Through Lines with Melinda Keifer

Show Notes

Join Kosta and his guest: Melinda Keifer, Economic Development Coordinator, Community Development Liaison and Former Founding Executive Director of CityScape. Melissa has represented the Upper Cumberland across the state of Tennessee advocating for growth, expansion and the betterment of Middle Tennessee.

Better Together with Kosta Yepifantsev is a product of Morgan Franklin Media and recorded in Cookeville, TN.

Find out more about CityScape:
https://cookevillecityscape.com/

Find out more about Cookeville Chamber of Commerce and Economic Development: 
https://cookevillechamber.com/

Find out more about Kosta Yepifantsev:
http://kostayepifantsev.com/

What is Better Together with Kosta Yepifantsev?

Better Together with Kosta Yepifantsev is a podcast about business, parenting and living life intentionally. We're here every week to bring you intentional conversations on making your own path to success, challenging the status quo, and finding all the ways we're better. Recorded in Cookeville, TN, Kosta joins guests from all walks of life to bring fresh perspective and start your week with purpose. We're better together.

Melinda Keifer: Allowing people
to have more input, allowing

that outreach to happen and
working under that collaborative

umbrella. And there have been
times, you know, concepts and

theories and thoughts have just
totally been cut off. But if you

open that door most people want
to work through

Morgan Franklin: Welcome to
Better Together with Kosta

Yepifantsev, a podcast on
parenting business and living

life intentionally. We're here
every week to bring you

thoughtful conversation, making
your own path to

success,challenging the status
quo, and finding all the ways

we're better together. Here's
your host, Kosta Yepifantsev.

Kosta Yepifantsev: Hey, y'all,
it's Kosta. Today I'm here with

my guest, Melinda Keefer,
economic development consultant,

community development liaison
and former founding executive

director of city scape. Melinda
has represented the upper

Cumberland across the state of
Tennessee advocating for growth,

expansion, and the betterment of
all of Middle Tennessee.

Melinda, it's an honor to have
you with us today. You've

devoted your entire career to
community development, civil

service and the betterment of
the upper Cumberland. I want to

start this episode with the
question I think has been on a

lot of people's minds lately.

Where do we go from here, not
just as a city. But more

importantly, as a community,

Melinda Keifer: Kosta? I'm so
honored to be here, and what a

fun opportunity for me to kind
of get to reflect and then also

talk about the future. You know,
we live very partially in one of

the best communities, not only
in state, but I will say the

southeast. Where do we go from
here today? There's a couple of

different things. Number one, we
stay the course. Right?

Absolutely. Let's keep doing
what works well, and we have a

proven track record and economy
proves we need to stay the

course.

Kosta Yepifantsev: So record
sales tax. Amazing.

Melinda Keifer: Yes, we're gonna
keep that going. We're gonna

keep that going. Good. 100%.

That's a goal. Right? So thank
you that keeps our property

taxes down. Number two is Don't
get so complacent. You must look

to the future. So while you're
maintaining your foundations,

you still have to have an eye on
what we need to continue to

become every community can get
better every day. No community's

ever finished. Right? Yeah,
those are the two things as far

as just a 30,000 foot view. Stay
the course. And let's look to

the future. I

Kosta Yepifantsev: mean, how
much has cokeville changed since

you moved? Now? Are you from
Cookeville? Originally? Okay, so

you were born and raised here?

Melinda Keifer: We moved back
when I was started kindergarten.

Okay.

Kosta Yepifantsev: Still, I
mean, that's yeah,

Melinda Keifer: we'll call it my
entire life. That's right.

Kosta Yepifantsev: I mean, how
much has it changed since you

were growing up in Cookeville?

You know,

Melinda Keifer: it's pretty
amazing, isn't it. And we were

positioned due to past
incredible leadership because of

our 40. Okay, we can go all the
way back to that period of time,

to truly become a great
community. So it has changed so

much. But here's the beautiful
part. There is so much of this

community that is exactly like
it was even before the

interstate came through. And I
think a lot of times people

don't reflect on that, you know,
especially when they see change

as an uncomfortable place to be,
you just need to sit down and

reflect on what you remember.

And see how much of that truly
is still here.

Kosta Yepifantsev: It's
astounding, because Jessica, she

moved here in 1994. I think 9495
She went to kindergarten here

and everything. And we'll be
going into a store, like the

market Play Store on the square
there. And she would tell me,

like all the different stores
that it was. Yeah, exactly. And

so it's, there's a lot of
history. And I mean, I guess it

just shows the progression. I
know, obviously, to your point

that there are a lot of things
that stayed the same, but

there's so many things that have
changed to evolve with the times

and evolve with the growth in
population and industry and

things like that. And in a lot
of ways. That's the beauty of

Cookeville is I know we
shouldn't stay we shouldn't be

complacent and I don't think it
ever really has. But it's always

important to say just to make
sure, right, yes.

