Twenty Under Forty

THE LAGRANGE DAILY NEWS | JUNE 2018

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THE LAGRANGE DAILY NEWS | JUNE 2018

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ON THE COVER: Edward Jones financial advisor Chase Hall is featured on the cover.

(Photo by Alicia B. Hill) Publisher Baker Ellis Managing Editor Daniel Evans Contributors Kevin Eckleberry Alicia Hill Gabrielle Jansen Marketing Myles Oliver Jennie Overfelt Truett Pirkle Creative Kim Pemberton Contact Information The LaGrange Daily News 105 Ashton Street LaGrange, GA 30240 No part of this periodical may be reproduced without written permission from the publisher.

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Inaugural list of Twenty Under Forty The growth in LaGrange and Troup County in recent years has been remarkable and there’s likely even more to come.

Many factors can be attributed to the amenities that now call our city home — access to the interstate, proximity to Atlanta, leadership and even timing.

However, I think if you asked around about the growth, you’d hear a lot about people.

This special magazine highlights young adults in LaGrange who are making a difference in our community through their work or various nonprofits.

Everyone featured is under the age of 40 and was nominated via a thorough nomination process that involved community

leaders.

It was very difficult to cut the list down to 20 nominees, as dozens of others were nominated.

Next year, the community will get to nominate individuals they believe are worthy of this honor, and we know it’ll again be difficult to make the final list.

Congratulations to everyone who made the inaugural Twenty Under Forty list and thank you for the work you’re doing in our community.

2018 TWENTY UNDER 40 HONOREES 6 CORINNE HODGES Kia

18 TRAE LONG Gay & Joseph

8 BRENT ADDISON Emory at LaGrange

20 STEWART SMITH Troup County Sheriff ’s Office

10 DALE JACKSON Jackson Services

22 HILL DANIEL Troup County Drug Court

12 ASHLEY MCCOY Synovus

26 KEYAL LOVELAND Sweetland Amphitheatre

16 JAKE AYERS Pioneer

28 TOREY HARDEN WellStar pediatrician

30 CHRIS BEIRNE Point University

40 JAKE JONES Synovus

32 KAYLA YEARGIN Troup County High School

42 HENRY JACOBS Chattahoochee Riverkeeper

34 DAVID KELTON LaGrange College

44 LAUREN VENTERS Circles of Troup County

36 BETHANY HEADRICK 46 CURTIS BROWN JR. Hillside Montessori Build the Crowd 38 CHASE HALL Edward Jones

48 ROB GOLDSTEIN Wild Leap Brew Co.

MISSION: POSSIBLE

Hodges does it all at Kia, represents company all over state Corinne Hodges said the first thing Kia taught her was to remove the word “can’t” from her vocabulary. When Hodges first started her job as head of public relations at Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia, the company was only a month away from its grand opening.

At that point, little had been planned for the massive ceremony, which included more than 600 international VIPs. “The scale of what unfolded in that first grand opening ceremony challenged me beyond what I had ever experienced prior, and I learned quickly that it was like living the ‘Mission: Impossible’ movie,” Hodges said.

“Tasks were put in front of me that I had no doubt could not be done, were totally impossible, yet with enough resources and willpower, we could get them done. To me, that’s where this culture is either a fit for a person or it’s not a good fit.”

For Hodges, 39, it was the perfect fit. She started with the company in 2010 after running a very successful advertising agency in Auburn.

One of her clients was a recruiting company, and recommended she apply for the position at Kia. Eight years in, Hodges essentially serves as the face of Kia in the LaGrange and Troup County communities. She serves on the board at THINC College and Career Academy, is a key point of contact for The Ray, serves on the Georgia Chamber of Commerce board of governors and

she’s the vice chair of the business climate committee. She’s also vice president of Technical College of Georgia Foundation.

Her job at Kia includes both corporate communication and external affairs.

She leads a team of seven people that prints a weekly newsletter, a magazine for Kia employees and their families and oversees Kia Motors Television. One of her favorite parts of the week is a show called “Team Center Invasion” where she gets to surprise employees and introduce them to the rest of the plant.

“I sneak into a team center, and we grab a group leader and get the group leader to tell us a little about his team,” Hodges said.

“Then, we go meet some of the team members. With 2,700 team members on three different shifts, it can be very difficult to know your co-workers.”

Hodges also handles interview requests from the media as part of her position.

But she’s got a lot of other things going on beyond Kia. She’s been married to her husband Arch for 12 years. The couple has two kids — 12-year-old Reid and 6-year-old Adaliz. The family loves being outdoors, exploring and hiking.

Hodges also enjoys running The Thread and paddle boarding and kayaking.

-Story and photos by Daniel Evans TWENTY UNDER FORTY • 7

LAGRANGE BORN AND RAISED

Addison glad to be back in hometown, leading Emory at LaGrange Brent Addison grew up in LaGrange and always knew he wanted to come back and serve the community in some capacity.

Now, at 30, he’s the acting director of operations at Emory at LaGrange, a role he was promoted to in the last few months. Addison has worked with Emory for the last five years, primarily working in finance and operations, but when former director Eric Blackman left he was tasked with taking over as director.

He now oversees the Emory Clark-Holder Clinic, Emory Southern Orthopedics, Emory at West Point and Emory at Davis Road, which have around 200 employees altogether.

For Addison, it means a lot to give back to a community where he has so many memories.

Not that long ago, he was the shortstop on LaGrange High School’s state championship baseball team.

“I think the best part for me being local is having the opportunity to serve your community, a community that has given so much to you and the chance to serve its people and to give back has been great,” Addison said. “That’s what I’ve loved about this place, but just staying within the community itself and knowing you have an opportunity to raise your children in the same way that you were raised.”

Addison said he always had friends who were older than him, so being the director of Emory at LaGrange at 30 isn’t something he’s thought a lot about.

“You always hear the question, what are you going to do when you grow up?” Addison said. “Are you ever really able to answer that question? For me, personally, it’s just trusting in the Lord that he’s gone before me and laid out the paths and that I’m just walking in his will and being a good steward of what he’s given me and trusting that everything else will work out in due time.”

