an article or on Facebook,” said Jackson. “We try to maintain all the message points as best we can, communicate with the government bodies when we need to, and let them know that the business community isn’t out there just to make money. It’s not about greed. It’s about survival.” Health messaging has become extremely important lately with recent decisions by the Boone Town Council, starting with the 14-day quarantine for out-of-town visitors before they could enter any indoor establishment in Boone (something the chamber strongly disagreed with and was eventually voted down by town council members) and the most recent decision to require masks or face coverings to be worn inside all business establishments in Boone (some exceptions are included). The chamber is asking that everyone follow all social distancing and face-covering regulations as best as they can to try and get COVID-19
out of the High Country. “We have to be vigilant in the public health aspect of this. There is still a pandemic going on, we have heard experts talk about a potential second wave. We are seeing evidence of us not paying attention during the first wave right now and we have to be better than that. We need to make sure that we are doing what we are being asked to do,” Jackson said.
Cautious Optimism for the Future David Jackson has been the Boone Chamber of Commerce President/CEO for nearly four years now. With this COVID19 pandemic being one of the toughest things anyone in this generation has ever had to deal with, it is still a very much unknown future ahead. “We were fortunate that we went into this in a position of strength. Ski season
was good enough, last fall was very good for us economically speaking and people were doing okay, some people were doing great,” said Jackson. “When you watch Mast General Store close or see Tweetsie Railroad not open, you realize that nobody is immune from this. The strongest businesses are laying off people, family businesses are laying off family members. It’s going to be a long-term fight to get back.” Even with some of the dire forecasts for the economic future, Jackson felt that there are at least some reasons to have some cautious optimism. “The silver linings became so important for us because everybody was just getting beaten down. We’ve got to figure out a way to let people know that the human spirit is still alive. Boone, North Carolina is still alive out there somewhere. We’re all in this together and we’re all going to get out of this together,” he said. t
David Jackson’s Transition from App State Sports to Chamber CEO For many years, David Jackson was known as the Voice of the Mountaineers, dedicating 16 years of his life as the playby-play voice for Appalachian State football, men’s basketball, and baseball. While working in the Appalachian state Athletic Department, Jackson also spent 10 years as Associate Athletic Director. Jackson graduated from Appalachian State in 2000, so staying at his home away from home and being the radio voice for Mountaineer Athletics was a perfect fit for the Greensboro native. Jackson was named the North Carolina Sportscaster of the Year in 2007 and again in 2012 by the National Sports Media Association. He has also been a member of the NSMA’s National Board of Directors since 2010. “I served 15 years in the athletic department and enjoyed the opportunities that came with it,” said Jackson. David still plays a role at his alma mater, serving as an adjunct professor in Appalachian’s Department of Communication, teaching Broadcast Performance Techniques. While his full-time duties are dedicated to the Boone Chamber of Commerce where he was named President and CEO in August of 2016, you can still catch him on the airwaves occasionally as he does some freelance announcing for the Carolina Panthers and East Tennessee State University’s athletic programs. “Calling games is something I still have a passion for and something I have figured 66
High Country Magazine
July 2020
David Jackson President & CEO of the Boone Chamber of Commerce out a way to do without that being a fulltime lifestyle,” says Jackson. “I just reached a point where, as much as I enjoyed aspects of the position, I had to walk away because it just wasn’t giving me the family life that I wanted. It was a tough decision but one that certainly I would do again.” Jackson said that when he heard the Boone Chamber of Commerce position was going to be available, he immediately felt like it would be a great fit. One of his responsibilities working at App State was serving as the chamber liaison for the Mountaineer athletic department. “One of the things that I wanted to do
in some way when I left athletics was to focus on something where the communication skills that I could bring to a position could really make a difference to the community,” Jackson said. Something everyone seems to ask David these days is where did the big red beard come from. During his time behind the microphone at App State, he always kept a clean-shaven look. Now, the beard is living on stronger than ever. “The red beard was grown at the end of my Appalachian career. I took about a four-month hiatus and really just wanted to depressurize completely and not focus on anything but myself and my family. My kids always liked it when I grew out my beard so I let it grow,” he said. Even with all his work with Appalachian State and the chamber of commerce over the years, Jackson has found plenty of time to be highly active in the local community. He is a member of the Watauga County Economic Development Commission, the Appalcart regional transportation board, the Town of Boone Cultural Resources Advisory Board, the Board of Directors for Watauga Opportunities, Inc., and the chairman of the Watauga County Rural Transportation Planning Organization. Jackson is a graduate of the NC Rural Center Homegrown Leaders (2019) and the Watauga Leadership Challenge (2017). David and his wife, Leila, married in 2002 and have two children, Maren and Louisa. t