Melinda Keifer: Especially when
there's so much change. Yes, you

know, then you kind of people
kind of want to prep that

barriers, but back to the
marketplace and the stores that

used to be there. That's
specifically what I'm talking

about. Those foundation pieces
that has always been a place

where people in the community
could purchase items for

themselves. Yeah, so that core
those pieces now the you know,

the sign out front may be
different and the dry goods and

they're different and I can't go
buy my brownie and Girl Scout

outfits. They're like I did when
I was young. But what a great

Shaw and what a great way to
honor the structure if nothing

else have a downtown
environment.

Kosta Yepifantsev: Yep. Let's
talk About cityscape and your

role as the first executive
director of the program. How did

this come to be? And what is
city scape for anyone who

doesn't know,

Melinda Keifer: a little
historical reference at the time

that this group of people felt
like our downtown was declining?

We were on our second Walmart,
they'd opened a store and then

closed it for a bigger store. So
that was pushing on, you know,

and that was our tough for
downtown districts, right? We

were on our second Kmart, there
was 2k, Mart's here. Well, they

had left a smaller place and
built a brand new one get

bigger. And those were really
big deals. I remember, a friend

of mine in college said, I
cannot wait to get out of a town

where the grind opened a Walmart
social been in the season. I

mean, it was a big deal. So
there was a group of people that

felt like at some point, this
has to be addressed as well. So

they looked at that Tennessee
Mainstreet program started a

group of people, grassroots plus
government, public private

partnership, and nine, teen 93.

Wow. Yeah, they put together a
board of directors that

literally was put together for
one purpose. And that is

absolutely no one in the
community would be able to say

no to them, incredible people
from the university, just a

broad range of just true
leadership. And I remember when

I got hired, and I knew them
all, so it was the most

intimidating interview I'd ever
had in my life. I was like, if I

say something wrong, they're
gonna tell my mom and daddy, and

I'm gonna be big trouble. So I
remember after I was hired, Joe

Albright. And I know, you know,
his son, Jr, Brian.

Kosta Yepifantsev: Okay, I've
heard so much about him. And I

never got the opportunity to
meet him. I wish I had from

everything that I've heard. I
mean, he just seems like a like

a force, a true

Melinda Keifer: mentor of mine.

He shepherded me in so many
ways. But he sat me down and

told me he was a newspaperman at
the time, your sole job is to

make sure that cityscape is in
the news, no less than once a

month, whether it's radio
newspaper, however you do it,

either outlet however. So that
is your core value. And I can

remember I would check that off.

And so we were able to create a
brand that people understood,

while preserving the historic
nature of our downtown. We

wanted new shops and businesses
to come in. And of course,

everybody needs to understand
elected officials don't create

jobs. Economic coordinators
don't create businesses do. So

your sole purpose is to create
an environment where businesses

can succeed. You can't make up
60. But if you create a place,

or a structure where they can
succeed, then you're off to the

races. So that's when we really
began to look at the visual

aspects of downtown and started
that first construction project

around the square.

Kosta Yepifantsev: How old were
you when you were brought on as

the first executive director?

Melinda Keifer: Gosh, 31.

Kosta Yepifantsev: So where did
you learn this ideology? Because

I mean, look, at the end of the
day, there's a lot of smart

people out here, but it takes
people that actually can

convalesce. All of this into a
direct and concrete message like

you just gave Yeah. Where did
you learn that?

Melinda Keifer: You know, I
think a lot of it comes from

your parents. My dad was a
football coach. So my entire

life, I was taught how to build
the team, hey, go. And they

usually came over for dinner,
you know, he played football at

Tech, he coached football at
Tech. And then my mother was a

fourth grade teacher. And
goodness knows it takes a

village in those environments as
well. And I was at home make

major fashion merchandising. So
I had a retail background. Okay,

and so that that helped
understanding square footage and

floor space and helping
businesses be better with store

hours and promotions and stuff
like that. So I guess it was a

combination.

Kosta Yepifantsev: You know,
what I love about the

environment of team and people
like yourself that grow up in a

family where sports and
especially you know, as involved

as you were and how close you
were to it, you could see that

every single person had a role
to play within their position.

So the quarterback isn't going
to be you know, the defensive

lineman, right, the defensive
lineman isn't going to be a wide

receiver 99.9% of the time. And
what you were describing earlier

about businesses playing role
elected official playing a role

people in the community like
everybody has a job to do and if

Cookeville wants to continue to
keep growing in the capacity

that it is we need to make sure
that we keep doing our own jobs,

you know, we keep essentially to
fulfilling our own roles,

Melinda Keifer: 100% cost and
that's part of staying the

course, in the past. And
currently, and I hope dearly for

the future, we've been blessed
with elected leadership, who

truly like each other. Yeah,
that hasn't always been that

way. And it may not again in the
future, but when you can put

together a group of people that
on many things have a shared

vision, but more importantly,
when they don't, they still like

each other. And they can
compromise, respect, and

compromise and negotiate, and
try something new when it truly

is a blessing. And for reasons
like that. That's why cityscape

has been so successful, they
have done the same thing with

that board, they've worked
really hard to create an

environment for those downtown
businesses to succeed.

