The Livingston/Overton County Chamber of Commerce welcomed more than 100 business and community leaders to its sold-out Annual Celebration and Membership Luncheon on Thursday, August 27, where Chamber leadership reviewed a year of firsts for Overton County and presented the organization's program of work for the 2026-2027 fiscal year.

First National Bank of Tennessee served as presenting sponsor for the second consecutive year, with Community President Ken Dodson opening the program.

Chamber President and CEO Zach Stephens built his remarks around a single theme, telling attendees that opportunity in Overton County has never been in short supply but has never once arrived on its own, and that the past year showed what collaboration, hard work, and dedication can produce when a community commits to all three.

Tourism

Stephens pointed first to the creation of Overton County's first formal, funded tourism program. Overton County, the City of Livingston, the Chamber, and Main Street Livingston executed a joint agreement this year that seeded a tourism development fund, created a director position, and seated a Tourism Advisory Board made up of the lodging owners, restaurateurs, and retailers who serve the county's visitors.

Morgan White, who joined the Chamber from the Upper Cumberland Development District as the county's first joint Tourism and Main Street Director, reported that the local commitment has already brought home two separate state awards: selection for a Tennessee Department of Tourist Development branding program valued at nearly $100,000, which produced the county's new brand, and a $100,000 Tourism Enhancement Grant that is placing gateway signs, directional signage, kiosks, and historical markers across the county.

White identified lodging as the county's most significant tourism gap, noting that overnight visitors spend several times what day visitors spend and that many travelers to Dale Hollow Lake currently lodge and spend in neighboring counties. A hotel market feasibility study completed through the Department of Tourist Development is now being used to recruit a lodging developer. White also announced an Overton County Tourism Summit to be held this winter.

Economic Development

Stephens reported that the Chamber adopted a new program of work on economic and community development in July and has since opened conversations with retail recruiters, connecting them with local property owners and presenting the county's case to the decision-makers who determine where new retail locates.

He was direct with attendees about the constraints the organization faces, noting that every competing county operates a funded economic development program with dedicated staff and dedicated dollars, while the Chamber carries that work on limited staff and a budget built for a smaller organization.

"Economic development is distinct from the work of a membership organization," Stephens said. "Recruiting industry, assembling sites, chasing grants, and revitalizing a downtown are a public function that simply happens to be housed here, and they benefit every person in this county, whether they ever join us or not."

The Chamber will pursue public funding sources in the coming year to place that work on a sustainable footing.

Bright Futures Initiative

Stephens devoted a significant portion of his remarks to the Bright Futures Initiative, a proposed 130-slot childcare and workforce training facility, framing childcare as a workforce and economic development issue. He cited the Upper Cumberland's shortage of roughly 7,000 licensed childcare slots and the estimated $2.3 billion Tennessee loses each year to the problem, along with local effects that include qualified candidates declining positions at local employers, beds sitting empty at Overton County Health and Rehab for lack of staff, and students unable to complete their programs.

Funding applications for the facility have been structured so that no local government dollars are required, though the project will require action from the Overton County Commission.

"Good things do not always come quickly," Stephens said. "More often they ask for real patience and real dedication before they come to fruition, and I would argue that is exactly what makes the work sweeter."

Additional Highlights and Recognitions

Stephens recognized State Representative Ed Butler for his work in the 114th General Assembly securing the extension of the Courthouse Square Revitalization Act through 2038. Livingston is one of only six Tennessee cities holding the designation, which has funded courthouse plaza improvements and facade work for businesses around the square.

He also recognized Livingston Mayor Lori Burnett and the City of Livingston for securing a $1,000,000 site development grant for the county's industrial park, the only industrial property in Overton County under local government control.

Other accomplishments noted during the program included Main Street Livingston's transition to a standalone nonprofit with its own board, Tennessee Historical Commission awards toward the Overton County Courthouse foundation and the Governor A.H. Roberts Law Office, and a new partnership with the Biz Foundry that brought entrepreneurship programming to the county, including a business bootcamp at TCAT attended by more than 30 contractors and tradespeople.

Executive Assistant Charlotte Clark recognized the Chamber's membership and Board of Directors, led by Chairwoman Erin Montgomery, and welcomed three new directors for the 2026-2027 year: Jared Norrod of Twin Lakes, Ben Winningham of Upper Cumberland Electric Membership Corporation, and Jason Duke, chairman of the Livingston Municipal Airport board and owner of White Mile Consulting and See It All Travels.

Program of Work

Attendees received copies of the Chamber's 2026-2027 program of work, which covers economic development, community development, tourism, the Bright Futures Initiative, small business and entrepreneurship, workforce development, downtown revitalization and historic preservation, advocacy and government relations, and membership engagement. Copies are available at the Chamber office.

Stephens closed by asking members to renew their membership and take one additional step, whether serving on a committee, joining Leadership Overton, sponsoring an event, or making the case for the Chamber's work to elected officials.

"Opportunity is here. It has always been here," Stephens said. "What it has never done, not one single time, is show up on its own."

The Chamber's next Business After Hours will be held September 24 at the Livingston Municipal Airport. Applications for the Leadership Overton Class of 2027 are open through October 30.

About the Livingston/Overton County Chamber of Commerce

The Livingston/Overton County Chamber of Commerce serves as the lead organization for economic development, tourism, workforce development, small business support, and government advocacy in Overton County, Tennessee. For more information, visit LivingstonOvertonChamber.com or call (931) 823-6421.