Caprese salad with sliced red and gold heirloom tomatoes, fresh mozzarella dollops, basil and topped with balsamic. Fresh, flavorful and satisfying.
In my opinion, the food offered at The Rutledge would delight many palates and with such a variety offered on their menu, behind the bar, and topped with wonderful service - The Rutledge stands out among steakhouses and other eateries in the area. They also offer a private room for parties and weekly specials.
Whether you are going out for a delicious dinner, late night drink or to find a great spot to watch the game - The Rutledge is definitely one to be at the top of your list.
An Interview with President Matt Largen
BY SHELLY ROBERTSON BIRDSONG
Every year for our annual Business in Williamson County special feature, we take time to speak with the Williamson, Inc. President Matt Largen about the status of business and economic development in our county and region and what impact the Chamber of Commerce has had in growth and success in the previous year. Let’s hear what Matt had to say about the year that was 2019 in Williamson County.
YW: What has been the biggest challenge/biggest success for Williamson, Inc. and the Economic Development Division, in 2019?
ML: Williamson, Inc., which includes the chamber of commerce and office of economic development for Williamson County, measures our success by the success of our members and economic development investors. The most notable success for our community this year was the relocation of Mitsubishi Motors to Williamson County, creating over 150 career opportunities for local residents. Mitsubishi currently occupies temporary space in Williamson County and will move to their permanent headquarters in the first quarter of next year. This project, led by our Chief Economic Development Officer Elizabeth McCreary, is special because they are only relocating a handful of people and will fill nearly 75% of the jobs by hiring locally. This is important because our residents who commute to downtown Nashville, for example, will have an opportunity to find a career closer to home, which will cut down on traffic and allow them to spend more time with friends and family. In fact, we hosted their first open house and job fair and had over 400 people attend, and the company collected nearly 300 resumes. Even with a low unemployment rate, it shows that there are people unemployed or under-employed in our community, or people who are tired of making the commute to Nashville every day.
YW: What exciting business news can you report as far as why it’s still a great idea to open a business, relocate a business and be in business in WC?
goods and services and that leads to a healthy business environment. Our low crime rate, lack of state income tax, access to quality healthcare, a range of housing options, tourism assets, and a strong preservation culture, all play a role in making Williamson County a great place for business and residents.
YW: How can members, old, new and prospective, get the most bang for their buck out of joining Williamson, Inc.?
ML: My advice to current and prospective members - is to engage. We take our responsibility to our membership extremely seriously and are always looking for ways we can help our members get connected and maximize their investment. We have a great team who works tirelessly to find customized solutions to each members’ need. We pride ourselves on creating an authentically welcoming environment at our events, and host over 150 meetings and events each year. We have programming for small business specifically through First Friday, for female leaders through Women in Business, for young professionals through our Young Professionals, Leadership YP, and Young Leaders Council, just to name a few.
ML: So far this year, we have scheduled seventy-four ribbon cuttings for businesses and non-profits across our county; far exceeding the pace from the previous years. I think this single statistic speaks to the economic dynamism of Williamson County and sends a clear signal that our community is open for business and embraces small business. It is still a great idea to open a business in Williamson County because our talent base is second to none. People move and stay here for the schools and quality of life, which creates the consumer demand for
YW: How do you feel new projects such as multiple hotels and other larger business/retail and housing structures, in the historic district of downtown Franklin, impact the culture, neighborhoods and economy of an already thriving area, that has existing traffic and parking issues? How do you see the good outweighing the bad in the bigger picture? How do we maintain our charm, character and neighborhood feel alongside important commercial growth in these areas?
ML: This is the single most important thing we have to get right, for our current and future generation of Williamson County residents. I am thankful for the great leaders in our community who put preservation first when it wasn’t so easy or trendy. The foresight of people like Mary Pearce, former Executive Director of the Heritage Foundation, allowed for the creation of the vibrant, thriving business district of Cool Springs while also preserving the unique character of Williamson County through her work in downtown Franklin. There are very few communities across America who have a Cool Springs and an historic downtown Franklin, and that did not happen by accident or overnight. There are strict guidelines for development in downtown Franklin, and you could not ask for a better development partner than Harpeth Associates, led by a historian, that built something special with the new Harpeth Square development in downtown Franklin. The high-
MATT LARGEN
end, boutique hotel will allow visitors and residents the chance to experience downtown Franklin in a completely new way. People can visit, or schedule a staycation, and never have to get in a car once they arrive in downtown Franklin. Harpeth Square compliments the existing historic look of downtown Franklin and will be a centerpiece to visitors and residents alike for years to come.
YW: What do you attribute low voter turnout in city elections (as well as others), to - and how can more participation be encouraged?
ML: I think there is a low voter turnout in local elections because people are satisfied by the leadership and direction of our community. And the City of Franklin Citizen Survey bears that out with 99% of residents rating Franklin as Excellent/Good as a place to live. We have a great government relations department that regularly informs our membership and the general public on local legislative matters once a month at Columbia State, moderated by Dave Crouch, one of the founders of the unified chamber of commerce. We also partner with local media and groups like Franklin Tomorrow to host candidate debates and forums.
YW: Tell us about Williamson Inc’s partnership with the Heritage Foundation and the new project going on at Franklin Grove Estate and Gardens.
ML: I am incredibly excited by this unique partnership with our local preservation organization, the Heritage Foundation of Williamson County, led by my friend Bari Beasley. She has been great to work with on this project and we are both excited to open the Calvin and Marilyn LeHew Center for Innovation early next year on the campus of Franklin Grove. This center will provide entrepreneurs with low cost dedicated office space for a set period of time. We are using the Alpharetta Tech Center outside of Atlanta, as a model. Since that center opened three years ago, seventy direct high-paying jobs in technology have been created by companies who have “graduated” from their center. We envision a similar model with our center. We will provide our tenants with robust technology, access to a collaborative work environment, and access to services like accounting, marketing, and strategic planning from our partners. The tenants will sign year to year leases until they “graduate” from the center, create jobs, and take office space in Williamson County. The goal of the center in long-term job and career creation for Williamson County.