Kosta Yepifantsev: After city
scape, you continued on to serve

as the first Economic
Development Coordinator for the

city of Cookeville. You've
pioneered and established

several major facets of our
community as it stands today. If

you had to pick one through line
for all of these projects, what

would it be?

Melinda Keifer: Preparedness
literally being prepared?

Because the opportunities don't
call you and say, okay, in two

and a half years, yeah, we're
gonna come visit you and want to

open a store or manufacturing
there.

Kosta Yepifantsev: How were you
confident to make the

investments that you did to get
to the point to where you were

prepared for those phone calls?

Because you no one has a crystal
balls, man? What's gonna happen?

No.

Melinda Keifer: And my father
used to tell me, He who looks in

crystal ball usually gets glass
in his eye.

Kosta Yepifantsev: Right.

Melinda Keifer: So keeping that
in context, you know, before I

came back to Cookeville, I
worked eight years for the state

of Tennessee. Okay, as Director
of Community Development and the

Tennessee Mainstreet program. I
think what really gave me so

much passion and bless it
knowledge was I traveled all 95

counties in Tennessee. And so I
got to see communities strengths

and weaknesses, help them with
both. I think the status thing

for me was a community who had
so many strengths. They had so

many assets there to work with
to develop, but had no

leadership. Wow. And to me, that
was heartbreaking. Yeah, because

it was all right there. Let's
sit let's talk about let's build

this capacity, whether it's a
humane shelter, or a downtown

park, all of those foundational
pieces, but when you don't have

leadership that is open or
collaborative and able to

negotiate, those things are
impossible. And then you go to a

small town in Tennessee, where
their assets are very limited.

But by golly, that leadership
was passionate, they worked hard

every day, their community was
engaged in everything that was

going on, you know, I kind of
wanted to go into kind of, Can I

pick you up and put you over
here for a while and you go over

here, and let's see what we can
mix that. But that gave me the

foundational pieces to say, if
you don't have community

development, there is no
economic department.

Kosta Yepifantsev: When did you
know that you had made the right

decision? Was there a day? Or
did you get that big industry or

business partner that finally
said, okay, you know, we're

gonna make a move to Cookeville.

And it transformed our
community. And you were like,

Yes, I knew this would happen.

Melinda Keifer: You know, I
would have to say, The Academy

sports and outdoors distribution
center was not only a game

changer for the community, but
for me, personally, because it

felt validating, I guess, like,
Okay, I was really listening.

Yeah. And I did really try to
learn and I can see some

fingerprints on this project,
where I was able to contribute.

And so that was very personally
validating, but for our

community, it put us back on the
map. We've been sleeping quiet

for about 20 years.

Kosta Yepifantsev: I mean, in
2000 been no

Melinda Keifer: yeah, no growth.

Kosta Yepifantsev: I mean, 2008
So I met Jessica in 2009. I was

living in Nashville and Stuart's
very apartments. And she brought

me to cook Ville in oh nine and
this was right after the

recession and the recession did
a number on this area called

housing development. And I mean,
that big fact that furniture

factory it's on Willow that was
on Willow close right off the

interstate. And I mean, you
could tell like, there's a lot

of people struggling and so I
totally get why resonate with

with what you're saying about
the fact that you needed kind of

like a shot in the arm to say,
Okay, we're back on track and

you know,

Melinda Keifer: we needed a
catalyst

Kosta Yepifantsev: You did that.

So lots of

Melinda Keifer: cost, but I went
to tape. Who I have decided the

day you realize your sole
purpose in life is to be chief

cat herder. And to put the
people, the right people on the

bus in the right seat. And then
all I have to do is drive

because they got everything
else. Experts in their own

right. water sewer electric,
industrial development at

bankers. I'm not a good banker.

I don't know a whole lot about
electricity there. But by golly,

Amna, who does, and we're gonna
put you on the team,

Kosta Yepifantsev: we're gonna
talk about you being a catalyst,

one of the most intimidating
parts about trying to create

real change, is finding a place
to start. As we've discussed,

you're a professional starter,
how can we all embrace this

spirit of change? And what
helped you get started on huge

projects like these?

Melinda Keifer: First, it takes
a lot of faith. And whether

that's religious faith, faith in
yourself, faith in your

community, faith in your team?

Across the board, you got to
have faith, you're always no

handbook. Man, you're to some
extent you do, you have to be

willing to kind of put yourself
out there. But faith comes from

knowing there's a safety net
there that will catch you should

you missed out. And then being
humble enough to say, Oh, I

sorry, me, probably I should
probably not have said done, you

know, we've all been in those
places, takes faith, a little

bit of a vision and a dream for
the future. And it can be as

wild and open or as narrow. But
that's where you get the fire is

that vision or that dream of
what you want to accomplish.

