Community Profile: & Haywood County Brownsville Welcome to Brownsville – Haywood County

From Ag to Art... Beauty to Barbecue... Experience the diversity and teamwork that keeps Brownsvillee & Haywood Co., making it happen. Brownsville & Haywood Co. WE’RE A SMALL COMMUNITY WITH A BIG FUTURE!

Story by Lyda Kay Ferree, The Southern Lifestyles Lady. Photography courtesy of the Brownsville Haywood County Chamber of Commerce, Dr. Alan Sterbinsky, Steve Hilton & Woody Woodard.

rownsville (pop: 9,983), Haywood Coun- Brownsville Update from Mayor Bill Rawls “If you build bridges and roads, you have to ty (pop: 17,800) and Stanton (pop: 500) Mayor Rawls, who was elected mayor of have a fiber network,” said Mayor Rawls. Mayor are working closely together to create a Brownville in 2014 for a four-year term, “abso- Rawls ticks off topics like telemedicine, educa- Bbright future for their region. On the horizon is lutely” plans to run for another term as mayor tion and business opportunities for call centers. the exciting possibility of new plants choosing in June of 2018. “We’re moving forward at a Here’s what Jonathan Harlan has to say to locate in The Memphis Regional Megasite very fast pace,” he said. “I’m still excited and about this project: “Aeneas announced in the near Stanton. An empty field today, the site still optimistic about our future.” fall of 2016 that it would make Brownsville the appears to be a candidate to land a major car The Town Square facelift continues with next ‘Gig City’ all Gigabit fiber to the premises plant. a streetscape project including sidewalks. “It (FTTX). Brownsville was chosen due to the out- Japanese automakers Toyota Motor Corp. will be multimodal, making it more pedestri- standing local leadership in both government and Mazda Motor Corp. have not revealed the an friendly, and we’re adding historic lighting. as well as the business community there who states being considered for a 4000-employee Eventually there will be underground utilities embrace this technology and Aeneas in particu- factory producing electric cars, though signals from the Courthouse to Russell Street,” he said. lar as a catalyst for change and job creation. “It show The Memphis Megasite is in the running. is important to us that the people of our com- leaders are pushing ahead as if munities have the same types of choices and they expect to win the project. options for high-speed Internet and telephone “We’re rocking and rolling,” said Dr. Alan “…As the mayor of that other areas of the county have. We believe Sterbinsky, mayor of Stanton, a town near the Brownsville I have an broadband should be available to everyone at Memphis Regional Megasite. “We’re dead seri- opportunity to really make an a cost that is competitive in the industry,” says ous about being ready.” Aeneas CEO, Jonathan Harlan. If Haywood County lands the Toyota-Maz- impact on the community.” Harlan says “it has been exciting and fun to Mayor A. Franklin Smith • Haywood Co. 1 North Washington • Brownsville, TN 38012 da project it would be a lifesaver, not only for watch Brownville and Haywood County grow 731.772.1432 • www.haywoodcountybrownsville.com the 4,000 auto jobs, but other manufacturers —Mayor Bill Rawls with Aeneas Internet & Telephone’s Gigabit Mayor Bill Rawls • City of Brownsville coming in to supply auto parts, and the spin- fiber. 2017 has been a great year for Aeneas 111 North Washington • Brownsville, TN 38012 off jobs created as all of those autoworkers as Brownsville has enthusiastically embraced 731.772.1212 • www.brownsvilletn.gov spend their paychecks in stores and restaurants. Aeneas Moves into Brownsville & Haywood County Aeneas’ Gigabit fiber. 2018 promises even more Mayor Alan Sterbinsky • Town of Stanton “We estimate 17 percent of the workforce in Mayor Rawls of Brownsville and Mayor growth for both Brownsville and Aeneas. It has 8 Main Street • Stanton, TN 38069 West Tennessee would be affected directly or Franklin Smith of Haywood County are part- been observed that Aeneas’ entrepreneurial 731.548.2565 • www.haywoodcountybrownsville.com Haywood Co. Mayor Brownsville Mayor Stanton Mayor indirectly by a new car plant,” Stanton Mayor nering on making Brownsville and Haywood business culture matches Brownsville’s and that A. Franklin Smith Bill Rawls Jr. Dr. Alan Sterbinsky Sterbinsky said. County the next “Gig City” in West Tennessee. unlike Jackson, TN, Brownsville’s Gigabit fiber NOVEMBER 2017 • 123 Where to Shop is 100% taxpaying private sector and has not required Top Goals of Brownsville Officials • Bliss Salon & Spa one cent of government money or financing.” According to Mayor Rawls, the top goals are 1) to • Brownsville Flower Shop Aeneas Internet & Telephone, a local West Tennes- continue to advocate for preventative and acute health • Exclusive Looks, Beth Wilson Clothing & Jewelry see-based company, “has a history of firsts in Tennes- care, 2) to try to get a hospital EMS service at the Mem- & Kimmie’s Professional see,” said Harlan. He stated that in 1996 Aeneas was phis Regional Megasite, and 3) improve the quality of Skin Care & Nails the first to offer internet access in rural West Tennessee, life which includes health care and the creation and • Flex Fitness first to offer broadband, first to become a Tennessee support of more youth programs. • Forked Deer Gifts & Apparel owned and operated competitive local telephone • H&R Agri-Power • Livingston’s Bridal carrier, first to offer voice over IP, and now first Gigabit Main Street Brownsville Registry, Furniture & Gifts broadband provider in West Tennessee.” Harlan said Recently I spoke to • Morris Jewelers that “Aeneas remains on the cutting edge with its large Mary Ann Sharpe, the • Nita’s Scents & More service offering including internet security, off site Executive Director of • Samantha Brown cloud data storage, local network support and other Main Street Brownsville. Photography • Treasure Chest Flowers valuable IT offerings. Aeneas is proud of our ownership She updated me on this & Gifts and employee roots in West Tennessee and its customer organization’s projects. • T-Shirt Plus service and serving the needs unmet by the big, faceless “Main Street Browns- • Uncorked Wine & Spirits electric utility and corporate broadband providers. The ville’s continued efforts • Vanessa’s Boutique on the customer remains first with Aeneas, and Brownsville in historic preservation as Square is a great example of that!” Please visit fiber.aeneas. well as economic and community development have Where to Eat com and register for information about Aeneas FTTX boosted a positive image for the City of Brownsville. • Back Yard Bar-Be-Cue/ services. A large part of our success has been through public Charleston Catering Co. and private partnerships. Recent numbers reported • Baskin Donuts Other Brownsville News include private investments totaling $1,426,800 and • Brownsville Family Restaurant & Catering According to Mayor Rawls, the city is in the pro- public investments totaling $1,413,000. Combining • Burger Basket cess of filing for another site development grant. “We private and public investments plays an essential role • Dairy Queen received two grants last year and we are applying for in promoting growth and sustainable development of