YW: Talk about the legacy of Brentwood and its celebration of fifty years. What is Brentwood’s contribution to the county and where do you see Brentwood’s future in retail, commercial and housing?
ML: Brentwood is tremendously important to the economic health of Williamson County and the Nashville region. We are proud to operate the Adult and Youth Leadership Programs through the excellent leadership of Lynn Tucker. The program has created hundreds of leaders for Brentwood over the last few decades. Brentwood provides great corporate housing options for our executives and the new Hill Center and City Park developments provide excellent gathering spots
for Brentwood residents. Some of our best corporate citizens, like Tractor Supply Company and LBMC, call Brentwood home. Our team had a chance to tour Brentwood Academy recently, and we were all incredibly impressed at the way that school educates its students academically, athletically, and spiritually. Brentwood Academy is a key part of the education ecosystem that makes Williamson County such a great place to live.
YW: Speaking of housing: What is the status of the housing market in Williamson County and do you see a shift in housing prices, availability and growth, or a slowing down of growth in that arena in 2020?
ML: In addition to serving our nearly 1500 members, our scope of work is focused on three priorities: Increasing public education funding, finding and supporting transportation solutions, and creating attainable housing options for our residents. I think housing prices will continue to escalate in Williamson County, which creates challenges for our residents. We are currently working with the City of Franklin to establish a pilot program that will incentivize home builders to build attainable housing, $300,000 and lower, by waiving development fees. We hope this will start to create attainable housing options for our neighbors.
YW: As Williamson Inc. celebrates seven years as the unified countywide Chamber of Commerce, how do you feel that unification has benefited the county and chamber members? Have there been any negatives or challenges there, difficult to overcome?
ML: We have been blessed by strong leaders with incredible foresight in Williamson County over the last few decades. Our community is built on the foundation of those who came before us. Nearly a decade ago, leaders of our community came together and decided that a single chamber of commerce would serve the business community in the most effective way. They decided that one organization would provide a single path of engagement for our business community in Williamson County. The reason why the chambers unified, helping our members save time and resources, is written in the DNA of Williamson, Inc. We also work hard to make sure what we offer is relevant to our members as they navigate through the new information economy. Our job is to help our members achieve success, on their terms and how they define success.
Williamson, Inc. Year in Review: Events
Williamson, Inc. hosted 177 total events in 2019, seven of which were signature events. While signature events are Williamson, Inc’s most highly populated events, their recurring events and ribbon cuttings made up almost ninety-six percent of their 2019 events. This year, Williamson, Inc. assisted in over eighty ribbon cuttings, setting the record for most ribbon cuttings within a year. Recurring events include committee specific meetings, First Fridays, Member Connects, Inclusion Workshops, Williamson 101, Young Professional meetings, and Legislative Updates. Throughout 2019’s record breaking event calendar, event topics covered education, transportation, legislation, diversity, professional development, and other topics that ultimately help our community come together for the betterment of Williamson County.
The first signature event of 2019 was February’s “Day on the Hill,” The half-day event was a look inside state government from our Williamson County delegation and Williamson, Inc.’s Director of Government Affairs, Kel McDowell. The day began with a discussion on pertinent legislative issues that impact the business community in Tennessee, including efforts to fully fund Williamson County Schools. There were also tours of the historic Tennessee State Capitol, private Legislative Lounge and the Senate and House Chambers. Attendees were to able engage and connect with our local representatives.
Williamson Inc. held it’s annual “Outlook Williamson” in April, a half-day economic summit featuring a deep dive into the Williamson County economy and forecasting trends for the region. This signature event was attended by more than 360 business and community leaders from around the region. June’s Transportation Summit presented insight on the South Corridor Study as well as a keynote address from Jackie Millet. Jackie is Mayor of Lone Tree, Colorado, a peer community of Williamson County, who has transformed public transportation through business partnerships.
In late July, Williamson County Mayor, Rogers Anderson, delivered his seventeenth annual State of the County Address. As many know, Williamson, Inc. was formed after several area chambers combined in 2012, making this event a pre-merger tradition that has been carried on throughout the years. The Mayor gave an overview on how the county is performing on economic indicators such as financial health, education, public safety, transportation, job growth and employment, and capital investments.
The Women in Business Summit in August, hosted over 200 female business leaders. Keynote Speaker, Sarah Nuse, owner of the Tippi Toes chain, inspired attendees with her story on transforming your day to day success. The summit also featured three WIB Talks which
were modeled after “Ted Talks.” Those speakers featured Kia Jarmon, Agency Director of MEPR Agency; Laura Reinbold, National Director of Terracon; and Mila Grigg, CEO of Moda Image and Brand Consulting. The speakers covered highly requested topics from our members such as Your Mission Within the Company’s Mission, How to Position Yourself to Lead, and Overcoming Fear.
2019’s Education Summit half-day update on the innovative programs in Williamson County Schools, Franklin Special School District, independent and private schools. As presenting sponsor, Tennessee Tech President Philip Oldham co-moderated the half-day summit with Williamson, Inc. President and CEO Matt Largen. The first two sessions covered during the summit included panelists from local schools and included insight on local STEM programs and entrepreneurship. The third panel addressed the State of the Schools from both superintendents Jason Golden of Williamson County Schools and Dr. David Snowden of Franklin Special School District, on a variety of topics that pertain to our biggest economic assets in Williamson County, our schools.
In October, Williamson, Inc. held their Business Expo while adding a new element- a career fair. Held at The Factory at Franklin, this non-traditional Business Expo and Career Fair featured over sixty businesses, a local beer garden from Bavarian Bierhaus, and tastings from H. Clark Distillery. This event was beneficial for all Williamson County business professionals whether you were showcasing your business, growing your staff, or simply networking. Twenty-five of the businesses that were showcased displayed “Now Hiring” signage at their booth which shows promise that the career fair element will return to futures expos.
Lastly, Williamson, Inc. will host their Annual Celebration this month. The Annual Celebration will feature keynote speaker, Fred Diaz, CEO of Mitsubishi as he gives his story on the company decision to relocate to Williamson County. The event will be the first to take place at Northside McEwen, Williamson County’s newest mixed-use development in the heart of Cool Springs. Attendees of the annual celebration will also receive priority registration to Williamson Inc.’s newest Signature Event, a professional development opportunity with worldwide brand recognition. Interested in learning more? Visit williamsonchamber.com/events to learn more.