And, you know, my entire
professional career has been

committed to creating a balanced
scorecard. You can go back to

that team and that sports
analogy, every community has to

have a balanced foundation, you
can't just be good at one thing.

Because should the economy turns
should that thing go up in a

puff of smoke, you have nothing.

I equate it to Hurricane Katrina
and the city of New Orleans, I

was called by the National Trust
for Historic Preservation to go

in on a survey team after the
hurricane hit into the lower

Ninth Ward to help preserve
historic structures. So I was

deployed down there. And
immediately, I could say that

Katrina lifted the lid on a
community who had literally not

invested time, money, effort or
passion in their foundation.

Instead, they pushed it out to
the outer ends of the city

limits, or they covered it up in
a dirt straight and Katrina

lifted the lid off of areas
which had already become the

worst of the worst. So that's my
example of why that foundation

is critical. And that's what
creates the opportunity to be

prepared. Because you don't know
where it's

Kosta Yepifantsev: coming from.

You understand how important it
is? I understand the how

important the balance is, how do
you get the community to embrace

that understanding? Because you
have been rather successful at

getting 85% of our community on
board with this is going to help

us not just in the short term,
but more importantly, in the

long term? How do you do that in
terms of messaging?

Melinda Keifer: I will tell you,
Costa, I feel like today, that

is a much more difficult task
than it used to be. And you

know, we can talk about that. As
far as where do we go from here?

I think it goes back to again,
those core foundation pieces

faith and trust, you have to
build trust in your message. And

that comes with integrity. It
comes with character. It comes

with two really open ears and
one very small mouth, allowing

people to have input, allowing
that outreach to happen. And

working under that collaborative
umbrella. And there have been

times, you know, concepts and
theories and thoughts have have

just totally been cut off at the
knees. But if you open that

door, most people want to work
through it, but I do worry. Is

that collaborative spirit? I
don't know it's a little

tougher, good day.

Kosta Yepifantsev: It's things
are gonna get interesting. I

will say one of the components
that helped me sort of craft

that question was affordable
housing critical and reading

about some of the decisions that
the Planning Commission's

recently have been making on
affordable housing and

preventing some entry level
developments to be built in high

essentially high density
housing, like off 10 street and

things like that, which I
understand, obviously, people's

concerns. But one of the things
that whether it's the planning

commission or it's the
individuals that live in that

area that they may not
understand is there such a small

amount of homes that are in a
certain price range for first

time homebuyers to be able to
buy without buying like a fixer

upper? Because it's right, who
has time to fix up the house

when they're, you know, 25 years
old,

Melinda Keifer: or find the
contractor available services to

do it exactly. To be able to
afford that. Exactly.

Kosta Yepifantsev: And it's
their kids, though, that's the

thing is, it's like it's not
these are the people that oppose

affordable housing being built
and high density housing being

built, and hoping that housing
prices decline so that, you

know, more people could build a
single family home on a eighth

of an acre like they do in
Nashville, like those days are

over. That's just not the
direction that the United States

in the state of Tennessee is
going to move in. It's going to

be a lot of these housing, high
density housing developments for

entry level homebuyers, but it's
their kids that are going to

need a house that are not able
to find one.

Melinda Keifer: And here's the
absolute crux of that issue.

They believe their kids want
need and are able to pay for the

house that they have. And the
reality is by demographics, if

you sit, they don't want a white
picket fence, right? They do not

need a fenced in backyard. They
don't want to cut the grass,

they don't want to cut the
grass, then you have an aging

population that is truly tired
of cutting grass. Yes. And so it

goes back to being in tune with
who are our customers here in

COVID. Yeah, you know, which may
be our kids or maybe newcomers.

At the end of the day. They
don't want what you have, right.

And last time I checked, there's
no empty apartments. There's

like 10 houses, for houses for
three years. Yeah, it's market

driven. And if you will not
allow yourself to respect and

honor that incredible machine,
which is the individual

consumer. It is market driven?

Absolutely. These guys are not
building things to lose money,

right?

Kosta Yepifantsev: Well, and if
they don't build anything, then

they lose the window.

Melinda Keifer: My employees of
companies can't live here,

right. Therefore we can't
recruit because we are unable.

Kosta Yepifantsev: And it's not
even the price point at that

junction. It's actually the
inventory inventory. Right. And

so there are all of and I know,
we're getting a little technical

and maybe a little bit off
topic. But there are all these

inroads that you have to make
for an economic engine to work.

And I know you had mentioned
that it may be a little bit more

difficult in the coming years,
because there may be a lack of

compatible working environments
in our elected leadership. But I

believe I truly believe that as
younger people, and I'm not even

talking about any political
parties, I'm just saying when as

younger people right into
leadership, I think that they

will propagate moving our
community into the right

direction to try and increase
economic activity into a 21st

century economy. Well, I

Melinda Keifer: truly, truly
have faith in hope that you are

correct. And I think the issue
what I'm saying, how do we keep

a collaborative spirit? It's not
necessarily and definitely not

now, with current leadership,
it's the community, which is

reflective of our nation, right.

