I have found that it makes more sense to bring all of my "projects" under one umbrella website...kind of a one-stop shopping of sorts. From my political pursuits to capitalistic endeavors to "save the world" adventures, this website should cover what you are looking for.
OHV4TN - State Lobbyist
My initial involvement was due to a "crisis" that was occurring locally for Off Roaders who were seeing the land that they have used for generations being eaten up by developers coming into the area. I was so impressed by my local guys, the "Damn Locals" 4x4 Club, that I felt they deserved to be heard.
After further research, I realized that this was also a state and nationwide issue. Thank goodness for groups such as SFWDA, UFWDA, Blue Ribbon Coalition, NOHVCC (I am a now an Assc. State Rep for TN) and others who blaze the trail.
So in 2007, I was hired to find a way to move the 2003 TN Off Highway Vehicle Act forward towards its original intent...a statewide system of sustainable OHV trails. I believe in 2008 we will achieve our goal.
Please stop by www.OHV4TN.org and sign the guestbook. That will put you on the update list.
SFWDA - Rescue Tellico
At a recent SFWDA quarterly meeting in Tracy City, a separate subcommittee was formed to address the impending anti-OHV litigation at Tellico. I was asked to co-chair the PR Committee. For those of you unfamiliar with the area, The Upper Tellico ORV Area is located between Tellico Plains, TN & Murphy, NC. Tellico ORV Area is famous for being some of the best offroading in the country. Tellico OHV is home to some great off road events such as the Appalachian Jeep Jamboree, Great Smokey Mountain Venture, Dixie Run, and more...
The consequences of a successful anti-OHV litigation at Tellico are far-reaching. A foothold into "legal precedence" will jeopardize OHV trails across the country. This is definitely a "line in the sand" issue for the entire OHV community. Go to www.sfwda.org for more information.
NOHVCC - Assc. State Rep
Thru my involvement with the OHV4TN project, I was asked to become an Assc. State Rep for NOHVCC (National Off Highway Vehicle Conservation Council). I am both thrilled and honored to be involved with this organization.
I've decided to hang up my real estate license and go full time into building Vacation and Retirement Homes. It is what everyone wants when they come to our mountains, so why not give them a product that truly lets them "Live the Dream". Turnkey pricing is the cornerstone of what I am offering. Combine that with quality materials, precise workmanship and guaranteed prices along with my usual attention to customer service...heck, you just can't beat what I have to offer. Out-of-town Clients are my Specialty!
Click Here for more information,
The Firm, an Image Management Company
In 2001, I started my own Image Management Company called "The Firm". Since my background is in PR and Marketing, I decided to go out on my own and tackle the projects I wanted to tackle. Always a political junkie, my first project was for Michael O'Brien's run for State Representative in Dupage County Illinois. He had many of the great qualities of someone who I had looked up to since youth...Ronald Reagan. Since then, my clientele has ranged from political to business to governments, but for me the key to who I chose to work with revolves around integrity and purpose. Money is great, but I refuse to sell my soul to the highest bidder.
In a nutshell, my job is to find that "something extra" in your business plan or project that reaches out to the target market and then take it to the next level via advertising, press releases, public appearances, marketing material and public relations. My job is to make you stand above your competition. Click Here if you want more information. I am only taking on pet projects at the moment but may be able to steer you in the right direction.
Mountain Music Mafia Booking Agency
Yes, I am a music groupie. And since I am not getting my "fix" from Tubbys anymore, I try to keep abreast of great local and regional musicians in my free time. From Bluegrass to Christian Metal, we have an incredible stable of musicians right here on and around this mountain. If you need entertainment for an event, give me a holler along with a genre and a budget and we will make it work. Whether it be background music, dancing music or "front and center" personality entertainment...we have it all around these parts. Click Here
American Hiking Society
In 2006, I was fortunate enough to be named an Ambassador to the American Hiking Society. It is probably because they figured I represent a population of people who are "never to old to learn" about the joys of hiking. Since I live in a hiking Mecca, it was only natural that I learn about what we have to offer...and I became hooked. Thanks to Jeffrey Hunter at AHS and his gently persistent granola wisdom, I have become one of those "treehuggers" that I used to scoff at. If we don't start becoming better stewards of our land, then these natural wonders will be forever gone. And I don't know about you, but I happen to want my children to share the same joyful outdoor experiences to their kids that I have shown them (and that my family shared with me). Yes, I am an overt capitalist, but I can see that we are just shooting ourselves in the foot if we destroy the one thing that makes this land of ours valuable....quality of life.
Click Here for info on our own trails on the South Cumberland Plateau
Click Here for info on the Mountain Goat Trail (Sewanee to Monteagle)
Click Here for info on the Marion County Greenways and Trails project
Click Here for Southern Appalachian Initiatives info
Kiwanis Club of South Cumberland
The Kentucky - Tennessee district of Kiwanis has successfully added another club to their ranks. Thanks to the perseverance of Holt Cason and Bob Brinkmann, we are up and running. I graciously accepted the charter presidency and the team we have on board to kick this thing off is a dream come true. Now, a year later, we have a new president, a new Key Club and great new projects. I really like where we are going.
I am currently serving as Kiwanis Key Club Advisor for our new High School leadership organization. Great group of kids! So far we have done 3 Service Projects, a Fundraiser and are well on our way in 2008 with a "Rave" event scheduled for the end of January and a "Battle of the Bands" scheduled for Spring. We hope to officially become chartered before the end of the School Year so our Seniors can get recognized for their outstanding efforts this year getting the club started and up and running. This has probably been one of my most rewarding projects.
www.kiwanissc.org for more details.
"Kiwanis is a global organization of volunteers dedicated to changing the world one child and one community at a time."
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Citizen Politico - An American Citizen who knows enough to be dangerous and Idealistic enough to believe in a common truth.
"Cherish, therefore, the spirit of our people, and keep alive their attention. Do not be too severe upon their errors, but reclaim them by enlightening them. If once they become inattentive to the public affairs, you and I, and Congress, and Assemblies, Judges, and Governors, shall all become wolves."
-- Thomas Jefferson (letter to Edward Carrington, 16 January 1787)
Being from a "bi-political" family (mother, Grundy County Democrat, father, Fentress County Republican and Veteran), I was fortunate enough to be raised in a house filled with spirited political discussions during every election. I turned 18 only a couple of weeks before the '80 Presidential election, so my biggest disappointment that year was not being able to finally vote. But that didn't stop me from getting caught up in the Reagan Revolution and boy, that feeling never left me. Somewhere out there is a picture of my college pals and I with a big '84 Reagan Bush sign in front of our PAC house, just a bunch of radical conservative students believing that there was a bright future ahead of us because of a man called Ronald Reagan. That '84 sign hangs in my office today, a reminder to never forget those youthful ideologies.
Working in politics is kind of like visiting your favorite restaurant and getting a peek at what goes on in the kitchen. Sometimes you really don't like what you see or even stomach the results. From all indicators, we are one step away from losing the conservative battle and falling into the bigger government trap that apathy and, in my opinion, laziness has gotten us into. We can't have it both ways. Either you are in control of your life, or government is. Our founding fathers never envisioned nor approved of the kind of all-encompassing, bloated government structure that we live in today. They were freedom fighters throwing off the shackles of government oppression when they signed the Declaration of Independence and fought the great battle for sovereignty. Maybe it's time to become freedom fighters again. I'm in!
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