Congratulations to these new Williamson County businesses and Chamber members!
Sponsored Event
SOCIAL | Williamson, Inc. Business Expo & Career Fair
Photography by Jennifer Franks
Williamson, Inc. held their annual Business Expo and Career Fair in October at The Factory at Franklin. Hundreds came out to attend the Chamber’s premier networking opportunity, that included over sixty businesses. The Expo provided an opportunity to interact with businesses and community members, while trying a beer at the Bavarian Bierhaus Beer Garden, taste some gin provided by H. Clark Distillery, enjoy some tasty foods and more! To learn more about the Williamson, Inc.’s events and membership, visit williamsonchamber.com.
Chelsey Johnson
Dawn Blache & Bear Iles
Marc Wolfe & Steve Muscato
Beth Palk & Kalyn Dennis
Emily Hinton & Leigh Bawcom Tiffany James
Abby Bass, Amy Smith & Tracy Blink
Hillary Thornton
Annmarie Rauba & Haley Klages
Jen Nichols & Jennifer Dillon
Ed Walsh & Lori Mofield
Katherine Mee, Anthony Dudley, Tina Tackett & Jeffrey Dillard
Sonia Thalman
Hollie Holt & Melanie Kamp
Larry Yatuzis & Karen Yatuzis
Jake Mroczynski, Joey Meredith & Tramaine Parks Cindy Brown & Palmer Cash Whitney Miller
FRAUDSTERS, THIEVES AND SCAMS – OH MY!
BY SHEILA GILLILAND, CTP
It seems there are spooks lurking around every corner, so it is a good time to be careful – especially when working to protect your money. Consumers and businesses need to be diligent in knowing how to protect themselves from fraud. Being aware of the scams is the first step in preventing fraud, and the second step is knowing how it can be prevented.
CONSUMERS THEFT AND SCAMS
Consumer theft is not limited to just identity theft and stolen credit cards. We are now seeing an increased number of robocalls, car warranty scams, jury duty scams, and the list goes on and on. We know to keep our wallets and phones safe, but it is important to talk with your family members, friends, and neighbors about how fraudsters are tricking or intimidating people into sharing their bank or credit card information.
We must educate individuals on the potential threats that lie behind unfamiliar email addresses or unknown text message requests. Continue to reduce or eliminate writing checks by utilizing bill pay functionalities available through your financial institution. If you must write checks, take them to the drop boxes located inside the post office to be mailed, eliminating the possibility of checks being intercepted, altered or duplicated.
BUSINESS THEFT AND SCAMS
Business theft and scams can be easily prevented. Employees need specific training to identify a possible business email compromise and know when they should not click on suspicious links. Businesses should work to reduce or eliminate the use of checks. In their place, utilize a credit card or send funds electronically using Automatic Clearing House (ACH) for payment. Business account fraud is preventable by utilizing Positive Pay services available from most financial institutions.
Payee Positive Pay compares the payee name, check number and dollar amount to a file that you upload whenever checks are issued. If the information on items presented for payment does not match the file, the item is reviewed, and you make a pay or return decision. ACH Positive Pay protects against unauthorized electronic debits, allowing a pay or return decision on items in question. Positive Pay puts you in the driver’s seat to keep your business account information safe and secure.
Talk with your financial institution today about these key fraud prevention services! Stay safe!
SHEILA GILLILAND, CTP Vice President - Treasury Management Sales Officer
IF YOU OR YOUR COMPANY HAS COMMUNITY OR BUSINESS NEWS TO SHARE, SEND TO INFO@YOURWILLIAMSON.COM
FIRST AFRICAN-AMERICAN FEMALE TO BECOME CHAIR OF THE REPUBLICAN PARTY OF WILLIAMSON COUNTY
Franklin is known for its rich, pasthistory, but history is still being made in our town. The Republican Party of Williamson County has elected its first female, African-American Chairperson.
Cheryl Brown, a Franklin resident, served on the Williamson County Executive Committee as Vice President for the GOP, before taking on her new role, after the departure of Dr. Omar Hamad in September. The Williamson County Republican Party is one of the most active political organizations in the State of Tennessee. Their local programs include community outreach, education, and get-out-the-vote efforts to help elect Republicans in Williamson County and throughout the state of Tennessee. Most recently, Cheryl helped to facilitate the WCRP’s involvement with the County Fair as well as the Annual Back Pack Give-a-way. Cheryl and her team will host their Reagan Day Dinner on February 1, 2020 as well as honoring United States Veterans on February 9th with their 33rd Annual Veteran’s Breakfast at the Embassy Suites in Cool Springs.
BATTLE GROUND ACADEMY BREAKS GROUND ON SONDRA MORRIS AND ROBERT N. MOORE, JR. ’52 CENTER FOR ARTS AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Battle Ground Academy recently broke ground on a 37,000-square-foot building that will house the school’s theater program and serve as the home for BGA’s growing Entrepreneurial Leadership curriculum. The Sondra Morris and Robert N. Moore, Jr. ’52 Center for Arts and Entrepreneurship is named in honor of the late Moore, a BGA alumnus and former board member, and Morris, a long-time friend of the school and close companion of Moore. The Center for Arts and Entrepreneurship is expected to be completed in fourteen months. It is the centerpiece of The Campaign for BGA: Creating Our Future $24 million capital campaign with $16.2 million raised to date. Other initiatives in the campaign include increasing the school’s Endowment Fund, enhancements to BGA’s Lower School and renovations to the Upper and Middle Schools, including a new dining hall. Launched in 2015, BGA’s Entrepreneurial Leadership is one of the few four-year comprehensive entrepreneurship programs being offered by high schools in the country. It equips students with skills and mindsets to creatively solve real-world problems through hands-on active learning. The Center for Arts and Entrepreneurship will be constructed adjacent to BGA’s Middle School on Echo Lane. It will be behind the Fine Arts building, where space will be reconfigured to provide dressing rooms and rehearsal space. Established in 1889, Battle Ground Academy is a coeducational, college preparatory school for grades kindergarten through twelth grade. More information on the school can be found at battlegroundacademy.org.