And so it's always been
difficult for me to play on the

edges. I really love to function
in this 4000 acre field

somewhere in the middle. Oh,
yeah. I just feel like so many

people are not in step with that
kind of philosophy. And I think

that can create issues,
especially in small communities,

and it's issues that are tough,
right? difficult issues to deal

with. So keeping ourselves in
check. You got to have a little

bit of work in that 4000 acre
field for a community to be

sustainable.

Kosta Yepifantsev: As a woman in
leadership, what's your message

to other women? Is it possible
to quote unquote, have it all

Melinda Keifer: my message is
that can't eat you? You are

gonna be fine. I know this
screaming maymays are so

difficult. Stand up, take your
tnn

Kosta Yepifantsev: I mean, you
raise two incredible daughters

While building an incredible
career

Melinda Keifer: with incredible
servant hearts, I'm just like, I

was listening. Boy, I've may
read properly. Um, with a lot of

good hail, man, a lot of good
help.

Kosta Yepifantsev: Not a family
around a lot of family.

Melinda Keifer: When we're all
together in town, there's 26 of

us nice. When everybody's home
inside. That's beautiful. So

yeah, having that family support
100%. I remember when I worked

at the state, and having a
little bit of a fashion

merchandising background, there
were many times I was the only

female in the room. And it was a
big room. And there were lots of

nice seats. And so I would
constantly worry about, what am

I going to wear? You know, it's
just a thing. It's got a tear,

don't get me wrong, but and so I
had to kind of create, in my

mind, what is that as I walk in
that room, let's go tell ya, I

love being a girl. But I also
want to be respected. And I want

that first impression to be one
that is positive. So I came up

with this term, and I used it my
entire eight years ago, I was

buying clothes for work. So I
created a style called

conservatively sassy.

Kosta Yepifantsev: I love that.

And what is conservative sassy?

Well,

Melinda Keifer: there might be a
really bright color. Okay, but

it's not spaghetti strapped.

That suit is finely tailored.

Now, it might be in pink or
purple, you be yourself. But you

have to give a nod to your
environment. And for women and

leadership, regardless of
whether that's flip flops, and

you know, whatever. Be yourself,
but give a nod to your

environment.

Kosta Yepifantsev: You know,
Jessica taught me early on when

we had Caroline. So Caroline is
my oldest daughter, she's just

turned seven on the 23rd. And
when she was born in 2016, you

know, I grew up really like it
was just me and my dad, so

single dad. And, you know, he
had a traditional way of looking

at things and dealing with
things. But he always said, you

know, you always take care of
women, you know, just but he

also made it kind of almost like
they were the victim in some

capacity. Yeah, so then Caroline
was born, I had this like, that

it's gonna sound terrible. But
like, you don't need to have a

lot of independence, because
I'll make sure to give you

everything that you need for the
rest of your life. I'm here.

Exactly. And Jessica, if you I
don't know if you've ever met

Jessica, but she's a force. She
don't need no body. Like and who

taught her that? I think it was
her mother, I think. Yeah,

absolutely. Mother and father.

Melinda Keifer: So that is the
biggest gift that a parent can

give a child, specifically,
little girl is that they have an

opportunity to build their
confidence from a very young

age.

Kosta Yepifantsev: And I am so
grateful because Caroline, she

don't take crap from nobody. And

Melinda Keifer: that's just fun.

Now, it's hard when they're six
years old. But as that's a great

trait to have. I remember
sitting down with my dad, I was

in college, and he was giving me
one of those, you know, daddy

speeches about what I should or
should not do with a particular

thing. And I looked at him and I
said, Daddy, I'd read this from

Erma Bombeck. If you remember or
Malachi was a newspaper

columnist, adults, parents spend
their entire adult life trying

to prevent their kids from going
through what made them who they

are today.

Kosta Yepifantsev: You're
absolutely right. That's, that

is literally the nail on the
head right there.

Melinda Keifer: I was like, I'm
okay. Yeah, Daddy, I'm will be

fair. He was like, Oh my God,
you're so right.

Kosta Yepifantsev: Caroline had
the substitute teacher, when she

was in first grade, know,
kindergarten when she was in

Canada. She was still a little
feral back then. And she got mad

at this girl, I think who was
being mean to her. And the

substitute teacher was there. So
think her guard was kind of

down. And she took a desk and
pushed it at this girl and said

leave me alone or something like
that. And obviously she got in

trouble when I talked to her
about it and all this stuff. But

I couldn't help and I mean,
obviously, as a parent, you

don't really know if you're
saying the right thing, like

ever, you know, back and I'll be
like, I'm so I'm still astounded

that I raised all these great
children. You know, how did that

Yeah, but at the time, I was
like, Well, I mean, she was kind

of getting on her nerves and she
wouldn't stop so I mean, maybe

her pushing that desk wasn't a
bad thing.