Community Profile: Brownsville County & Haywood Profile: Community • El Ranchito’s one this year,” he said.” TDOT is paving 4 lanes from the community. As you drive through the downtown • Jimmy’s Steakhouse the bypass from Anderson Avenue past Windrow Road. area you can’t help but notice the facade improvements • Helen’s Bar-BQ • Las Palmas We received a housing improvement in the amount of and streetscapes projects currently underway.” Main • Eader House $400,000 for housing in a targeted area. Brownsville is Street Brownsville’s latest project included a generous • Lil’E’s on the Square a designated Main Street Community. We want more donation from the local Garden Club adding brackets • Little Caesar’s Pizza downtown businesses, and we want our downtown to and hanging flower baskets to the newly installed orna- • Main Moon Chinese flourish. It is the core and center of our city.” mental lampposts. The hanging baskets add vibrancy Restaurant • Mindfield Grill Other projects that Mayor Rawls and I discussed in- and ambiance to our downtown,” said Sharpe. • Mr. Jimmy’s Farmer’s Mkt cluded the fact that Brownsville is a Tennessee Certified • Suga’s Diner (Stanton) Select Site that allows local officials to better market Haywood County Update • Twin Oaks Sports Bar their industrial site. He added that their site is a free Mayor Franklin Smith is in his 27th year serving • ZZ’s Restaurant trade zone (FTZ) for warehouses. as county mayor. He plans to leave his post August 31, Where to Stay Mayor Rawls stated that Apex, formerly known 2018. • America’s Best Value Inn as the Haywood Company, is the largest employer in Current county goals include work force develop- • Comfort Inn Brownsville. With headquarters in Rhode Island, Apex ment, improving education, and building a facility at • Days Inn of Brownsville has been in the area since the 1970s. The company, the Memphis Regional Megasite that will house a fire • Econo Lodge which has approximately 600 employees who manu- station, ambulance station and sheriff’s substation. Area Attractions facture garden hoses and plastic and rubber compo- “Several hospitals tell us if we get a tenant at the Meg- • Amphitheater nents, recently completed a $34 million expansion. asite they will talk to us about emergency medicine in • Brownsville Historic District “The city, county and state government built new Haywood County,” said Mayor Smith. “We have had • Clock on the Square warehouses,” said Mayor Rawls. a helicopter station from Memphis in our county for • College HIll Center The AMP concerts in downtown Brownsville were about 14 years.” • Cotton Junction Trail • Dunbar Carver Alumnae well attended as was the recent Fall Fest in downtown Last year one of the top county goals was to resolve Museum & Cultural Center Brownsville. The Farmers’ Market is a success and now county budget issues. They have now been resolved. • Flagg Grove School & Tina there is a playground there. Phase 1 of the Farmers’ “We passed the first budget in the history of Haywood Turner Museum Market was recently completed, and Phase 2 is begin- County in June of this year!,” exclaimed Mayor Smith. • Hatchie WIldlife Refuge ning with the purchase of more property. There will be It is anticipated that a Visitors Center will open at • Haywood County Museum, • Morton Felsenthal Lincoln a walking trail that will cross from one side of the city the Solar Farm in Stanton at Mile Marker 44 between Collection & Haywood Co. to the other. now and January 1. Visitors will see various types of Sports Museum • Helen’s Bar-B-Q • Historic Stanton Presbyterian Church & Mausoleum What to Know • “Sleepy John” Estes’ House Brownsville is a 30-minute drive from Jackson. Director of the Brownsville-Haywood County • Stanton Cannery Take I-40 West to Exit 56 onto Highway 76. Chamber of Commerce at (731) 727-2193. The • Stanton Welcome Center Go north on Highway 76 two miles or until the Chamber is located at 121 West Main Street, • Stanton Masonic Lodge road dead ends in front of the Elma Ross Public Brownsville, TN 38012. • Tam Park Library. Take a left in front of the library onto • Temple Adas Israel (1820) Highway 70 or East Main, which will lead you di- Email the Chamber at: • The Mindfield rectly to the town square. For more information [email protected] • The Burger Basket • Tripp Country Hams on Brownsville, contact Steve Hilton, Executive shilton@brownsvilletngov (Steve Hilton) • WTN Delta Heritage Ctr. • Willow Oaks Flower Farm Note: All businesses and attractions are in Brownsville unless otherwise noted. 124 • Community Profile: & Haywood County Brownsville alternative energy showcasing wind power, solar power and other kinds of power. There will be school field trips. The Visitors Center will draw people into Haywood County.” The county received a $500,000 grant from The Tennessee Housing Development Agency (THDA). Duane Lavery of HTL Advantage works for the State of Tennessee, and he continues to assist Haywood, Tipton and Lauderdale Counties with Megasite prospects and assists in work force development pro- grams. “We just did a deal with Tecknor Apex that built a distribution center warehouse in the industrial park,” said Mayor Smith. This com- pany may take possession by November 1. Fifty new jobs were created. Mayor Smith commented on the importance of the Aeneas project in Haywood County. “We will be a gigabit community. It will certainly have a positive effect on the way outside people view the county and will make high speed internet service available. This puts our county on the map and shows that we have gone that extra step to become a gigabit city.”