The Scoop continued
TWO FRANKLIN COMPANIES WIN GOLD IN GOLDEN BRIDGE AWARDS
Two Franklin-based companies, Petra Coach and Cybera, received gold recognition in the Golden Bridge Awards. Petra Coach received the Milestone of the Year award for its sixty-five percent revenue growth, and Cybera received awards for Support Team of the Year and Managed Security Service Innovations. “The Petra team has worked really hard over the past year to scale our business, and the proof is in the numbers,” said Petra Coach founder and CEO Andy Bailey. “I’m excited we are being recognized for it.” Petra Coach’s number of employees has doubled in the last year. The company’s revenue more than tripled in the past four years, and it grew sixty-five percent in the past year alone. The recent growth is due to both new clients and an expansion of services. Petra Coach now coaches over 100 member companies across North America, and it opened its first international office in England in the fall of 2018. More than 160 judges from a broad spectrum of industry voices from around the world participated, and their average scores determined the 2019 Golden Bridge Awards finalists and winners. Learn more at ceoworldawards.com and petracoach.com.
THOMAS
Y.
CARTWRIGHT NAMED LOTZ HOUSE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Lotz House Historian Thomas Y. Cartwright has been named executive director of the historic Civil War home located at ground zero of the Battle of Franklin. The Lotz House board of directors recently announced Cartwright as the new Lotz House executive director. “Having spent so much time as the former executive director of the Carter House, I look forward to continuing our working relationship with Carter House and Carnton,” said Cartwright. “We all have a passion for preserving our history that we strive to share with other enthusiasts.” Guided tours of the home are at $12 for adults, $6 for children ages 7 – 13 and ages 6 and under are free. The Lotz House, which has been on the National Historic Register since 1976, is located in the heart of downtown historic Franklin, Tennessee at “epicenter” of the Battle of Franklin, which was a pivotal battle in the Civil War on November 30, 1864. The Lotz House is located in Franklin. For more information, call 615.790.7190 or visit lotzhouse.com.
SERVPRO RAISES
$18,000 TO HELP ABUSED AND NEGLECTED
CHILDREN IN WILLIAMSON COUNTY
The fourth annual SERVPRO of Williamson County Charity Golf Classic, hosted by owners Tim and Natasha Wesley, raised more than $18,000 to benefit Williamson County CASA and their efforts to advocate for the best interests of abused and neglected children in the Williamson County community. Temple Hills Country Club was the site of the tournament, where ninety golfers participated in eighteen holes of golf. Tournament participants enjoyed a variety of competitions including the “10k Hole in One,” , “Longest Drive,” and “Closest to the Pin,” where participants were given the opportunity to shoot their golf ball from an air cannon, instead of the more customary driving iron. Team Construction LLC graciously stepped up as key presenting sponsor for the third year in a row. Keith Burns of Trick Pony surprised golfers with an impromptu performance of a new song he recently recorded with John Schneider. Last year WCCASA helped 472 abused and neglected children. For more information on CASA of Williamson County, visit williamsoncountycasa.org.
The Bezos Letters
LEARN HOW JEFF BEZOS TURNED AMAZON INTO A GIANT SUCCESS AND THE FOURTEEN PRINCIPLES TO GROW YOUR BUSINESS
Imagine having Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos as your business coach. Anyone would jump at that chance, the chance to ask him the not-so-simple question, ‘How exactly did you grow Amazon?’ And you would love the opportunity to bring his insights and experiences to bear on building and scaling your own business. Who wouldn’t?
Fortunately, in The Bezos Letters, Franklin resident, Steve Anderson has provided the next best thing. Reading The Bezos Letters is like having Bezos as your business coach. You get to see what he sees, think what he’s thinking, and then apply that to your own business in ways you may never have thought of before—ways Bezos has used to make Amazon one of the world’s most successful companies...
“When you apply Steve’s Fourteen Growth Principles revealed in The Bezos Letters to your business, you’ll have everything you need to grow your business like Amazon,” says Michael Hyatt, local New York Times Best-Selling Author, and head of Michael Hyatt & Company.
This year marks the 25th anniversary of when a thirty-year-old unknown guy, moved across the country to start an experimental single-product online business with the help of a $300,000 loan from his parents. That man was Jeff Bezos, and the company was Amazon. A new book by Franklin residents, Steve Anderson and Karen Anderson, The Bezos Letters: 14 Principles to Grow Your Business Like Amazon reveals his success formula and shows how it can be applied to grow companies of any size or industry.
Bezos has created one of the world’s most valuable companies and, in the process, became the world’s richest person. Amazon was the fastest company to reach $100 billion in sales ever. And he started by selling books online. How did he do it? Fortunately, Bezos has provided us with his “hidden in plain sight” roadmap. If you follow it, your business can’t help but be more successful. For the last twentyone years, Bezos has written annual letters to shareholders. These letters reveal the underlying principles and strategies Bezos used to grow Amazon. For the first time, The Bezos Letters will unlock the key lessons, mindset, principles, and steps Bezos continues to use to make Amazon the massive success it is today.
By reading The Bezos Letters you will learn:
• What customer obsession really means—and why it is always “Day 1” at Amazon.
• Why Bezos banned PowerPoint at Amazon and instead requires sixpage memo at each meeting.
• Why Bezos offers employees thousands of dollars each year to quit.
• The three critical questions that are asked of every prospective employee before they are hired.
• The “two-pizza rule” and why it jumpstarts innovation in any company.
• How Amazon is effectively making “complexity simple.”
• How Amazon maintained its work culture while scaling from a few employees to over 600,000.
• Why Bezos’s “successful failure” approach is counterintuitive to most businesses—and how one should look at return on risk—not just return on investment.