Melinda Keifer: Right? You know,
really, again, it's definitely

our kindergarteners but as a as
a maturing young woman's you

will think back on that time and
then you'll be able to say to

her at A Girl Yeah. I live your

Kosta Yepifantsev: when I read
your TT You alumni story I was

taken by something you said, I
want to make my community a

better place to work, live and
play. What do you believe is

your greatest contribution to
this mission so far? And what's

one way we could work together
moving forward to achieve this

goal?

Melinda Keifer: You know, having
been blessed with two

opportunities to be first in
chair for positions that

impacted my community really has
given me a unique perspective,

because I obviously didn't have
all the answers in either one of

those. But it's allowed me to
learn to lean on other people.

Because I don't know it all. To
be humble, and vulnerable.

You're not always going to be
right. You don't need to come in

and take over. You know, and I
can be a little sassy pants

sometimes. And so you just need
to sit down and be quiet,

listen, and then take your next
step. I think the biggest

contribution, honestly, that
kept us from actually going into

decline was being a part of
keeping our downtown solid.

Because communities that are
successful, that success never

happens from the outside to the
inside. You're right. I mean,

that is a main street motto. It
happens from the inside. Plus,

it also gives perspective on
that community. Everybody in the

economic development world knows
if you want to know how

community feels about itself.

Drive to the center of your
downtown. It is your billboard.

It says how much you carry you
down.

Kosta Yepifantsev: So are we
ever going to do anything with

that big old gravel? Lot?

Diagonal from Crawdaddy?

Melinda Keifer: You know, we've
called that our white elephant

now for you know, 3040 years. I
know it has new ownership. I am

unclear about their plans for
that. But one day, one day

Kosta Yepifantsev: I saw
Bernhart building townhome on

the other side, I

Melinda Keifer: think that that
people have more downtown.

Kosta Yepifantsev: And then
builder supplies. I think

they're selling that that's
that's where they're doing it.

Okay, that's correct. So yeah,
that's really cool. That'll

bring more people to actually
live in downtown.

Melinda Keifer: That's right.

Yeah, I can parents, your kids
want something different. One of

my favorite sayings is the only
change people like is truly that

which is in their pocket, being
open to the fact that when there

is trying to like that, you
automatically know you're

starting at a deficit, right?

You know, so you really have to
work your way up. And it goes

back to that messaging thing.

You know,

Kosta Yepifantsev: let's talk
about that change. And this

question it has it has two
parts. First, our population is

expected to double from the
census reporting in 2000 of

23,000 people to a projected
40,000 citizens in 2013.

Probably gonna be more than
that, at this moment, what is

the one thing that we can't
overlook? And the second

question, in your opinion, how
have we managed the growth thus

far?

Melinda Keifer: I'm gonna start
with the second question and go

from there. I think that our
managed growth has been, right

on course, with any progressing
community, you're gonna have

conflict, you can't have a
progressive community. Without

conflict. It doesn't happen.

Right. So I think we've done a
really good job at a period of

time when communities could
annex and add more land to the

city limits jurisdiction, the
city of couple of did that laws

have changed, that is not
available to happen right now.

So as we start going towards the
future, number one, God didn't

make it any more ground. And so
you must look at highest and

best use. And if we don't,
there's some kind of waste. We

are at the point that we truly
need to continue to take really

hard looks at infrastructure.

Now I know when I say that,
probably most your listeners are

thinking roads and sidewalks is
not what I'm talking about.

roads and sidewalks are
24/7 365. You know, sitting the

county roads have paving budgets
every year, every year, every

year every year. Here's what
doesn't happen every day. An

upgrade on your electric grid, a
second water and sewer treatment

facility plan tapping in to
another station and to the

national gasline a nation's
companies how they do that.

Those are huge ticket items. How
do you fund it? You have to be

prepared, right? And so With the
city of Kabul, still owning all

their own utilities, which is a
pretty much an anomaly, okay?

They are financially
independent, and they fund

themselves. And they're driven
by leadership, who critically

knows, the big ticket items that
I've just mentioned, are coming

down the road,

Kosta Yepifantsev: how closer
then, less than 10 years, it

should

Melinda Keifer: be addressed,
planned and funded in less than

10 years. But we will hit some
capacities, but 20 years, okay.

And so these are long term
projects that are incredibly

expensive. But now is when you
have to have the dialog for

that, yes. Or then you're
behind. There are communities in

the state and all over the
country who have more Taureans,

they're not allowed to grow,
because their water and sewer

systems can't handle really, we
have air attainment problems,

because they have not been in
check with their industrial and

stuff. They're putting out
pollution wise. And so then a

bigger power, whether it's state
or federal will come in and say

Kosta Yepifantsev: no more.