Addison and his wife of five years Mary Frances Addison have one child, 2-year-old Mary Owens Addison, and have a second baby due in December.

In his free time, he enjoys playing church league softball and baseball. He also likes to water ski, but many of his hobbies have changed since becoming a dad.

“With a 2-year-old, a lot of the hobbies are family time,” he said. “Playing the guitar and teaching my little girl to play the guitar and playing the piano.”

Addison also serves on the HYPE board at the LaGrange-Troup County Chamber of Commerce and is a worship leader at First Baptist Church on the Square.

-Story and photos by Daniel Evans TWENTY UNDER FORTY • 9

FAMILY BUSINESS

Jackson has been a part of his family company since childhood Dale Jackson, 38, has been working with Jackson Heating and Air since he was a young child. He can remember working with his grandfather in the company’s junkyard, tearing down old air conditioners and recycling the metal, copper and brass.

Jackson and his cousin, Ben Jackson, have slowly acquired all the shares for the business from Dale’s father, Ted Jackson and uncle, Glen.

In June, they acquired the final of those shares and are now 50-50 owners of what’s now known as Jackson Services. The company officially changed its name in January 2018 and added plumbing and other services, expanding upon its already solid foundation.

“There’s absolutely not a better job out there than the one I have,” Jackson said.

Jackson Services is one of the most visible companies in LaGrange. Part of that is the large blue and orange logo that can be seen on the company’s vans throughout town.

“That is not a Tide Pod,” Jackson has joked numerous times since unveiling the new logo.

But it’s not only the logo and the fact that Jackson Services has a large company base and offices in both LaGrange and Auburn, Alabama. The company’s tents, which are seen at events throughout LaGrange, also play a role in that visibility, but their overall mission is much larger — helping to spread awareness of autism.

Dale Jackson and his wife Sarah have three children — Camille, 13; Colin, 10; and Gavin, 4. Colin suffers from an

extreme case of autism, which often makes it challenging for the Jacksons to take him to public events.

The tents are air conditioned and allow anyone to cool down, while also giving parents a private place to take children. They changed things for the Jacksons and now Dale hopes they’ve made life easier for other families too.

“True autism awareness is what I’m passionate about because the perception of society as a whole — and it’s nobody’s fault — when they think of autism they want to ask me what area my son is a genius in,” Jackson said.

“Most parents in my position are very quiet and very private because it’s a very difficult life, so you can’t blame society for not understanding our struggle. No one ever tells them the true horrors of raising a severely autistic child with the violent temper tantrums, the meltdowns by the child.”

Jackson has worked with the state legislature to legalize medical marijuana to help people suffering from autism, becoming one of the faces of the movement as he shares Colin’s story.

“I felt more of a responsibility on me because I knew half the legislature,” Jackson said. “Where for these other families, it was very easy for them to go talk to their one statehouse member or their one state senator, but I knew nearly all of them, so I felt like if I have the privilege and honor of knowing these people that it’s my responsibility to help out.”

-Story by Daniel Evans, photos by Evans and contributed TWENTY UNDER FORTY • 11

MAKING A DIFFERENCE McCoy’s work includes serving on the board of eight service groups, giving back wherever she’s able Synovus Bank retail market manager Ashley McCoy says she hopes she’s making a tiny difference in service. That is if you count volunteering and being on the board of eight service groups as making a tiny difference.

“I do have a passion for service. I think it’s our responsibility to give back to the community and to help where we can,” McCoy said. “It’s easy to get overwhelmed when you look at the issues that we face and you look at the problems some of these boards are addressing, but I try to remind myself that we can all make a difference no matter how small.”

The 35-year-old is a member of the LaGrange Lions Club and is on the boards for New Ventures, Inc., the Troup County Board of Planning and Zoning, Georgia Initiative for Community Housing, Troup County Republican Party, Living Hope for Honduras, United Way of West Georgia and is the secretary for the board of directors for the Boys and Girls Clubs of West Georgia.

McCoy said even helping one person is making a difference.

“Giving back is what makes this community so special,” McCoy said.

As retail market manager, McCoy helps customers with

starting or growing their businesses.

“I just love to help people get off the ground, get started or expand,” McCoy said. “I love to meet new people, and in this job, I get to meet new people every single day.”

McCoy said her other favorite thing about her job is helping people’s dreams become a reality.

“Synovus is very community-oriented, so I also love being able to give back,” McCoy said.

Originally from Meriwether County, McCoy moved to LaGrange in 2004.

McCoy has been married to Marshall McCoy, a LaGrange Police Department community outreach officer, for 13 years. They have five children, Tyler, Jackson, Allison, Kennedy and Aiden.

Outside of work and service, McCoy said her family enjoys kayaking, hiking and spending time at West Point Lake.

McCoy said her favorite things about LaGrange is the small town feel and that everyone looks out for each other.

“I love that we take care of each other around here,” McCoy said. “LaGrange is the perfect example of small town living.”

-Story by Gabrielle Jansen, photos by Daniel Evans TWENTY UNDER FORTY • 15

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PIONEER EFFORT

Ayers is leading change in Hogansville with coffeehouse, pub For Pioneer co-founder Jake Ayers, the organization’s name holds a lot of meaning for downtown Hogansville.

The organization has brought in Station Coffeehouse, The Great Southern Pub and the event space in the city’s train depot.

“One of the definitions of pioneer — which is interesting because we didn’t come across this until later on — is an organism that sparks new life in a new community. And so that’s really what we wanted to be,” Ayers said. “We didn’t want to come in and take over and change everything, we really wanted to be an organism that would spark new life in this community and then people in the community would start seeing the vision, jumping on board and taking ownership themselves.”

Ayers, 30, is originally from Newnan. He studied aspects of leadership at Hillsong International Leadership College in Sydney, Australia for three years.

After his time in Australia, he met Tim and Matt Morgan of Hogansville, and they worked on a film project called “Band of Rogues” in Mendoza, Argentina in 2010.

Ayers said they wrote the script and the music, shot and produced the film and took it to some festivals.