“I analyzed the twenty-one shareholder letters between 1997 and 2018,” writes Anderson, who has thirty-five years of experience in technology and risk in the insurance industry. “I looked into what Bezos actually said about how Amazon operated and what led to Amazon’s phenomenal growth. I examined what worked and what didn’t work. I read, re-read, researched, and dissected everything about each of the shareholder letters to learn how Bezos turned an online bookstore into a trillion-dollar company in just over two decades.”
Most people would agree that a company can’t grow to its fullest potential without great leadership. Leadership is at the center of business growth and deeply ingrained in the core of Amazon. Anderson reveals the essential leadership principles effectively displayed by Bezos.
Business owners are fascinated with Amazon’s success, but they don’t
realize the shareholder letters provide them with key insights any business can emulate. The Bezos Letters deconstructs his personal letters to shareholders to provide readers with a guide on the key takeaways. It shares easily understood, practical examples of how to apply Amazon’s principles to their own business. Anderson provides a roadmap any owner, executive, or leader can use to apply the Amazon success formula.
“No one has done as deep an analysis of the Bezos shareholder letters, and the principles they contain, to help businesses grow as I have in this book,” says Anderson.
Steve Anderson is a trusted authority on risk, technology, productivity, and innovation. He has over thirty-five years of experience in the insurance industry. He is a professional speaker, writer, and “futurist.” His speaking portfolio includes presentations on the future of technology, the influence of social platforms, how businesses can leverage the internet, and how they can assess and use risk to their advantage. He
was chosen as one of the original 150 LinkedIn Influencers and has over 340,000 followers. For the past two decades he has served as the president of The Anderson Network. Prior to that, he served eight years as Vice President of Cadenhead Shreffler Insurance, and twelve years at Gilbride Insurance Agency. He is a Certified Insurance Counselor with numerous honors earned including #10 Influencer to Know in the World of Insurtech; Insurance’s Top 100 Individual Influencers on Twitter; and an Insurance Automaton Award recipient. He serves as the co-chair for Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of America’s ACT API Workgroup. For the past quartercentury, he has been a member of the faculty for The National Alliance for Insurance Education Research. He has co-hosted The Digital Broker Podcast over the past year and a half. Steve and his wife, Karen, have two married daughters, and seven young grandchildren. They live in historic Franklin, Tennessee.
For more information on this work and the author, go to
Building School Leadership One Intern at a Time in FSSD
BY DR. CATHERINE STEPHENS
Whether it be businesses or schools, everyone faces the same challenge of replacing key leadership positions with high quality new hires. Most would say they prefer to reward loyalty and performance by moving personnel up in the ranks. However, there is nothing that prepares a teacher for the incredible transition into a school leadership role. That is why the Franklin Special School District has created a program to provide those important job-embedded learning opportunities through our four-year-old Leadership Internship Program (LIP). By December, twelve interns will have completed the internship program since its inception.
This year-long leadership internship program is designed to provide educators who aspire to be school level-leaders, such as principal or assistant principal, with relevant opportunities to experience what leadership looks like in two different school settings. Built by the FSSD’s Director of Schools Dr. David Snowden and Associate Director of Schools for Teaching and Learning Dr. Catherine Stephens, LIP covers all topics that are crucial for new school leaders to know the first day they step into their new role. Some topics covered include: Budgeting and Finance, Communication, Data Analysis and Use, Evening/ After-School Events, Personnel Matters, Recruiting and Hiring Highly Qualified Staff, Scheduling, Testing, Discipline, Professional Learning, Safety and Evaluation.
Interns spend time with both the principal and assistant principal at each of their assigned campus. It is important for the interns to understand the role and responsibilities of the assistant principal, as this is the position most likely to be experienced when stepping into a schoollevel leadership role. To become an applicant for the program, LIP candidates must have a current administrator license and must have completed three years in the FSSD.
So far, the FSSD Leadership Internship Program has been extremely successful. Of the ten past participants:
• One is an assistant principal in our district.
• Two have entered the second year of their doctoral pursuit.
• More than one serves as the principal designee when their administrators are out of the building.
• One is serving as a district-level instructional coach in another state.
• One serves as an FSSD coach for positive behavior supports and works with four of the eight FSSD schools in this role.
• One served as an ambassador for the division of special populations for the TN Teacher Ambassador Network.
• One serves as the building mentor for new teachers in her building.
We will continue to monitor and support the intern graduates, and wish our current interns, Cinamon Collins, Ed.D. (Poplar Grove Elementary ELL teacher), and Andre White (Johnson Elementary 4th grade teacher) continued success as they finish their program next month.
During a special presentation to the FSSD school board, Collins said, “There is nothing like being in the midst of the role to learn and understand leadership more deeply.” White, a twenty-three year teaching veteran, told the board, “Being a school administrator is definitely a job you do not want to learn on the fly. The feedback and insight that [Stephens and Snowden] have been able to provide me has been tremendously helpful. Not many aspiring administrators get the opportunity to learn to be school leaders from the actual people who lead their district.”
The intern and principal work together to create a schedule which allows for as many different experiences as possible. The interns attend meetings during the day, events after school, and work at least five days during the summer to ensure they have an idea of what types of events, tasks, experiences and projects occur during these important months as school leaders close one school year and prepare for the next.
By the time this year’s internship program concludes, each intern will have spent a total of thirty days (fifteen days each on two different campuses), fully embedding and investing with the school leaders. Additionally, Dr. Snowden and Dr. Stephens meet with the interns after school three times each semester - for a total of six sessions. During these gatherings, various leadership topics are covered and the interns are able to ask important questions to help broaden their understanding of school leadership.
While the program is intensive and requires extra work on the part of the current district leaders, it is directly related to the FSSD vision of “Excellence in Teaching and Learning for All.” Creating and honing excellence in our students can only happen when we are also willing to support and build the capacity of our teachers and staff, who we hope will become the FSSD’s future leaders.
DR. CATHERINE STEPHENS
Associate
Director
of Schools for Teaching & Learning
Franklin Special School District
Dr. Catherine Stephens is in her eighth year as the Associate Director of Schools for Teaching and Learning in the Franklin Special School District. She holds a B.S. degree in education from Virginia Tech, a M.Ed. in Administration from Sam Houston State University, an Ed.S. in Curriculum and Instruction from Middle Tennessee State University, and an Ed.D. in Learning Organizations and Strategic Change from Lipscomb University.