Stanton News Dr. Alan Sterbinsky, who has served as mayor of Stanton for nine years, is a whiz at writing and receiving grant money. “We just received a $2 million grant for our sewage lagoon, which we want to prevent from over- flowing. As we look at the Megasite we will It doesn't matter how you got hurt, have to have more capacity. We want to make sure the environment is protected. Mayor it matters how you heal. Sterbinsky added that the Memphis Megasite (no physician referral required) will benefit Stanton “massively!” Stanton is the nearest municipality to the Megasite. The unemployment rate in Stanton/Haywood County has shrunk 38 Medical Center Dr. • Brownsville • 731.772.5213 considerably. “In Haywood County we have at least 100 job openings sportsplusrehab.org now. The difficulty is finding the work force for those jobs.” The Career Ready program is in place and was relaunched on October 12. This program looks at the knowledge skills to do a job. But there are other soft skills an employee needs like showing up to work every day, how to conduct yourself in an interview and how to fill out a resume. Mayor Rawls created this program. The mission of Mayor Sterbinsky and the Stanton Board of Alder- men in 2017 is as follows: “All Stanton residents will be healthy, life- long learners, building a peaceful and sustainable community. Every- thing we do focuses on making this mission statement come true.” Interestingly, Scotts Miracle Gro awarded a grant to Stanton to cre- ate orchards. A walking trail is in place and this spring fruit trees for the local citizens will be planted in the orchards. The cannery in Stanton is a new business model. “We have over- hauled the cannery,” said Mayor Sterbinsky. “You may schedule an appointment at the cannery to prepare your own food or you may ask Richard, who supervises the cannery, to cook for you. You may rent the cannery for $5 for 30 minutes and cook whatever you need. Our goal is to be a commercial cannery and commercial kitchen. The citizens of the Brownsville's Most Unique Eatery area may become a caterer for very limited capital costs.” Certified Angus Beef • Chicken • Seafood Historical Profile: Brownsville Haywood County Chamber of Sandwiches • Wraps • Salads • Gourmet Desserts Commerce Building The Brownsville-Haywood building, located at 121 West Main Street, is the former Carne- gie library. Built in 1910 with $7,500 do- nated by Scottish-born industri- alist and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, this building served as the county library for 82 years. In 1957 it became the Brownsville-Haywood County Library, part of Tennessee’s regional library program. It remained open until 1992 when the library moved to a larger facility. 42 S Washington Ave • Historic Court Square • Brownsville, TN In 1993, the community, with the support of the city, county and 731-326-5161 • Sun-Fri: 11am-9pm • Eat-In or Take-Out NOVEMBER 2017 • 125 state governments, restored it as home of the Brownsville Haywood County Chamber of Commerce. The building celebrated 100 years of history in 2010.