“In 2013, 2014, we moved around and started talking about the idea of pursuing more projects, business ideas that we had, and we just decided that Hogansville would be the perfect slate because Tim and Matthew are from Hogansville,” Ayers said. “They grew up here in Hogansville so, the Morgan family approached me and was like ‘hey Hogansville has a beautiful canvas, how can we

take our dreams and the things we want to do with business and arts and films and development and do it right here in Hogansville?’”

Ayers has been married to wife Nicole for five years, and they have 8-month-old son Leon. Along with Pioneer, Ayers serves on Hogansville’s Downtown Development Authority Board, is in charge of the Hogansville Business Council and is on the executive committee for the LaGrange-Troup County Chamber of Commerce.

Pioneer officially launched in 2016 and started with their office on Main Street. From there, they took on the train depot with the coffee house, then the pub and depot event center. Ayers said the monthly market days, where vendors from the area come together for one evening, resulted from everything else.

“A lot of that is the desire to bring people to the community but also have a platform for people in the community to showcase things that they are passionate about. We have a lot of different types of artists, artisans, people who make things with wood and metal and pottery all kinds of stuff like that, so we want to be able to have place for people to showcase their work as well,” Ayers said.

Pioneer is trying a mentorship program with students from Hogansville Elementary School. Additionally, Ayers also has a license in real estate and works for FLI properties. Ayers also enjoys spending time outdoors and his wood working company, Arrowhead Trading Company,.

-Story and photos by Gabrielle Jansen TWENTY UNDER FORTY • 17

DOING HIS PART LaGrange native Long helping LaGrange grow through HYPE Trae Long, 28, is excited about growth and improvements underway in LaGrange.

Long was born and raised in LaGrange. He attended LaGrange Academy and LaGrange College and has worked for Gay & Joseph, CPA, PC in downtown for more than five years. When he is not working, he is actively involved in groups and projects through the LaGrange-Troup County Chamber of Commerce like HYPE, which is a young professionals group, and the Young Gamechangers group that helped the county consider major area improvements last year.

“My group was the industrial group, so we focused on how to make LaGrange a center for advanced manufacturing and innovative technologies,” Long said. “We got to work with the school system on how to get middle school and high school students excited and interested in manufacturing or advanced manufacturing. We worked with the colleges a little to see how they work, gearing in that direction. I got to talk to some of the plant managers to see what was new and what was happening there. Then we talked to some of our economic development team members in LaGrange about ways to grow small businesses that could feed and support the industries.”

Long’s group came up with ideas like a collaborative space

geared toward supporting businesses and their founders.

While that physical space does not currently exist in LaGrange, Long is working to foster a community of support for young professionals as the co-chairman of HYPE. “We hear all the time now that one of the biggest ways that young professionals decide where they want to live is — they don’t pick the job, and then go to the city. They find the city that they want to be in and then find the job when they are there,” Long said. “So, we want to create that environment and feeling of community that they are looking for so that they will come, and when they are here, they want to stay. We are looking to engage them professionally, civically and socially.”

He hopes that creating that community of involvement will encourage other young adults to move to the area longterm and come to love it the way he has.

“I do like LaGrange. I like the small-town feel,” Long said. “… Now having worked in LaGrange and getting more involved in the community, I think it really exciting seeing how much growth is happening and how much is coming.

It seems like every day there is either a new announcement for an industry or a new restaurant or store opening downtown or some award that the city is getting.”

-Story and photos by Alicia B. Hill TWENTY UNDER FORTY • 19

ANSWERING THE CALL Smith, PIO at TCSO, works in schools, answers media questions Troup County Sheriff ’s Office Public Information Officer Stewart Smith does a lot in his position. He joined the TCSO through the sheriff ’s explorer program. “[Sheriff James Woodruff] was one of the advisors in that program, and he took me under his wing and everything,” Smith said.

The 39-year-old said his family moved from Birmingham, Alabama, to LaGrange when he was about 7-yearsold.

“My dad worked with Pepsi-Cola in Birmingham and got transferred here to LaGrange as, I think, an assistant plant manager, and we’ve been here ever since,” Smith said.

Smith graduated from Troup High School in 1996 and began working for Troup County as a 911 dispatcher in 1998. He applied for the sheriff ’s office in 1999.

“I always wanted to be a police officer or in the military or something, and had the opportunity to do that,” Smith said.

“I’ve been with the county now for about 20 years.”

Smith worked for a year and a half at the sheriff ’s office before returning to 911 as an assistant supervisor trainer.

He worked there until January 2013 when Woodruff was elected sheriff and came back to the TCSO as the PIO. Smith met his wife, Aleisha, when they were 18 and working at Winn-Dixie.

Aleisha now works as an elementary school teacher in Meriwether County. They have two daughters, Madyson

and Karah.

As the information officer, Smith runs the junior deputy program where he goes to third grade classes at all of the schools throughout the county and teaches them about the importance of education, home and bicycle safety and saying no to drugs and alcohol. He also runs the explorer program, coordinates the citizen firearms courses, neighborhood watches, runs the sheriff academy summer camp, handles the offices social media accounts and responds to the media.

“When we have major incidents, I’m the one out there, getting the story across, and it’s my job to make sure that the story is accurate and the message is portrayed that way, and if any questions come across, I am able to answer those,” he said.

Smith said one of the favorite parts of his job is that he gets to interact with people in the community.

“I don’t know if I am necessarily making a huge difference, but I do think my work in the schools and that thirdgrade program gives me an opportunity to show the kids a different side of law enforcement. We’re not just there to take people to jail or pull people over. We’re actual human beings,” Smith said.

Outside of work, Smith said he enjoys spending time with his family, going to high school football games and flying his drone.

-Story and photos by Gabrielle Jansen TWENTY UNDER FORTY • 21

DOING MORE

Car wreck inspired Daniel to get involved in community organizations, make the most out of life Hill Daniel, 26, works for the Troup County Felony Adult Drug Court, where he helps people put their lives back together every day, but that is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to what he is doing in Troup County.

Daniel grew up in Forsyth, where he played soccer in high school. He also achieved Eagle Scout status, but he said that a car wreck during his senior year of high school has actually inspired him to do more with his life.