FOR MORE NEWS AND INFORMATION ON OUR LOCAL SCHOOL SYSTEMS - GO TO WCS.ORG, FSSD.ORG AND BATTLEGROUNDACADEMY.ORG
FREEDOM MIDDLE SCHOOL TO RECEIVE HOMETOWN GRANT FROM TITANS, THE DAIRY ALLIANCE
The Tennessee Titans and The Daily Alliance awarded $10,000 to Freedom Middle School as part of the NFL Fuel Up to Play 60 Hometown Grant. Titans players, along with mascot T-Rac and Titans cheerleaders, played games with students that promote healthy eating and sustainable activity and participate in the check presentation. The NFL Fuel Up to Play 60 - Tennessee Titans Hometown Grant program focuses on priority school districts in the Tennessee Titans market. Through the Hometown Grants program, deserving schools in the communities are identified to receive funding to help facilitate sustainable physical activity and healthy eating programs for students. Fuel Up to Play 60 (FUTP60), the nation’s largest in-school wellness program, which is a partnership between the National Football League (NFL) and the National Dairy Council (NDC), in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. FUTP60 empowers students to live active and healthy lifestyles. The program is designed to combat childhood obesity and promote lifelong health.
FSSD ANNOUNCES ESSLINGER AS ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF SCHOOLS
Franklin Special School District Director of Schools Dr. David Snowden has announced that Dr. David Esslinger will become the associate director of schools for finance and administration on December 2, 2019, upon the retirement of Chuck Arnold. Esslinger is currently principal at Franklin Elementary School, a position he has held since 2008. Of his thirty years in education, twenty two have been spent in a school leadership role. He began in the FSSD as assistant principal at Moore Elementary, with eight years of experience as a middle school science teacher and basketball coach. After eleven years in that role, he was asked to lead at Franklin Elementary as principal, where he has remained for the past eleven years. Under his leadership, Franklin Elementary was named a 2018-2019 Reward School by the Tennessee Department of Education. In addition, over the past two years, he planned and managed a $7.5 million building renovation at Franklin Elementary. He also chairs the FSSD Disciplinary Hearing Authority and Personnel Hearing Authority.
WILLIAMSON COUNTY SCHOOLS
NAMES NATIONAL MERIT STUDENTS
Williamson County Schools students’ academic prowess is continuing to break records after eighty eight students were named National Merit Commended Students. The previous record of Commended Students was set last year with eighty four students. In order to receive the honor of being named a Commended Student, a student must place in the top five percent of all entrants into the National Merit Program. Around 1.6 million students enter the National Merit Program each year, and only 34,000 of those are named Commended Students.
Saturday, November 23rd 9:00 am - 5:00 pm Sunday, November 24th 12:00 pm - 4:00 pm
The Little Things Aren’t Little
BY MARLIE LUCILLE
My name is Marlie. Many people that know me call me Mars and have for my whole life. Although I am familiar with this publication because of my mother’s affiliation with it, it is my first time writing for it. I was asked to write different articles from the perspective of a teenager. My articles will be directly from a Williamson County teenager to give you, as a parent or a grandparent (or even a teacher), an idea of what a teen’s perspective really is on different situations. I am in the eighth grade at a Franklin Special School District middle school and, although this is my first time being published, I still think like a normal teenager in 2019 and I’m excited to share my thoughts with you.
This month’s column is about what teens are thankful for. Teenagers have a lot to say about this topic, as much as it may surprise some people. I, for one, am thankful for “The Office” on Netflix, my comfy couch, the privacy of my own room, my big sister and both of my brothers. I’m thankful when the barista at Starbucks actually spells my name correctly (which has only happened once); I’m thankful for the meals that my mom makes just for me when I’m not feeling great. All in all, I am grateful for the close relationship I have with my family.
To be more specific, I’m thankful for the conversations with my sister regarding her high school; the times when my big brother teaches me how to ride a ripstik as well as he does, and laughing at cartoons on television with my little brother. I love that my mom and I have shows on TV that we watch together and have the best heart-to-heart talks that all daughters should have with their moms. And I love that my stepdad and I have our own little inside jokes. I am thankful for those little things. They’re little, but to me, they’re big.
It’s easy to rattle off things that make me thankful because, at this stage in my life, I have become more aware of what makes me smile each week...and what doesn’t.
However, a lot of what teenagers are thankful for varies. I suppose it truly depends on the person, but most do have an individual sense of what they are thankful for. So I decided to ask a few other kids my age as to what they’re thankful for and collectively they said that they are thankful for their families and the close friendships they have had through the years. Most of us, though, are also are very thankful for our outlets. Whether it is theatre, soccer, art, or reading - these things help us cope with the stress that we all have. We are grateful for it.
We all know that kids between thirteen and nineteen (for the most part), are not known for their please and thank yous and it seems ungrateful. Still, teens do express gratitude but maybe not as an adult or parent would expect or even appreciate at the moment. Us sharing some middle or high school gossip with our parents, giving a random hug, sitting down on the couch to watch television...well, it’s a way to “unofficially” communicate that we trust and appreciate that parent or adult. Most often, yes, we like our rooms and preferably with the door shut and the airpods in, but there are definitely times when we need and want to hear “you’re right” or “I understand.” When we hear it, we are grateful.
We are grateful for those times when a parent allows us to go to our room and just be, and most of us do appreciate the space and privacy... a lot. Receiving privacy means you are trustworthy. That is basic. But if a teen has a rough patch, taking away that privacy to an extreme is a sure way to distance a parent from him/her and it often makes things worse.
And don’t take our “weird” way of communicating as abnormal because most of the time, it’s not. Play to our good parts instead of always bringing up our faults and we will remember...and will be grateful.
Even though it might not always be obvious, teens will always be thankful for grace and understanding before anger. Consistent anger is one of the biggest things that can make us shut down. Life is tough for us and we are grateful for any grace given to us.
At the end of the day, teenagers are grateful for many things and, yes, most often we are struggling to show it in the ways we can express. We are not very touchy-feely with our parents at this stage of life but for a parent, just being there for us is very important. Friends, family and support are things we are thankful for, even if a parent can’t always see how we communicate it through our teenage methods.
