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Brownsville (pop: 9,983), Haywood Coun-ty (pop: 17,800) and Stanton (pop: 500) are working closely together to create a

bright future for their region. On the horizon is the exciting possibility of new plants choosing to locate in The Memphis Regional Megasite near Stanton. An empty field today, the site still appears to be a candidate to land a major car plant. Japanese automakers Toyota Motor Corp. and Mazda Motor Corp. have not revealed the states being considered for a 4000-employee factory producing electric cars, though signals show The Memphis Megasite is in the running. West Tennessee leaders are pushing ahead as if they expect to win the project. “We’re rocking and rolling,” said Dr. Alan Sterbinsky, mayor of Stanton, a town near the Memphis Regional Megasite. “We’re dead seri-ous about being ready.” If Haywood County lands the Toyota-Maz-da project it would be a lifesaver, not only for the 4,000 auto jobs, but other manufacturers coming in to supply auto parts, and the spin-off jobs created as all of those autoworkers spend their paychecks in stores and restaurants. “We estimate 17 percent of the workforce in West Tennessee would be affected directly or indirectly by a new car plant,” Stanton Mayor Sterbinsky said.

Brownsville Update from Mayor Bill Rawls Mayor Rawls, who was elected mayor of Brownville in 2014 for a four-year term, “abso-lutely” plans to run for another term as mayor in June of 2018. “We’re moving forward at a very fast pace,” he said. “I’m still excited and optimistic about our future.” The Town Square facelift continues with a streetscape project including sidewalks. “It will be multimodal, making it more pedestri-an friendly, and we’re adding historic lighting. Eventually there will be underground utilities from the Courthouse to Russell Street,” he said.

Aeneas Moves into Brownsville & Haywood County Mayor Rawls of Brownsville and Mayor Franklin Smith of Haywood County are part-nering on making Brownsville and Haywood County the next “Gig City” in West Tennessee.

“If you build bridges and roads, you have to have a fiber network,” said Mayor Rawls. Mayor Rawls ticks off topics like telemedicine, educa-tion and business opportunities for call centers. Here’s what Jonathan Harlan has to say about this project: “Aeneas announced in the fall of 2016 that it would make Brownsville the next ‘Gig City’ all Gigabit fiber to the premises (FTTX). Brownsville was chosen due to the out-standing local leadership in both government as well as the business community there who embrace this technology and Aeneas in particu-lar as a catalyst for change and job creation. “It is important to us that the people of our com-munities have the same types of choices and options for high-speed Internet and telephone that other areas of the county have. We believe broadband should be available to everyone at a cost that is competitive in the industry,” says Aeneas CEO, Jonathan Harlan. Harlan says “it has been exciting and fun to watch Brownville and Haywood County grow with Aeneas Internet & Telephone’s Gigabit fiber. 2017 has been a great year for Aeneas as Brownsville has enthusiastically embraced Aeneas’ Gigabit fiber. 2018 promises even more growth for both Brownsville and Aeneas. It has been observed that Aeneas’ entrepreneurial business culture matches Brownsville’s and that unlike Jackson, TN, Brownsville’s Gigabit fiber

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.

“…As the mayor of Brownsville I have an opportunity to really make an impact on the community.”

—Mayor Bill Rawls

WE’RE A SMALL COMMUNITY WITH A BIG FUTURE!Brownsville & Haywood Co.

Haywood Co. MayorA. Franklin Smith

Brownsville MayorBill Rawls Jr.

Stanton MayorDr. Alan Sterbinsky

Mayor Alan Sterbinsky • Town of Stanton8 Main Street • Stanton, TN 38069

731.548.2565 • www.haywoodcountybrownsville.com

Mayor Bill Rawls • City of Brownsville111 North Washington • Brownsville, TN 38012731.772.1212 • www.brownsvilletn.gov

Mayor A. Franklin Smith • Haywood Co.1 North Washington • Brownsville, TN 38012

731.772.1432 • www.haywoodcountybrownsville.com

Welcome toBrownsville – Haywood County

Experience the diversity and teamwork that keeps Brownsville & Haywood Co., Tennesseemaking it happen.