Yeah. And they take over? Well,
they

Melinda Keifer: just don't allow
you too. And we're no, we're

okay. Now, of course, now, it's
on talking about the extreme end

of not paying attention to the
big ticket items. So we're,

we're there, those
conversations, I'm happy to say

are happening, being very
creative. You know, communities

get a shot. It's like every 1012
years, and it's not just couple

of February, that you can kind
of see a little cyclical, or at

least in my mind, so that's
really graph kind of tried to

say, Okay, what's next? Can we
handle more retail? Can we

handle more manufacturing? Well,
not at $13 an hour, thank you.

We don't talk to you, we don't
look to you, we don't fill out

the form. And basically, you
know, a lot of instances we've

looked at requests for
information have come in at $18

an hour, and we've questioned,

Kosta Yepifantsev: yep. And
honestly, the statistics, and

you can't negate the statistics,
because all the answers are in

the numbers, they say that you
need to have a household income

right now in the upper
Cumberland have around $85,000 a

year. And that's household, that
means two earners, and that's on

the low side that's like that's
paycheck to paycheck, you know,

like you have enough to pay your
bills, and maybe go on vacation

once a year, yeah, to save like
a little bit of money, and allow

you to

Melinda Keifer: take care of a
special needs child or an aging

parents, or any other life
instances that might happen.

Kosta Yepifantsev: You need to
make $60,000 a year per person

with a two income household and
bring home a buck 20 to be

living comfortably and meet all
those ancillary expenses,

believe me, because I deal with
this every single day. And you

can bang your head against the
wall or, you know, do like

Justin Jones and Justin Pearson,
just scream from the top of your

lungs at the well whatever it
is. But you have to understand

that you're not in control of
these things. That's right. But

the elected officials in the
leadership's like yourself that

are very, they're very much
committed to these types of

conversations to say I know what
it's going to take. That's

right. And so I ask all of the
all of the people that are in

leadership that are elected
officials that are in

government, or somehow, you
know, in economic development,

if you could have a dream
business, or an industry that

could really transform this
community like Academy did when

you were talking earlier, what
would it be?

Melinda Keifer: It's impossible
to say what sector this would

come from, okay. But here's what
it needs to look like. It needs

to pay a solid living wage. It
needs to recognize that our

workforce now is requiring a
work home life environment. It

needs to produce a product that
every single employee in there

is proud of. It must be engaged
with this community in a

partnership, showing up at the
Chamber doing business

roundtables, so they know who
their people are that are

walking in that door every
single day. That's what it needs

to look like.

Kosta Yepifantsev: How hard is
it to get Academy to come here?

Not not to come here. But how
hard is it to convince a

community to let Academy come
here?

Melinda Keifer: Actually, our
community was prepared and ready

and cost I can't tell you how
critically important that is

they were open to moving forward
recruiting a company like that.

Who could go in Where logistics
were a huge part of this truly

because it is a distribution
center, but they'd hired a

consultant out of Memphis and in
my business, he's known as the

toughest and the hardest. He's a
verb. Okay? Yeah. Okay. Well,

his, his name was Mike Mullis.

And like, if you're listening, I
miss you. You know, I just got

my list. So I know every Sunday
morning, my phone was fixed and

rang, he was not on a plane, sat
down with my coffee, had my

notebook ready. And off, we went
for seven months. Wow. And

here's what he taught me. And I
think, and I've shared this with

my girls, but I think from
professionally, okay, it also

applies personally, but
professionally, gosh, there's so

many things out of our control.

You can't fix it. The world
economy, the national economy,

fighting in another nation,
poverty, illness, sickness, you

literally can't fix it. And you
know, that might be the one

thing that would be the tipping
point to go forward. So how do I

get to that tipping point when I
can't fix it? What Mr. Mullis

taught me was, it is out of your
control. But here are the things

right here in your hand, that
are 100% in your control, you

must, it is required, that
anything you can lay your hand

on, must be close to perfection.

You can't do anything about
that. Okay. But where you can

have that impact, where you can
make a difference in our

decision, or how the waterline
is run, or, you know, the

economic incentives or whatever,
you better do your homework, and

you better get it right. Because
you don't get many opportunities

to put perfect out there. So
that's really what drove me to

make sure that that experience
the things like the things I

could touch, I had to spend my
time doing that, instead of

wasting time, worried about
national politics, worried about

national economy, and I'm
thinking a community, it's the

same way.

Kosta Yepifantsev: I know you
didn't necessarily name anybody,

you know, any companies
completely not like a Tesla or

an apple or a Google or anything
like that, which I completely

understand. But like, is there
if you could see maybe, is there

a sector that you think could
transform this area? It doesn't

have to be advanced
manufacturing? And that'll tie

into my second question, but
like, is it renewable energy?

Melinda Keifer: Is it Costa it
is renewable energy. Okay, you

Kosta Yepifantsev: think
renewable energy is something

that could really change the
dynamics and move the needle

within our community to get us
to the next level?