MARLIE LUCILLE Your Kids
Marlie Lucille is a smart, fun-loving thirteen year old from Franklin who enjoys spending her time playing tennis, reading anything she can get her hands on, loving on her dogs, Motley and Alice, making fun of her mother...and, of course, spending time on social media.
BY MISS DAISY KING
Welcome to the holidays with some of my family traditions and favorite recipes. To begin, we think of Thanksgiving Day feasts with the family gathered around a big table in Sunday finery. Weather permitting, a roaring fire with chestnuts roasting is the rule of the day. Then we turn our thoughts to December; from caroling in the snow to tinsel and sleigh rides. This time of merriment is concluded with the ringing in of the New Year. Here is just a sampling of some of my favorites for your holiday table - check out Miss Daisy’s Kitchen on Facebook and my website missdaisyking.com for more recipes or to order your holiday fare straight from my kitchen to yours!
Miss Daisy’s Kitchen
615.599.5313
Party Squash Casserole
INGREDIENTS
• 1 pound yellow squash, sliced
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup minced onion
• 1/4 cup finely chopped green pepper
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• 1 egg, slightly beaten
• 1/2 cup grated Cheddar cheese
• salt and pepper to taste
• bread or cracker crumbs
• 1/4 cup butter, sliced
INGREDIENTS
• 2 lbs fresh cranberries
• 2 c sugar
• 2 t cinnamon
• 1 ½ c pecans
INSTRUCTIONS
Combine all ingredients except pecans in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until thickened, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in pecans. Place in an airtight container and refrigerate until ready to serve.
INSTRUCTIONS
Assemble ingredients and utensils. In a large saucepan, cook squash and drain and mash slightly. Add the sugar, mayo, onion, green pepper, pecans and egg. Put in a 2 quart casserole dish, top with crumbs and dot with butter. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes in a 350 degree oven. Yield: 6-8 servings
Blackberry Jam Cake
CAKE
1 cup butter, softened
2 cups sugar
6 eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves
6 Tablespoons buttermilk
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 cups blackberry jam
2 teaspoons and vanilla extract
Assemble ingredients and utensils. In a large bowl of an electric mixer, combine softened butter and sugar; add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. In a separate bowl, combine flour with spices. In another bowl, combine buttermilk and baking soda. Add flour and spice mixture alternately with buttermilk mixture to creamed butter, sugar and egg mixture, until well blended. Add jam and vanilla; mix well. Pour into 4 greased and floured 8-inch cake pans. Bake at 350°F for 20 to 25 minutes until cake tests done. Yield: serves 16
FILLING
4 eggs
3 cups sugar
2 cups raisins
2 whole milk
2 Tablespoons flaked coconut
In a large heavy saucepan, combine all ingredients. Cook and spread between layers and on top if desired or top with Caramel Frosting.
CARAMEL FROSTING
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup whole milk
1 cup light brown sugar
2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
In a heavy large saucepan, melt butter and brown, but do not burn. Bring to a full boil for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add milk, bring to a full boil again. Cool to lukewarm, then add sugars, mix well and frost cake.
Hamilton is the story of America's Founding Father, Alexander Hamilton, an immigrant from the West Indies who became George Washington's right-hand man during the Revolutionary War. He went on to become the new nation’s first Treasury Secretary. Featuring a score that blends hip-hop, jazz, blues, rap, R&B, and Broadway, Hamilton is the story of America then, as told by America now.
With book, music and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda, direction by Thomas Kail, choreography by Andy Blankenbuehler, and music supervision and orchestrations by Alex Lacamoire, Hamilton is based on Ron Chernow’s biography of Founding Father, Alexander Hamilton. The Hamilton creative team previously collaborated on the 2008 Tony Award ® Winning Best Musical, In the Heights. Hamilton features scenic design by David Korins, costume design by Paul Tazewell, lighting design by Howell Binkley, sound design by Nevin Steinberg, hair and wig design by Charles G. LaPointe, casting by Telsey + Company, Bethany Knox, CSA and General Management by Baseline Theatrical. The musical is produced by Jeffrey Seller, Sander Jacobs, Jill Furman, and The Public Theater. The Hamilton Original Broadway Cast Recording is available everywhere nationwide. The Hamilton recording received a 2016 Grammy for Best Musical Theatre Album.
The Tennessee Performing Arts Center will present a highly anticipated three week engagement of Hamilton at TPAC’s Jackson Hall in Nashville December 31– January 19, 2020. Tickets for this engagement of Hamilton are not yet on sale, however there are plenty of third-party sellers advertising tickets they do not actually have, at highly inflated prices, right now. TPAC encourages patrons to be diligent and exercise safe ticket-buying practices. For the latest details on when tickets to Hamilton will go on sale to the public, sign up for StageLinks and follow TPAC on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to ensure you don’t miss the announcement. At the designated time, TPAC.org and the TPAC box office will be the only official and authorized primary sellers of Hamilton tickets.
If you see tickets for hundreds or thousands of dollars, you are probably buying from a third-party ticket broker and there is no guarantee these tickets are genuine. Tickets purchased from other sources may be more expensive, invalid, speculative, or ineligible for assistance. TPAC encourages patrons to thoroughly assess the source before making a ticket purchase. Beware of buying from secondary sites and third-party sellers, which includes bogus Facebook event pages.
Important Things to Know about Purchasing Hamilton tickets at TPAC:
-There is a limit of eight (8) single tickets per household.
-TPAC and the producers of Hamilton are determined to help combat unauthorized ticket resale and protect you from being scammed. Therefore, no physical tickets will be issued for Hamilton prior to performance night. All tickets will be delivered digitally to the TPAC Concierge app or in person at Will Call ninety minutes prior to your performance. The ticket forwarding feature on the TPAC Concierge app will not be available for Hamilton.
-Hamilton will offer a digital lottery at every performance. Download the official Hamilton app for details.