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is 100% taxpaying private sector and has not required one cent of government money or financing.” Aeneas Internet & Telephone, a local West Tennes-see-based company, “has a history of firsts in Tennes-see,” said Harlan. He stated that in 1996 Aeneas was the first to offer internet access in rural West Tennessee, first to offer broadband, first to become a Tennessee owned and operated competitive local telephone carrier, first to offer voice over IP, and now first Gigabit broadband provider in West Tennessee.” Harlan said that “Aeneas remains on the cutting edge with its large service offering including internet security, off site cloud data storage, local network support and other valuable IT offerings. Aeneas is proud of our ownership and employee roots in West Tennessee and its customer service and serving the needs unmet by the big, faceless electric utility and corporate broadband providers. The customer remains first with Aeneas, and Brownsville is a great example of that!” Please visit fiber.aeneas.com and register for information about Aeneas FTTX services.

Other Brownsville News According to Mayor Rawls, the city is in the pro-cess of filing for another site development grant. “We received two grants last year and we are applying for one this year,” he said.” TDOT is paving 4 lanes from the bypass from Anderson Avenue past Windrow Road. We received a housing improvement in the amount of $400,000 for housing in a targeted area. Brownsville is a designated Main Street Community. We want more downtown businesses, and we want our downtown to flourish. It is the core and center of our city.” Other projects that Mayor Rawls and I discussed in-cluded the fact that Brownsville is a Tennessee Certified Select Site that allows local officials to better market their industrial site. He added that their site is a free trade zone (FTZ) for warehouses. Mayor Rawls stated that Apex, formerly known as the Haywood Company, is the largest employer in Brownsville. With headquarters in Rhode Island, Apex has been in the area since the 1970s. The company, which has approximately 600 employees who manu-facture garden hoses and plastic and rubber compo-nents, recently completed a $34 million expansion. “The city, county and state government built new warehouses,” said Mayor Rawls. The AMP concerts in downtown Brownsville were well attended as was the recent Fall Fest in downtown Brownsville. The Farmers’ Market is a success and now there is a playground there. Phase 1 of the Farmers’ Market was recently completed, and Phase 2 is begin-ning with the purchase of more property. There will be a walking trail that will cross from one side of the city to the other.

Top Goals of Brownsville Officials According to Mayor Rawls, the top goals are 1) to continue to advocate for preventative and acute health care, 2) to try to get a hospital EMS service at the Mem-phis Regional Megasite, and 3) improve the quality of life which includes health care and the creation and support of more youth programs.

Main Street Brownsville Recently I spoke to Mary Ann Sharpe, the Executive Director of Main Street Brownsville. She updated me on this organization’s projects. “Main Street Browns-ville’s continued efforts in historic preservation as well as economic and community development have boosted a positive image for the City of Brownsville. A large part of our success has been through public and private partnerships. Recent numbers reported include private investments totaling $1,426,800 and public investments totaling $1,413,000. Combining private and public investments plays an essential role in promoting growth and sustainable development of the community. As you drive through the downtown area you can’t help but notice the facade improvements and streetscapes projects currently underway.” Main Street Brownsville’s latest project included a generous donation from the local Garden Club adding brackets and hanging flower baskets to the newly installed orna-mental lampposts. The hanging baskets add vibrancy and ambiance to our downtown,” said Sharpe.

Haywood County Update Mayor Franklin Smith is in his 27th year serving as county mayor. He plans to leave his post August 31, 2018. Current county goals include work force develop-ment, improving education, and building a facility at the Memphis Regional Megasite that will house a fire station, ambulance station and sheriff’s substation. “Several hospitals tell us if we get a tenant at the Meg-asite they will talk to us about emergency medicine in Haywood County,” said Mayor Smith. “We have had a helicopter station from Memphis in our county for about 14 years.” Last year one of the top county goals was to resolve county budget issues. They have now been resolved. “We passed the first budget in the history of Haywood County in June of this year!,” exclaimed Mayor Smith. It is anticipated that a Visitors Center will open at the Solar Farm in Stanton at Mile Marker 44 between now and January 1. Visitors will see various types of