Business Spotlight: Teknor Apex (Formerly Haywood Company) “Teknor Apex is dedicated to providing our customers superior prod- vipmag.com ucts and services throughout our operations worldwide since 1924,” said Amy Ross, Human Resource Generalist. “We conduct ourselves with high ethical standards, which are the cornerstone of our business reputation, and which generate long-term, trusting partnerships with customers, employees and suppliers. Our work environment stimulates innovation, determination and teamwork. We are committed to continuous learning and development so that our employees can achieve to their fullest. We promote the health and safety of our employees and contribute to the wellbeing of the communities in which we do business. Working tougher towards our shared vision assures a financially successful company that is a source of growth and pride for all.” Teknor Apex Tennessee Company has been in Brownsville since 1971.”Today, we have over 700 team members across four separate busi- ness divisions on site. Teknor Apex continues to support the Haywood County community through United Way contributions, participation in workforce development initiatives, and expanding our business locally.”

History of Brownsville, Haywood County & Stanton The first settler came to Haywood County in 1821. By 1824 Browns- Community Profile: Brownsville County & Haywood Profile: Community ville had been declared the county seat. It was named for Gen. Jacob Jennings Brown of Pennsylvania, who was a hero in the War of 1812. Haywood County is named for Judge John Haywood of North Carolina, who was considered “the father of Tennessee history.” The county was once part of Madison County until an act of the Tennessee legislature in 1823-24 created a separate county. Many of the earlier settlers of this region came from Virginia and North Carolina. The town of Stanton began with the arrival of the Memphis & Ohio Railroad to the Stanton Depot in the 1830s on what had previously been Chickasaw land, but was then owned by Joseph Stanton. The Town of Stanton originally had its first charter in the 1880s, but the charter was soon abolished. Stanton received a new charter in 1927 and is primari- ly a farming community today. The original town that became Stanton was called Wesley and was located 4 miles west of the current Town of Stanton. The town is named for Joseph Blackwell Stanton, whose daugh- ter married Nathan Adams, a stockholder in the Nashville and Memphis Railroad.

Famous Folks Famous folks from Brownsville and Haywood County include the fol- lowing: Richard Halliburton, internationally known adventurer, lecturer, and author; Dr. John Stehlin, internationally known cancer specialist and founder of the Stehlin Foundation for Cancer Research in Houston, Texas; “Sleepy John” Estes, , and Yank Rachelle, internationally known entertainers; , singer from Nutbush; Alex Harvey, , singer and actor; Clay Evans, Chicago evange- list, singer, Civil Rights leader and founder of The Clay Evans Scholarship Fund for aiding Haywood County students in acquiring a college educa- tion; Charlie Tripp, award-winning country ham entrepreneur and owner of Tripp Country Hams in Brownsville; Bill Tripp, artist/creator of The Mind Field steel structure in Brownsville; and Tony Delk, a professional Welcome to our family basketball player. Special acknowledgments to Bill Rawls, Mayor of Brownsville; Franklin Smith, Mayor of VIP Magazines. of Haywood County; Dr. Alan Sterbinsky, mayor of Stanton; Steve Hilton, Executive Director of the Brownsville-Haywood County Chamber of Commerce; Marty Williams, Administrative Assistant of the Brownsville-Haywood County Chamber of Commerce; Celebrating Life... Sonia Outlaw-Clark, Director, West Tennessee Delta Heritage Center; Mary Ann Sharp, One Event at a Time! Main Street Brownsville Executive Director; Amy Ross, Human Resource Generalist, Jeff Watson Teknor Apex; Jonathan Harlan, CEO of Aeneas Internet & Telephone; and those who Founder/Publisher provided quotes for the Profile article.

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