Seth Vaughn will take over the Fentress County Chamber of Commerce’s Executive Director role.
Vaughn replaces new county mayor Jacob Rosenbaum. Vaughn said the transition into the lead role follows more than five years of service with the chamber, including tenures as the director of tourism and membership and assistant director.
“I’m a strong believer in doing everything that you do in excellence,” Vaughn said. “And so I want our organization to be seen as we operate in excellence in all that we do. If we don’t do something well, we don’t need to be doing it. And so I just want to make sure that whatever we do is for the greater good of our community.”
Vaughn said tourism remains a top priority for the organization because Fentress County serves as the gateway to the Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area and Pickett State Park. Vaughn said the chamber is also focused on maintaining strong relationships with the Industrial Development Board and local government entities in Allardt and Jamestown.
“There’s a lot of potential hope for Fentress County, and as there has been for many years,” Vaughn said. “And we’re just as a community and as local leadership, we’re going to continue to pursue every opportunity possible to make sure that Fentress County is a greater place to live, work, and to visit.”
Vaughn said the chamber is exploring targeted marketing strategies to reach specific states that frequently draw visitors for equestrian and hiking opportunities. Vaughn said the organization is also hosting classes with the Small Business Development Center in Cookeville to equip local business owners with the tools they need to succeed.
“We always say that whenever someone is looking at joining the chamber, that a business cannot really afford to not be a member of our local Chamber of Commerce,” Vaughn said. “And what we mean by that is being a chamber member comes with a lot of great respect within our community. A lot of people see the importance of chamber membership, and they say, ‘Hey, I see that they’re investing in the chamber, who is investing in our community. So we want to invest in them. We want to support them.’”
Vaughn said a primary goal for his first year is to increase the chamber’s membership to 300 members, a milestone the organization has never reached. Vaughn said the chamber currently has approximately 270 members and added five new members during his first week as director.
“Seeing all of those come together would hopefully make us feel that our tenure here was a success in our first year,” Vaughn said. “But of course, we’re always looking to learn and grow and there’s never a finish line. You know, once we hit our goals, we’re just going to continue to increase those goals and go on from there.”
Vaughn said he plans to increase transparency and community promotion by working more closely with local media partners. Vaughn said the chamber is discussing a weekly newspaper article to highlight the successes of local businesses and community members.
“Nothing other than it’s an honor to serve and I’m very thankful that the board of directors here at the chamber chose me for this position,” Vaughn said. “However, if there’s anything that we can do to better assist our community, please let us know.”
Vaughn said the chamber is currently seeking a new tourism and membership director to fill his former position.