Category: Motivation
-
Lessons from Grassy Creek: The Man He Didn’t Have to Be
In 1976, when he was 34 years old, Bob Moore married Carol Salyer and gained a 6-year-old son, Timothy. To put things in perspective, Bob would have been about the same age as his grandsons Zack Fleming and Zachary Salyer are now. Just 6 years and 9 months into their marriage, Bob & Timothy lost…
-
This is how Tax Increment Financing (or TIF) works
Tax Increment Financing (TIF) has been in the local news recently, so I’d like to take the time to explain how this governmental funding tool works and where it’s been used in Kingsport in the past. Tennessee, like all 50 states, uses TIF to assist eligible development projects. In simple terms, TIF is borrowing against…
-
Rotary Club of Kingsport marks a century of service
On December 11, 1923, the Kingsport Times made a historic gesture by dedicating its entire front page to honor the charter celebration of the Rotary Club of Kingsport. Among the founding members, J. Fred Johnson stands out as the visionary behind the term, “Kingsport Spirit”. Other charter members included Frank Cloud, who held the distinction…
-
1926 State of the City
Yesterday, Kingsport City Manager Chris McCartt gave the annual State of the City address. It’s an exhausting task to put it together–I speak from experience. It forces us to pause from our daily grind and reflect on our community’s progress, challenges, and vision. I always leave energized, optimistic, and grateful. But I’m also empathetic to…
-
Home Sweet Home (To Me)
There’s a saying, “Familiarity breeds contempt.” Lately, I’ve been thinking about how this applies to communities. I always enjoy traveling, but I always look forward to coming home. I enjoy a good trip to the beach, or visiting a large urban center, or attending a stadium event. Those are things I can’t get at home,…
-
Postcards – A Window to the Soul
A longtime childhood friend was going through a box of her late grandfather’s things and found several linen postcards of scenes from Kingsport in the early 1940s. She generously sent them to me. Long before text messaging, Twitter, Facebook, Zoom, or FaceTime, postcards were the shortest, simplest way to check-in, say hello, and express feelings…
-
Time.
Our days, hours, and minutes are numbered from our very first childhood memory until our last moment of consciousness. Time is a finite, exceptionally precious commodity. Like electricity, time is one of the most awesome natural forces in the universe. It is mysterious, powerful, and transformative. It can be harnessed for good, but it can…
-
Big Stone Gap.
By Jeff FlemingMarch 29, 2023 I can summarize my familiarity with Big Stone Gap into six things: (1) the legendary football legacy of the Powell Valley Vikings, now merged with the Appalachia Bulldogs to form Union High School, (2) the presence of Mountain Empire Community College, (3) interaction with LENOWISCO in transportation planning across state…
-
Small City. Big Heart. Global Influence.
You probably don’t expect world-changing technology to originate from a small city in the Appalachian Mountains–but it does. Both Eastman and Domtar are heavily investing in the circular economy. What’s a ‘circular economy’? Recycling. In this case, plastics and containerboard. Just this week, Eastman welcomed the President of Normandy (France) to their headquarters in Kingsport…
-
Fort Light.
The wide boulevard in front of Dobyns-Bennett High School has been a hub of community activity since the beginning. When I was growing up it was known as Memorial Boulevard. Those older than me may remember it as “New” Bristol Highway. When Brooks Circle was removed, it was renamed “Fort Henry Drive” because it became…
Kingsport Spirit 