Local Matters

Ben Rodgers meets with Tyler Asher with the Upper Cumberland Development District (UCDD), and the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) in Cookeville. They discuss his experience serving on the Putnam County Redistricting Committee, how the SBDC is able to assist in County Commission meetings, how the SBDC got its start, as well as the services that they provide, and how they can assist local entrepreneurs and business owners.

Listen to the latest Local Matters Podcast… Presented by Office Mart.

Sam Brooks meets with Jere Watson, former Upperman High School Baseball Head Coach, and former Cookeville High School Baseball player. They discuss his time growing up in Cookeville and what sports meant to him as a kid, the importance of academics as a college athlete, and how he managed to prioritize his grades alongside attending practices, as well as a recap of his time as a PE teacher, and how that led to him coaching at Upperman High School.

Listen to the latest Local Matters Podcast… Presented by Office Mart.

Tiffany Anton sits down with Luke Ramey, co-founder of Skip The Line. They discuss what the Skip The Line app is, how it works at events that utilize the service, how the app got its start, the issues that they encountered while developing the app, how they had to pivot to develop a POS system to better smooth the operations of events using the app, as well as how they work with artists and other customers of the app to maximize their revenue while using the app.

Listen to the latest Local Matters Podcast… Presented by Office Mart.

Bob Bell meets with Dr. Lisa Zagumny, Dean of the College Of Education at Tennessee Tech University. They discuss the Fall semester launch and the various programs that the college is offering for the 2021-2022 school year, their recent accreditation visit and its results, as well as addressing the teacher shortage in the Upper Cumberland. 

Listen to the latest Local Matters Podcast… Presented by Office Mart.

Ben Rodgers talks with Congressman John Rose. They discuss what some of the top issues are that he is currently hearing from his constituents, the American Rescue Plan, its funding, and what the timeline is looking like for the final ruling on how those funds can be spent, as well as President Biden's recently announced employer vaccine mandate, and what it means for local governments and privately owned businesses.

Listen to the latest Local Matters Podcast… Presented by Office Mart.

Sam Brooks talks with Upperman Baseball Head Coach Wes Shanks. They discuss what it was like growing up in Baxter for him, what it means to him to be a part of Upperman's athletic program and its traditions as an alumnus of the school, as well as how important the community in Baxter is for Upperman Athletics.

Listen to the latest Local Matters Podcast… Presented by Office Mart.

Tiffany Anton meets with Shehla Rooney, owner of GoKnee, and former physical therapist. They discuss what GoKnee is and how it assists in the knee surgery recovery process, the decisions that led to her forming GoKnee and start to branch out with her product, how her experience as a physical therapist helped make that happen, as well as how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted GoKnee's operations due to knee surgeries being classified as elective surgeries by hospitals.

Listen to the latest Local Matters Podcast… Presented by Office Mart.

Bob Bell sits down with Joe Fisher, the relatively new Director of News and Communications at Tennessee Tech University. They discuss his background and what brought him to TTU, the start up experience for the 2021-2022 school year, what he's learned so far about the various academic programs at the university, as well as a forecast on how enrollment is currently looking for the fall semester.

Listen to the latest Local Matters Podcast… Presented by Office Mart.

Sam Brooks meets with Steve Robbins, Athletic Director at Cookeville High School. They discuss how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted CHS Athletics and where their program currently stands heading into the fall 2021 semester, what it was like for him growing up in Overton County, as well as who some of the most influential individuals have been in his playing and coaching careers.

Listen to the latest Local Matters Podcast… Presented by Office Mart.

Sam Brooks sits down with Terry "TR" Randolph, former local educator, coach, and businessman. They discuss the impact that they bot had on each other while he coached Sam growing up, what it means to him whenever former students or players discuss this impact with him, as well as the story of his coaching and teaching career.

Listen to the latest Local Matters Podcast… Presented by Office Mart.