For ticketing tips and frequently asked questions about Hamilton, please visit tpac.org/Hamiltonfaq
For more information on Hamilton, visit HamiltonMusical.com and follow Hamilton on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Hamilton | December 31, 2019 – January 19, 2020
TPAC’s Jackson Hall 505 Deaderick Street, Nashville
SOCIAL | Celebration of Nations
Photography by Anna Robertson Ham
The tenth anniversary of Celebration of Nations Cultural Festival was held at Franklin’s Bicentennial Park. The event brought spectators and shoppers out to watch cultural performances and dances from different countries, live music, craft vendors, immersive art activities, global foods, and beverage vendors. The evening portion of the event included a VIP tasting tent, sponsored by Lipman Brothers, with spirits from Leiper’s Fork Distillery, a special blended brew from Asgard Brewing Co. and more. Rubiks Groove entertained the crowd into the evening with fun music and dancing. Celebration of Nations is hosted by and benefits Sister Cities of Franklin and Williamson County. Learn more about Sister Cities at sistercitiestn.org.
TENNESSEE PERFORMING ARTS CENTER
Tamara Phillips & Doug Sharp
Mary Vita, Claudia Parker & Adriana Echeverri
Debbie Goebel & Ray Goebel
Shawna Orman & Itzela Vasquez
Dana Hookassian, Heather Haggard & Lynlee Kennedy
Tamara Phillips, Kim Cannon, Jason Collins, Paige Hurley, Tracy Roy, Dawn Roy, Pearl Bransford, Sidonia Cannon & Rich Cannon
Lee Kennedy & Jason Collins
Ryan, Cohen, Jessica & Grayson Whitaker
Tony Cassiol & Kalinda Fisher with Olive
ARTS & CULTURE
There never seems to be a shortage of arts and culture events to attend in middle Tennessee! Here are just a handful of upcoming art exhibits, music events, plays, and more that we can’t wait to see!
Since the fall of 2018, Puckett’s Gro. & Restaurant has partnered with fellow Tennessee tastemaker, Old Dominick Distillery, to bring the writers behind country music’s No. 1 hits to the Puckett’s stages across the restaurant’s multiple locations. The southern eatery, with a long history of featuring the industry’s most well-known acts, has released the final lineup for its 2019 Hitmakers shows in Franklin, Murfreesboro, and Columbia. The Hitmakers series is spirited by Old Dominick Distillery. Puckett’s Franklin hosts a ‘Hitmakers’ show every Saturday night at 8:30pm with seating starting at 8pm. The show almost always sells out, so guests are highly encouraged to call 615.794.5527 to make reservations.
CATS
November 19th - 24th | Tennessee Performing Arts Center | tpac.org
CATS, the record-breaking musical spectacular by Andrew Lloyd Webber that has captivated audiences in over thirty countries and fifteen languages, is now on tour across North America! Audiences and critics alike are rediscovering this beloved musical with breathtaking music, including one of the most treasured songs in musical theater –”Memory.” Winner of seven Tony Awards®, including Best Musical, CATS tells the story of one magical night when an extraordinary tribe of cats gathers for its annual ball to rejoice and decide which cat will be reborn.
White Christmas
December 6th - 21st | Pull-Tight Theatre | pull-tight.com
Based on the beloved, timeless film, this heartwarming musical adaptation features seventeen Irving Berlin songs and a book by David Ives and Paul Blake. Veterans, Bob Wallace and Phil Davis, have a successful song-and-dance act after World War II. With romance in mind, the two follow a duo of beautiful singing sisters en-route to their Christmas show at a Vermont lodge, which just happens to be owned by Bob and Phil’s former army commander. The dazzling score features well known standards including Blue Skies, I Love a Piano, How Deep is the Ocean and the perennial favorite, White Christmas. It is an uplifting musical worthy of year-round productions.
Kellie Pickler in Music City
Christmas
December 5th, 6th & 7th | Schermerhorn Symphony Center nashvillesymphony.org
Celebrate the most magical time of year as Kellie Pickler joins your Nashville Symphony and Principal Pops Conductor Enrico Lopez-Yañez for a night of holiday fun amid the splendor of the Schermerhorn. Kellie’s powerhouse vocals and Southern charm are sure to make your spirits bright in this one-of-a-kind symphonic spectacular. The onetime American Idol contestant has gone on to become one of country music’s brightest stars and the lovable host of the hit talk show Pickler & Ben.
Rodgers + Hammerstein’s
Cinderella
December 6th - 29th | The Factory at Franklin | studiotenn.com
Join Studio Tenn this holiday season with Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella, the Tony Award®-winning family-fun musical, that will delight audiences with its contemporary take on the classic tale. Fully equipped with an incredible orchestra, jaw-dropping transformations and all the moments you love – the pumpkin, the glass slipper, the masked ball and more – this production will transport you back to a time of fairy tales and fairy godmothers! Rediscover some of Rodgers + Hammerstein’s most beloved songs, including “In My Own Little Corner,” “Impossible/It’s Possible” and “Ten Minutes Ago” in this enchantingly romantic experience for anyone who’s ever had a dream!
A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving
It was the first Peanuts movie to feature an adult voice: You know that most of the teachers and adults in Peanuts only make a “wah wah wah” sound. You actually hear an adult voice in A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving, but it might not be what you think. The voice is heard in the song “Little Birdie”. The song was performed by composer Vince Guardaldi.
The Thanksgiving Special got a spinoff. Linus’ speech about the pilgrims’ first Thanksgiving led to a spin- off called: This is America, Charlie Brown: The Mayflower Voyage.
- TRIVIA -
There are no adults in the cartoon though. It may be the only Thanksgiving special that does not include any adults like teachers or parents.
A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving is the tenth prime-time animated short film based upon the popular comic strip Peanuts, by Charles M. Schulz. It was originally aired on the CBS network on November 20, 1973, and won an Emmy Award the following year.
Even though Lucy is included in one iconic scene, she is not really in this cartoon: In the beginning, you see that iconic scene of Lucy pulling away the football from Charlie Brown, but then she isn’t shown much after that. Lucy’s brother Linus is a main character though.
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• STANDARD 3.0L TWIN-TURBOCHARGED V6 ENGINE
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