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• Bliss Salon & Spa• Brownsville Flower Shop• Exclusive Looks, Beth

Wilson Clothing & Jewelry & Kimmie’s Professional Skin Care & Nails

• Flex Fitness• Forked Deer Gifts & Apparel• H&R Agri-Power• Livingston’s Bridal

Registry, Furniture & Gifts• Morris Jewelers• Nita’s Scents & More• Samantha Brown

Photography• Treasure Chest Flowers

& Gifts• T-Shirt Plus• Uncorked Wine & Spirits• Vanessa’s Boutique on the

Square

Where to Eat• Back Yard Bar-Be-Cue/

Charleston Catering Co.• Baskin Donuts• Brownsville Family

Restaurant & Catering• Burger Basket• Dairy Queen• El Ranchito’s• Jimmy’s Steakhouse• Helen’s Bar-BQ• Las Palmas• Eader House• Lil’E’s on the Square• Little Caesar’s Pizza• Main Moon Chinese

Restaurant• Mindfield Grill• Mr. Jimmy’s Farmer’s Mkt• Suga’s Diner (Stanton)• Twin Oaks Sports Bar• ZZ’s Restaurant

Where to Stay• America’s Best Value Inn• Comfort Inn• Days Inn of Brownsville• Econo Lodge

Area Attractions• Amphitheater• Brownsville Historic District• Clock on the Square• College HIll Center• Cotton Junction Trail• Dunbar Carver Alumnae

Museum & Cultural Center• Flagg Grove School & Tina

Turner Museum• Hatchie WIldlife Refuge• Haywood County Museum,• Morton Felsenthal Lincoln

Collection & Haywood Co. Sports Museum

• Helen’s Bar-B-Q• Historic Stanton Presbyterian

Church & Mausoleum• “Sleepy John” Estes’ House• Stanton Cannery• Stanton Welcome Center• Stanton Masonic Lodge• Tam Park• Temple Adas Israel (1820)• The Mindfield• The Burger Basket• Tripp Country Hams• WTN Delta Heritage Ctr.• Willow Oaks Flower Farm Note: All businesses and attractions are in Brownsville unless otherwise noted.

Brownsville is a 30-minute drive from Jackson.Take I-40 West to Exit 56 onto Highway 76. Go north on Highway 76 two miles or until the road dead ends in front of the Elma Ross Public Library. Take a left in front of the library onto Highway 70 or East Main, which will lead you di-rectly to the town square. For more information on Brownsville, contact Steve Hilton, Executive

Director of the Brownsville-Haywood County Chamber of Commerce at (731) 727-2193. The Chamber is located at 121 West Main Street, Brownsville, TN 38012. Email the Chamber at:chamber@bhcchamber.orgshilton@brownsvilletngov (Steve Hilton)

What to Know

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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 have to have more capacity. We want to make sure the environment is protected. Mayor Sterbinsky added that the Memphis Megasite will benefit Stanton “massively!” Stanton is the nearest municipality to the Megasite. The unemployment rate in Stanton/Haywood County has shrunk considerably. “In Haywood County we have at least 100 job openings 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 area may become a caterer for very limited capital costs.”

Historical Profile: Brownsville Haywood County Chamber of 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. In 1993, the community, with the support of the city, county and

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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-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-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, Hammie Nixon, and Yank Rachelle, internationally known blues entertainers; Tina Turner, singer from Nutbush; Alex Harvey, country music composer, 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 basketball player.

Special acknowledgments to Bill Rawls, Mayor of Brownsville; Franklin Smith, Mayor 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; Sonia Outlaw-Clark, Director, West Tennessee Delta Heritage Center; Mary Ann Sharp, Main Street Brownsville Executive Director; Amy Ross, Human Resource Generalist, Teknor Apex; Jonathan Harlan, CEO of Aeneas Internet & Telephone; and those who provided quotes for the Profile article.

Jeff WatsonFounder/Publisher

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