“I’ve done more in a wheelchair than I did in the 18 years before, so it hasn’t really been much of a challenge honestly,” Daniel said. “It is a whole unique, life-changing experience. When I got into a car wreck in 2008, I ended up in a wheelchair, so it definitely changed life’s course, but it hasn’t really been a negative so far.”

Some would consider being in a wheelchair a setback, but anyone would be hard pressed to find someone more involved in the community and local organizations than Daniel. That involvement started in college following his accident and continues today.

“I’ve joined a fraternity, done national events, joined a hockey team. I joined a fencing team,” Daniel said. “I’ve traveled abroad, got married, graduated and I was the president of the student body while I was at the college. I

was the vice president of my fraternity. I have a job, had school, had classes. I have just done so much. It didn’t matter if I was in a wheelchair or not in a wheelchair. If I had not wanted to open myself up to new experiences then none of those benefits would have been open to me.”

Daniel graduated from LaGrange College in 2013, and he began working for the felony adult drug court where he had been interning. He highlighted the difference that the court can make in the lives of those it serves.

“Up here through work too, this is the felony drug court, so we take people with repeat felony drug offences, and instead of sticking them in jail, we rehabilitate them,” Daniel said. “We prepare them for community involvement when they get out of here.”

In addition to his work, Daniel is also a member of the local Mason’s Lodge, the Optimist Club of LaGrange, coaches in a local youth hockey league and volunteers his time at the Alpha Delta Gama Fraternity. He said that he really loves helping out with the youth league his friend Glenn Cunningham founded.

Daniel lives in LaGrange with his wife. His sister also lives in town.

Story and photos by Alicia B. Hill TWENTY UNDER FORTY • 23

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MUSIC FANATIC Loveland right at home in job as director of Sweetland Amphitheatre Before Sweetland Amphitheatre director Keyal Loveland was in LaGrange, she was already running a small music venue in Opelika, Alabama. Loveland ran and operated The Hoot Yard for about a year and a half before she and husband Josh moved to West Point.

“My husband and I were living in Opelika, and I actually passed a Sweetland billboard on the interstate about two and a half years ago,” Loveland said.

“I reached out and sent my resume to their website, and just a few months later, Sweetland reached out to me. I started a part-time job here shortly after, which prompted my husband and I to start looking for houses and land in this area, and we found a deal we couldn’t resist in West Point.”

The Sweetland director started part-time three years ago.

She then went full-time as the in-front of house managemer before being named director in January.

“I would say that Sweetland is bringing the community together in a wonderful way by hosting nationally recognized artists and also hosting community events that just bring everybody together in a very authentic way,” Loveland said.

Loveland will turn 30 in July. She was born in Houston, Texas, but grew up in Dothan, Alabama.

Loveland graduated from Auburn University with a degree in communications and psychology.

Loveland met her husband in Auburn even though they

both grew up in Dothan without knowing each other.

They will have been married for three years in November.

Loveland’s husband owns a skateboarding shop in downtown Auburn.

“We met in the music scene in Auburn. He’s a musician as well,” Loveland said.

“He’s a drummer. I was more interested on the behind the scenes of the music scene.”

Loveland said she doesn’t play an instrument but leads singing worship at her church.

“I don’t know that I have a favorite (music genre), I would say probably funk and soul music would be my go to regularly,” Loveland said.

Folk and Americana music are a close second for her.

Loveland and her husband own two dogs and four cats that they consider their children.

“We are animal lovers. We have eight-acres, so we kind of use that as an excuse to have an animal refuge,” Loveland said with a laugh.

Outside of working at Sweetland, Loveland is on the board for Holden On, an organization for mental health awareness and suicide prevention.

“My husband and I love hiking, biking. We backpack whenever we can and play music, meaning I sing, he plays,” Loveland said. “We go to concerts regularly — as much as we can.”

— Story and photos by Gabrielle Jansen TWENTY UNDER FORTY • 27

22 • LAGRANGE LIVING | FEBRUARY/MARCH 2018

BIG KID AT HEART Harden, father of new twins, enjoys working with children Dr. Torey Harden knows how to relate to his patients.

In the corner of his office sits a large Optimus Prime figurine, something he’s very proud of. The fictional character from the Transformers franchise serves as a reminder of what Harden loves most about his job — the children he gets to help.

“In going through all my rotations in med school, [pediatrics] was the only place where I felt happy,” Harden said.

“I guess it’s because I’m a big kid. I never really grew up myself.”

Harden, 34, has worked at WellStar West Georgia Pediatrics since 2014, when he and his wife, Taijha, moved to LaGrange to be closer to family in Atlanta.

Previously, he had attended Morehouse College and earned a bachelor’s of science degree in biology. He completed his residency at the University of Miami.

Harden met Taijha through friends in 2011. The couple had twins in February — Tori and Taiylor. He said now he has an even better understanding of what parents are going through when they bring a child to his office to be seen.

“It makes you a better pediatrician, and I would say a better man, just in general,” Harden said.

“It reinforces all the things we tell parents and the

suggestions we make, and then some. It gives you a lot of understanding of why parents say some of the things you say don’t always work.”

He said being a father of twins has changed his life in a big way.

He said in only five months he and his wife can tell a difference in the personality of his two girls.

“It’s double the challenge. Every time you get one settled or you do something with one you have to do it all over again with the other one,” Harden said.

Harden is a member of the of Phi Beta Sigma and the American Academy of Pediatrics.

He enjoys coaching T-ball and might even coach basketball this upcoming season.

“I thoroughly enjoy being a part of the community. I don’t just work here. I also live here, play here. My kids are growing up here along with everyone else’s. I like the small town feel where you know the people you work with every day,” Harden said.

“It makes you feel a part of the community and you feel like you can make a difference.”

Story by Daniel Evans, photos by Evans and Eva Maria Valdes

TWENTY UNDER FORTY • 29

22 • LAGRANGE LIVING | FEBRUARY/MARCH 2018

PLAYING A ROLE

Beirne will soon leave Point, but he leaves it in a better place Chris Beirne is an easy conversation. The bright-eyed, quick-smiling Point University Director of Public Relations has a knack for making strangers feel comfortable quickly, which serves him well.