Melinda Keifer: I think that it
is happening, and it's going to

happen, and we might as well get
our fair share. Yeah, so let's

look at it from that lens.

Right. But I think the thing
that is the most astonishing to

me, and really has raised up
this infrastructure statement I

made earlier, so electric
vehicle batteries, solar, you

know, the whole thing around
that requires a tremendous

amount of electricity. Water.

Wastewater, gas,

Kosta Yepifantsev: yeah. Which I
think we have three of the four,

right? We have all four. Okay,
well hooked up.

Melinda Keifer: But here's the
deal when they send out that

specification, and I'm being
facetious. But we need 4 million

gallons a day. Well, that takes
all of our capacity from our

existing facilities. We're not
going to do that.

Kosta Yepifantsev: So we won't
just fund it and build it. So

then you

Melinda Keifer: got a Ford Blue
Oval city, and you go out in

West Tennessee and say what's
happening? Yes. Well, they don't

have that infrastructure. So a
company like Ford just build to

there. Okay. On site.

Interesting, right. So there's
that capacity around, just being

mindful. We have had so many of
those come across it, and we've

submitted on it. Yeah. But being
able to meet some of those

capacities has been nothing
short of a true challenge,

because we don't have enough.

Kosta Yepifantsev: So here's the
second question. And this is

going to get a little technical,
and then we're going to wrap up.

My next door neighbor was Tony
with Feitosa. Yes. And he and I

used to talk often about some of
the issues about finding staff,

especially during the pandemic.

And you know, he was planning on
moving people from Kentucky and

then he couldn't because of
staffing issues, but then he

made a pretty significant
commitment to incorporating

technology and automation into
his processes to reduce the

amount of labor necessary for
him to be able to meet his

quotas. I toured Horman and when
I was talking to Cameron And who

is the CEO of foreman in North
America. And I was asking him

how many people work on the
factory floor and he said, 70.

And I said, Well, how many would
have would work on this floor.

If say, for example, you didn't
have all these machines working.

And he said, easily four times
that amount. I'm in health care.

I'm currently in the process of
starting a pilot at launches in

October with United Healthcare
for removing some of the human

element and incorporating some
passive remote supports to bring

down the necessity for hiring
caregivers to provide direct

human care, where instead of it
being one person taking care of

three, I can split the care
ratio to one to 12, or one to

14. And a lot of our industry is
moving in that direction,

because the capacity to find
enough people or for the

government to increase wages to
a living wage, neither is

happening, right? You look at
companies like Tesla who build a

giga factory that is insane, and
size, and they have like, a

fraction of the employees, you
look at home and you look at

Fico. So you look at the
healthcare sector, when you look

at the future of work. Are you
concerned with how entry level

positions are going to be
treated? Because if people say

no, I will not work in an entry
level job for this wage. What if

that narrative changes to there
are no entry level positions for

me at this wage, unless I go to
college, or I get a specialty

skill? What happens to all of
the people that can't go to

college because there's 45, or
50. And their career has been

eliminated, their job has been
eliminated because of technology

or AI? or what have you? What
happens to all those people?

Melinda Keifer: Well, first of
all, it's already happening. You

just described where we are
today. I also will say, this is

not the first time in our
American history, where these

shifts have taken place. And
even if you just stay in

automotive, that very small
engine to where we are today.

And that's an industry that
literally has seen more change

in the last 10 years than they
would tell you in the previous

100. And so you must have a
workforce that evolves with

that. Also think entry level
positions become more important.

Interesting. That is your
foundation, that entry level

person. And so do we shift the
paradigm to where that entry

level person ultimately becomes
your VP in a goal or a strategy.

But I think, you know, we're
always going to have service

sector jobs, and we're always
going to have a portion of the

workforce that doesn't want to
do it won't do it, and feels

like they deserve more, and you
kind of have to just take that

person out.

Kosta Yepifantsev: Yes. So we
always like to end the show on a

high note, who is someone that
makes you better when you're

together?

Melinda Keifer: I have this
little epiphany, drinking coffee

yesterday morning. And I had my
automatic knee jerk answer, but

then it washed over me and
literally almost brought me to

tears. I'm so blessed to tell
you. That is a difficult

question to answer. My family.

My girlfriend's my children, you
know that it felt, Oh, I gotta

think about this one. But my
immediate answer still is as it

was then is my husband. You
know, we live on 70 acres. Now

you talk about having to be
collaborative and negotiating.

He's a civil engineer. We
planted our first garden. I'm

out there the way I was taught.

Get the hoe, dig the row, plop
the seed in and cover it up with

your foot and you just keep
going. Next thing I know, the

man has a theodolite survey
instrument out there. He has his

papinek talk straight to make
sure those lines are straight.

So you know There you go. That
that is 100% who we are together

and we are better together.

Morgan Franklin: Thank you for
joining us on this episode of

excited.Better Together with
Kosta Yepifantsev. If you've

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Yepifantsev is a Kosta

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Mike Franklin.Want to know more
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