Perhaps his political success is due to the fact that he is a Republican in a county which favored Mitt Romney by a margin of 81 percent over Barack Obama. Poole was elected in a county where there are, according to the 2010 Census, 1,353 people who identify as black compared to 26,700 who are white. However, he says his political affiliation has more to do with the content of his character and less with his ethnicity. He recalls that he was once accosted by former Democratic House Speaker Tom Murphy who demanded to know why Poole was a Republican. He replied that he was “a born-again Christian,” and was therefore a conservative, as most Republicans are. “I’ve got conservative values, and if you want to associate me with being a black Republican just because I’ve got conservative values, that’s your business,” he says. “I’ve got beliefs of how I want my tax dollars spent like any white Republican.” “It’s not white money; it’s not black money – it’s green money. So that’s where I am.” Poole says he is happy where he is in his political career, and has no plans for a future beyond Haralson County, including a run for the Legislature. “I really enjoy what I’m doing now, and I’d like to stay here as long as I’m being productive.” The chairman advises “aspiring, political-minded young people” not to base their political identity on the past. “Times have changed,” he said. “You can’t identify with a party just because your dad (or) granddad identified with a party. “I would encourage them, first of all, to
aspire to be a contributor in the community and don’t worry and don’t get caught up into the short grass of identifying with being black. You make a stand on what you believe, and you stand on what you believe and you deal with the consequences, whatever decision you choose.”
Steve Adams President and CEO: Southeastrans, Inc.; West Georgia Ambulance, Inc.; Adams Transport, Inc.
Steve Adams
There are two consistent themes throughout the life of Carroll County businessman Steve Adams: healthcare transportation and giving back to the community. In fact, it’s hard to know where one theme ends and the other begins, because there likely would not have been one without the other. Adams runs three large corporations in the county, all of which involve providing transportation services for hospital or clinic patients. He is president and CEO of Southeastrans, Inc., which contracts with state Medicaid agencies and managed care companies to provide non-emergency transportation services to more than 1 million people in Georgia and Tennessee, and which has been recognized by Entrepreneur magazine as one of America’s fastest
growing companies. In the meantime, he runs West Georgia Ambulance, Inc., the Carrollton-based emergency services provider he founded in 1999, and is also president and CEO of Adams Transport, Inc. None of these things would be possible, Adams says, had he not had support from numerous people in his past, all of whom were impressed by his work ethic and desire to return their kindnesses with solid contributions to the city and county. “If you really want to work hard, there’s no reason for you not to succeed,” he says. Adams was born in Carroll County and attended Villa Rica High School. While there, he began working as an orderly at Tanner Medical Center. That’s where Jan./Feb. 2013
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