Beirne, who has been with Point University for the past six years, is on his way out of West Point and Troup County in the coming months, but has been with the university during a very formative and important time, and he can speak to the importance of the university deciding to call West Point home in 2012.

“It was life-saving,” Beirne said of the decision. “We would not be in existence if we had not made the move to come here.”

Point University made the decision to transition from East Point, an Atlanta suburb to allow for the growth potential that the university’s leadership saw as vital to the sustained existence and success of the school.

Beirne’s first opportunity with Point was in student life, which lead to an opportunity in the advancement office.

For the time being and for the very near future, he works in community and alumni relations, serving as the director of public relations.

The Stone Mountain native and Georgia Tech grad was introduced to the Point University through current president Dean Collins, who was a mentor of Beirne’s while he was an undergrad.

After graduation, Beirne lived for eight years in Salamanca, Spain, working with a campus ministry organization. He is fluent in Spanish and has cheered fervently for

La Roja during the 2018 World Cup. “I’m just as much from there as I am from here,” Beirne said of the influence those eight years had on his life.

When Beirne was certain he was returning to America following his time in Spain, he reached out to Collins for prayer and advice. An opportunity with the college quickly developed.

Through six years, he has served the college in multiple roles and has woven himself into the fabric of West Point and the Greater Valley Area.

However, Beirne will not be in West Point or Troup County for much longer, as he has accepted a director position with the nonprofit college ministry organization Bread Coffeehouse, and will be moving into a director role with that organization in the fall. He will leave behind a growing and engaged community that has a bright future.

“Our online presence is growing quickly,” Beirne said of the college. “We’re expanding extremely rapidly in that space. As that growth happens, we’ll be able to sustain more traditional students. Those programs are mutually beneficial. Those stories are still growing and will continue.”

While he is soon moving on to tackle new opportunities, Beirne will remember fondly the opportunities and positive elements of life in Troup County and West Point.

“It is wonderful to know who your neighbors are,” Beirne said. “The community has embraced this place and has been wonderful to interact with.”

-Story and photos by Baker Ellis TWENTY UNDER FORTY • 31

CHANGE OF PLANS Yeargin seized opportunity in education, now among best teachers in state

She figured it would be a temporary stop.

Nearly a decade ago, Kayla Yeargin was a newly minted graduate of LaGrange College, and she was weighing her options when an opportunity arose to be a teacher at a local school. Yeargin knew what her immediate future held.

She was going to pursue an advanced degree while working as a student coach for Jennifer Claybrook, the head softball coach at LaGrange College.

“I was going to stick around (Troup County) for a year after school and get my master’s and help (Claybrook) coach,” Yeargin said. “And my plan was to go, and not even be in education.”

That plan changed when an offer came to become a highschool teacher.

“Troup High School called and said we have a math position, and I said I don’t really want to be a teacher, but I thought I’ll give it a go,” Yeargin said. “I’ll try it out.”

Yeargin began teaching and coaching at Troup, and she realized that’s what she wanted to do with her life.

Now, nearly a decade later, Yeargin is still at Troup, and she has served as a coach in softball and golf.

Yeargin has found success as a coach and as a teacher.

Earlier this year, Yeargin was selected as Troup County’s 2017-2018 teacher of the year. Yeargin was one of 25 teachers in the county nominated for the award, and the winner was announced during a banquet in March.

“Eight years later, here I am,” said Yeargin, who has taken over as the head softball coach after Mason Brackett

stepped down. “I don’t want to do anything else. I’m able to impact lives. And to be able to coach two sports I love is always a bonus. I’m living my passion.”

Yeargin went to high school at Oglethorpe County near Athens, and she excelled in softball, golf and basketball.

Yeargin went on to play softball at LaGrange College, and she enjoyed tremendous team and individual success.

Yeargin was a four-year starter, and she played on teams that won three consecutive conference championships and played in the NCAA tournament three straight years.

While Yeargin may not have known coaching was in her future while she was at LaGrange College, she watched and learned while she was a player, and she models a lot of what she does now after Claybrook.

“She has high expectations, but she was also able to show us a lot of love,” Yeargin said. “She’s kind of my role model.

I’ve tried to emulate her.”

Yeargin added that “to be fired up, that’s how I am in all aspects of my life. And I think a lot of that I did get from her.” Yeargin is looking forward to leading the softball program this fall, and she has high expectations.

“We don’t want to just make the playoffs,” she said. “We want to build a name for our program. We don’t want to just be excited to be there. That should be our mindset.

We’re going to take those top spots, and that you’re going to fear to play us.”

-Story by Kevin Eckleberry, photos by Eckleberry and submitted TWENTY UNDER FORTY • 33

CALLED TO COACH

Former MLB player, Kelton, has LaGrange College baseball winning big His life and his career were at a crossroads.

After nearly a decade as a professional baseball player, including stints in 2002 and 2003 in the big leagues with the Chicago Cubs, it was time for David Kelton to turn the page, and he had no idea what he was going to do.

Kelton was a member of the Richmond Braves in 2006, and then his playing career was over.

“I’ll be honest with you. I had absolutely no clue what I was going to do,” said Kelton, who was a second-round draft pick in 1998 after a phenomenal stint as a baseball player at Troup High. “My whole life, my mind was just playing ball. I was that naive individual that thought he was going to play 10 years in the big leagues. That’s what it was going to be.”

Coaching was a possibility, but because Kelton had been so laser-focused on his playing career, he hadn’t spent much time contemplating it.

“I think I had it in the back of my mind, maybe coaching,” Kelton said. “But I’d never put much thought into it.

I just didn’t think about it. I was so consumed with just my career and playing. I just didn’t think about the after. I never thought about it until it slammed right in my face. I had to think about it.”

Kelton decided to give coaching a go, and that’s a decision that has paid major dividends. After a stint as the head baseball coach at Springwood School in 2007, Kelton joined the staff at LaGrange College where he also became a student to pursue his degree. When Kevin Howard left to take over the baseball program at Reinhardt following the

2013 season, LaGrange College athletics director Jennifer Claybrook didn’t look far for his replacement.

Kelton was promoted to the head-coaching position, and the LaGrange College program has thrived under his leadership. The Panthers had losing records in Kelton’s first two seasons, but the team has a combined record of 100-37 the past three years. LaGrange College has won back-to-back USA South championships, and it has made two straight appearances in the NCAA Division III national tournament. Kelton believes his background as a player, most notably the eight years he spent as a pro, helped get him ready to be a coach.

“I believe that 100 percent. I know it got me prepared,” Kelton said. “I think back on a lot of experiences, and a lot of times it helps me with some of my decision-making. I feel a lot more comfortable just from the longevity I’ve had in the game.”

Kelton also credits Kevin Howard for helping him make the transition from player to coach.

“Working under Kevin for four years, he’s one of the smartest baseball minds I’ve ever been around,” the 38-year-old Kelton said. “His baseball IQ is through the roof, so he helped me adapt to the college game. I didn’t know the college game. I didn’t understand it. I just knew professional baseball.”

Kelton, and his wife Meredith have three children, Mary Elliott, Grady and Hill.

-Story by Kevin Eckleberry, photos by Eckleberry and submitted TWENTY UNDER FORTY • 35

PASSION FOR EDUCATION Headrick serves as director at Hillside Montessori in LaGrange A passion for learning sparked a fire in 36-year-old Bethany Headrick, to give more education options for the people in her community. Headrick, a LaGrange native, used her experience of learning in a Montessori school when she was younger to decide that was the education she wanted to introduce to the people around her. Headrick began her teaching career as an English teacher at LaGrange High, but she is now currently the director of Hillside Montessori School. She began this nonprofit organization with a group of parents about six years ago.

“We began to have conversations about the possibility of our kids continuing a Montessori beyond kindergarten.” she said.

“We formed an official steering committee, and we worked together for about a year to look for potential locations, and learn what all went behind actually running a school.”

Montessori is a method of education based on hands-on learning and collaborative play.

“I remember being in a Montessori classroom that was beautiful and captivating,” Headrick said. “Everything from the physical environment to the nurturing teachers, made school a marvelous adventure. I want kids in our community to feel the same way, to love learning and never want to stop growing in their knowledge.”

She said that along with her personal experience, she wanted to introduce a new way of learning to her commu-

nity.

“By opening this new school, it shows people that there are other ways to learn besides just the traditional school,” Headrick said.

Her inspiration behind the opening of Hillside is the potential of the child.

“We, as adults, have the responsibility to nurture and honor that potential rather than hinder it,” she said.

Headrick said she is interested in providing opportunities for people to do their best work in this world and to not fall short of their capacity.

“We, as humans, are the dominant species and a lot rests in our hands,” she said.

Bethany credits her parents for always supporting and encouraging her.

“They have always allowed myself and my siblings to make decisions for ourselves never sheltering us from the consequences of those decisions, which allowed us to become independent,” Headrick said.

Headrick is married to Robert Bailey. Along with her work as director at Hillside Montessori, Headrick enjoys reading and anything to do with food. Whether it’s cooking, reading culinary books, or venturing out to new restaurants, she enjoys it.

Headrick said her main hobby is being a parent to her four kids.

-Story by Devin McGlon, photos by Daniel Evans TWENTY UNDER FORTY • 37

STAYING BUSY

Financial advisor, Hall, involved in Rotary, United Way Chase Hall stays busy.

The dapper, bespectacled Edward Jones financial advisor can often be seen maneuvering his way through downtown in his blue convertible, often driving to or from a meeting related to one of the plethora of boards and service organizations he helps lead. His meetings, both professional and personal, rarely go north of 10 minutes without interruption from a friend or acquaintance. Always, those interruptions are met with a genuine smile and kind word from one of LaGrange’s young business upstarts.

Hall, a LaGrange native and LaGrange College graduate, will turn 30 on the last day of July. He and his wife, Leora, have two daughters under the age of three, Charlotte, 2, and Gemma, 4 months.

In addition to his robust home and professional life, he has made a point to become extremely civically engaged.

He is the membership chair for the LaGrange Rotary Club, is on the board of directors for the First Choice Women’s Shelter, United Way of West Georgia and the LaFayette Alliance. He also volunteers for the Troup County Homeless Coalition’s warming shelter and is a member of HYPE. “I have skin in the game,” Hall said simply, when asked why he feels compelled to be as involved as he is. “This is my community. I’m raising kids in this community. It is vitally important for us to have a strong, engaged, local community.”

Prior to his decision to join Edward Jones, Hall took a job

with Kia Motors Manufacturing after graduating from LaGrange College in 2010. He was quickly promoted from his entry-level position to team leader, then to group leader, where he oversaw a team of approximately 30.

While Hall enjoyed the work at Kia, he developed an itch for continued business development. He applied and was accepted into the Executive MBA program at Indiana University. Thanks to a strong academic showing in the MBA program, Hall was able to enroll in a dual-master’s program and in doing so he discovered a deep interest in finance.

This led him to change career paths in November of 2016.

“Kia was an excellent place to work, I enjoyed what I did, but I realized finance was my calling,” Hall said. “That’s when I took the jump and changed careers. I realized this was something I could get excited about every single day.”

After taking the career change leap, Hall doubled down on his civic involvement. Looking forward to the continued improvement of LaGrange and Troup County, Hall places vital importance on more young professionals becoming involved in local service organizations and on following the Golden Rule.

“It is vital to the success of our community to be engaged and to work together as one community,” Hall said. “We are called to love our neighbors as ourselves, and I think one of the most effective ways to do that is through the service organizations in your local community.”

-Story by Baker Ellis, photos by Alicia B. Hill TWENTY UNDER FORTY • 39

COMMUNITY ORIENTED

A fixture on local boards, Jones is helping lead LaGrange into the future During work hours, Jake Jones can often be found in his office at Synovus Bank, pouring through financial data.

Locating Jones outside the Synovus office can be a difficult task, however, as he stays incredibly busy via his involvement in a plethora of community organizations.

A 1998 graduate of LaGrange Academy and 2002 graduate of The University of Georgia, Jones, 38, currently resides as the Senior Vice President of Synovus Bank in LaGrange. A multi-talented businessman with a mind equally adept at remembering names as well as numbers, Jones could have chosen to begin his career in any number of metropolitan cities after graduation. However, the now-husband, father, deacon and civil servant chose to return to his hometown, which he said was always the plan.

“My thought was to come back after school, that was always the plan,” Jones said. “I made the choice to come back, and I don’t regret it at all. LaGrange and Troup County have given a lot to me. I wanted to do my part to give back to the area.”

In addition to his work with Synovus, Jones has made it a point to be involved in the community.

The list of committees, organizations, boards and councils he has served on and currently serves on is exhaustive, but worth acknowledging.

He served as the president of the LaGrange Rotary Club in 2016-17, during which time he was recognized as a Sheffield Award winner. He also served as the past president of the Troup County Historical Society in 2015-16 and on the LaGrange-Troup County Chamber of Com-

merce board from 2015-17.

Currently, he serves on the LaGrange College Leadership Council, remains active in Rotary, the Heart of West Georgia, Inc. and the Troup County Historical Society, to name a few. He is also the donor representative for the scholarship committee that established the Gail & William Oliver Hunnicutt III Scholarship Fund, which is dedicated to providing funds to allow special needs students to attend The University of Georgia.

His level of involvement in the community stems from a belief that sweat equity in a community will lead to positive outcomes and can spur others to become involved as well.

“I’ve always been one that has felt the right thing to do is to get involved in the community and give back,” Jones said. “From the start, I made a commitment to do that.

The more you put into a community, the more gratifying the returns are and the better life can become for the community as a whole.”

A LaGrange native, Jones is as invested as anyone in the long-term health of the city. For growth and change to continue to propel the community forward, Jones believes the community must remain focused on the long-term.

“We have to have an understanding that what we do today won’t necessarily have an impact on today, but will have a great impact on the future,” Jones said. “I think the more we contribute philanthropically, the more we plan economically, the better our future will be.”

-Story by Baker Ellis, Photos by Daniel Evans TWENTY UNDER FORTY • 41

OUT ON THE LAKE

Jacobs serves as outreach coordinator for Chattahoochee Riverkeeper Henry Jacobs, 27, can often be found at the office space rented by the nonprofit he works for during the day, taking part in conference calls or carrying out any number of routine responsibilities entrusted to him. However, there is an element to Jacobs’ profession unlike most others.

When not in the office, Jacobs can generally be found on West Point Lake, leading educational programs for classes from local schools or coordinating the organization’s efforts during special events. He enjoys what he does, and is quick to point this out.

“I love what I do for Chattahoochee Riverkeeper,” Jacobs said. “Essentially, we are trying to make everybody aware of where their water comes from and to know the value of clean water. We want people not to take it for granted.

That is the easiest thing to go and talk about.”

Jacobs’ full job title is something of a mouthful. He is the Chattahoochee Riverkeeper Regional Outreach Coordinator serving the Middle Chattahoochee region. Chattahoochee Riverkeeper, a nonprofit organization that saw its inception in 1994 as a response to poor water and sewage realities in Atlanta, opened an outpost office in LaGrange in 2011. Jacobs has been working for the organization full time since 2013. He credits his younger days on the water and in nature for giving him a baseline of comfort in the outdoors, making his current job suitable.

“I grew up canoeing, kayaking, doing some sailing,” Jacobs said. “That gave me the chance to grow up and be comfortable outside. I appreciate that so much more now.”

Jacobs could well be the face of a LaGrange marketing campaign for young adults. Not a local, he hails from outside of the metropolitan Atlanta area. His path led to LaGrange via the baseball diamond, as he suited up for the LaGrange College Panthers for four years prior to making the decision to begin his career in LaGrange, a decision the city hopes to see more young professionals make in time.

“Meeting people here in the community, making the connections I did is what kept me here after college,” Jacobs said. “Those connections and Chattahoochee Riverkeeper are, in large part, what kept me here.”

Jacobs had the opportunity to work for the organization that would later become his full-time employer during his undergraduate days. Through an internship with the company, he worked closely with his predecessor Jill Sistino while in school. It was Sistino who recommended Jacobs take her position when she moved on to pursue other opportunities. Now, as the outreach coordinator for the area, Jacobs and seven other instructors help lead sessions on the West Point Floating Classroom, which is a custom-built 42-foot boat named Miss Sally that sees students as often as four days per week during the school year.”

“It’s cool to think about how this office started as a one-person shop and has grown into what it is now,” Jacobs said, making note of the slew of volunteers who ensure the floating classroom remains a reality.

-Story by Baker Ellis, photos by Daniel Evans TWENTY UNDER FORTY • 43

HELPING HAND

At Circles, Venters shows people how to overcome poverty Lauren Venters, 23, is showing people how to overcome poverty.

Venters is a LaGrange College graduate from Carrolton who began working as a development specialist at Circles of Troup County in February 2017. Since she began working for Circles, she has assisted with numerous events to help people in the community move from poverty to self-sufficiency.

“We don’t necessarily have things that we hand out to people,” Venters said. “We don’t hand them money. We never hand them a check. We do provide a healthy meal once a week, but what we do is about connecting the dots between hurdles in the community. Helping people find sustainable housing, affordable housing, helping people get a job, build their résumé, understanding what they need to do in order to reach their goals. There are small steps that we help them accomplish and guide them. We don’t do it for them, but we are supporters of people.”

Circles has been operating in Troup County for 11 years, and a large part of Venters’ job is educating the community on what the group is doing.

“We work toward capacity building, establishing creditability in the community, so we want to not only promote Circles, but we want people to understand what Circles does,” Venters said. “My undergraduate degree at LaGrange College is in nonprofit leadership, and that allowed me to see several nonprofit models. I did not find another model like Circles. Circles is very empowering

toward self-sufficiency.”

Venters said that Circles takes people from surviving to thriving, and those who work with her say that she brings a lot to the organization.

“Lauren is energetic and organized and absolutely delightful to work with,” said Sherri Brown, the director of Circles of Troup County. “She has brought so much to our organization that we needed and that we are benefiting from, and we feel really lucky to have her.”

At the same time, Venters is thankful for the support that the community has shown to Circles of Troup County.

“I would like to thank the City of LaGrange for believing in Circles,” Venters said.

“It is really neat to see how many people believe in our mission and support us year-round. There are a lot of agencies in the community, other nonprofits, that are community partners, and it is great to see all the good work that we can do when we empower and support each other.”

In addition to working for Circles of Troup County, Venters is currently pursuing her master’s degree in community development at LaGrange College.

She also volunteers for the Phi Mu Fraternity at LaGrange College, serves on the board for Hillside Montessori and enjoys spending time with her boyfriend.

-Story by Alicia B. Hill, Photos submitted by Circles and LaGrange College TWENTY UNDER FORTY • 45

MARKETING LAGRANGE Brown gives back in numerous ways to the place he now calls home Curtis Brown Jr. knows his way around a big city.

Brown grew up in Teaneck, New Jersey, just a short drive across the George Washington Bridge into New York. He’s also lived in Atlanta, Houston and Kansas City.

Now, coming up on his 40th birthday in October, there’s nowhere else he’d rather be than LaGrange.

“This is the place you dream about raising a family,” Brown said.

Brown and his wife Shaundre have two children, 4-yearold Curtis III and 2-year-old Sage.

They moved to LaGrange in 2014, after Shaundre had a job offer she couldn’t refuse to work with West Georgia Health.

For Brown, it was a chance to get closer to Atlanta, which is where he attended Morehouse College. He then moved back home to New Jersey, where he took a job on Wall Street. After a stop in Houston, he moved to Tempe, Arizona and attended Arizona State University. At ASU, he earned his Master’s of Business Administration.

He took a job with Sprint, which took him to Kansas City, where he met Shaundre.

“I was probably shoveling snow in Kansas City one day and was mad and bitter,” Brown jokes while thinking back.

“My wife is from Montgomery, and we wanted to move to the Southeast. The Southeast was on our radar screen, and I was interested in getting back to Atlanta.”

The move has more than worked out. Brown started

a business development and visual marketing company called Build the Crowd, where he essentially acts as a marketing consultant to help businesses in the digital realm.

He’s also started a nonprofit called Institute for Civic Entrepreneurship, which challenges the community to solve problems with the mindset of an entrepreneur.

Brown serves on the Industrial Development Authority Board, Troup County Center for Strategic Planning Board, the Three Rivers Regional Planning Board, led the SPLOST campaign along with Dale Jackson and serves as the public relations contact for the Troup County Racial Trustbuilding Initiative.

He’s on the United Way of West Georgia board and is a member of the Rotary Club.

Hobbies include reading and tinkering around with electronics and gadgets. He’s also a big Arizona State football fan. He’s an even bigger fan of LaGrange.

“Of all the places I’ve lived, this is the easiest community to get involved in,”Brown said. “We have the right leadership at all levels. We have the right direction and the right people in all capacities. We are moving toward making Troup County, LaGrange, West Point and Hogansville one of the best places to live. We could live anywhere in the world, but we’re here. The fact that leadership is invested in doing the right thing, makes me want to roll up my sleeves and help out where I can too.”

-Story and photos by Daniel Evans TWENTY UNDER FORTY • 47

WILD LEAP TO LAGRANGE Brewery owner, Goldstein, heavily involved in community Locally most people know him as one half of the team that envisioned and founded Wild Leap Brew Co., but music agent turned brewery owner Rob Goldstein has far more to his story.

Goldstein moved to LaGrange to found Wild Leap Brew Co. with Anthony Rodriguez roughly a year ago, but the decision to open a brewery in a small Georgia city has been years in the making, with the experience gained through other experiences now benefiting the community.

“I originally moved to Atlanta when I was 12,” Goldstein said. “My dad had gotten transferred as part of his job, but the first time around, I didn’t really like Atlanta. In fact, when I graduated high school, I looked for the farthest place from Atlanta that I could go where I could get into college, which was Arizona State.”

While in college, Goldstein wrote for MTV, E!, Yahoo and other groups as a stringer. After graduation, Goldstein moved to Los Angeles where he worked in the music industry.

“I started in the mail room at the William Morris Agency and worked my way up,” Goldstein said. “Eventually, I became a junior music agent and ultimately came to the realization that I didn’t want to be an agent for the rest of my life, so I formed a company with a friend of mine.”

That company was a music branding firm where Goldstein worked for four years, before selling the company and returning to Atlanta. Once there, Goldstein worked as the director of marketing and events for the southeast region of a major hospitality company. At that time, he also

began producing large events on the side, which is how he met Rodriguez, his partner at Wild Leap Brew Co. “I always make the joke that if you told me 10 years ago, when I was living and working in Beverly Hills that I would be located in LaGrange and actually incredibly happy about it, I would have thought that you were nuts,” Goldstein said. “As soon as we made the conscious decision to start the brewery in LaGrange, we knew that the only way to do it was to go all in and move here, move our families, and we are super happy with that decision.”

Goldstein now applies his knowledge of the music industry to scheduling bands at Wild Leap Brew Co., and he said that music is still a big part of his life. He will marry fiancée Brittany Knecht on June 29. Knecht also loves music and is over sales for the brewery. Goldstein said that the brewery team is looking forward to announcing more events and partnerships in the future.

“We like to create an environment where all ages and all demographics are welcome,” Goldstein said. “That is one thing that makes us the happiest is to be a meeting place for the community, and on any given day you’ll see a young couple with a beer in one hand and a stroller in the other, and you’ll see kids, and you’ll see grandparents all having a great time. That is what we want at Wild Leap.

This is a place for the whole community.”

Goldstein is a member of the Strategic Planning Board, The Friends of The Thread and the LaGrange-Troup County Chamber of Commerce.

-Story by Alicia B. Hill, photos by Daniel Evans TWENTY UNDER FORTY • 49

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