Let There Be Light
At Matthews Lighting and Electric, quality work and a customer first focus are the standards for a job well done.
WHEN THE ANSWERS YOU GET ARE THE ANSWERS YOU NEED
When two of the region’s best cancer-fighting teams join forces, it brings a new level of hope for cancer patients in and around Northwest Georgia. That means more leading-edge technologies. More advanced clinical trials. And more quality time to spend with the ones you love.
There are so many reasons to love living at The Spires, a stunning lakeside senior living community immersed in the vibrant campus culture of Berry College. A 27,000-acre backyard full of walking paths, wildlife and breathtaking views. A state-of-the-art fitness center offering everything from cardio drumming to water fitness. A bustling music scene where you can sing, dance or jam to your heart’s content. And the peace of mind of a full continuum of care if further assistance is ever needed.
What our residents are saying:
“I’ve enjoyed making new friends and the staff is unbelievable from top to bottom.” — Dr. Woody Davis, Resident
“People here have been intensely supportive, and they mean it. It’s been a happy serendipity.” — Ann Marie Hollomon, Resident
“I think the best way I can describe the experience here is ‘community’ and I just give thanks. The opportunities are just endless for people to connect.” — Dr. Jennifer Barbieri, Daughter of Resident
“For social, emotional, mental and physical wellbeing — everything I need is here. It’s just been amazing the way our community loves each other.” — Julie Wahtola, Resident
Come see for yourself — we think you’ll love it here, too. Call 706-607-5322 or visit RetireAtBerry.com to schedule a personal tour.
JULY 2025
COLUMNS FEATURES
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Letters to the Emperor is a monthly humor column from the self-proclaimed Emperor of Rome, GA. This month, Nero casts his votes for Best of Rome in underrepresented categories like Animal Husbandry Specialist.
Driven by a shared vision of innovation, especially in rural areas, Harbin Clinic and Atrium Health Floyd continue to set the standard in cancer care, empathy and clinical excellence.
Artificial Intelligence pervades practically everything around us now; Nina Lovel brings a very brief primer on it.
This Hardy Home is sure to impress a family that loves to welcome people in!
Matthews Lighting and Electric provides “life-changing service” that keeps Rome’s houses feeling like homes.
WEST ROME
Publisher's Note
I must be honest...I don’t love July. The 4th is fun, but once it’s done, the month just seems to drag on and on. I’m sure my dislike for the heat and my desire for football season to start don’t help, so maybe it's not all July’s fault.
While there is plenty to keep me busy, I have to occupy my downtime with something other than sports, especially when the Braves are struggling, So, for this year's July edition of my publishers note I’ve decided to make a list of options for others struggling with baseball drought syndrome.
Here are a few ways to occupy your sport less time.
OWNER & CEO Ian Griffin
1. Read a book Or listen to one if you don’t want to strain your eyes. Either way, its a great escape...and they write
It Was the Best of Rome, It Was the Worst of Rome
Letters to the Emperor is a monthly humor column from the self-proclaimed Emperor of Rome, GA. Nero Romansky, the unqualified descendant of Julius Caesar, answers his letters from his less-than-loyal subjects. It’s like not visiting the dentist for years, even though you have sufficient health insurance.
When you finally get over your irrational fear of modern medical treatment enough to schedule an appointment, you learned your dentist has retired and his grandchild now runs the practice. Then, after a marathon session of X-rays, teeth cleaning, and bloody gums, you learn you need fillings. Your Gen-Z dentist tells you with a straight face, “Ok, Boomer, you need caps. No cap.” It's July, which means three of Nero’s favorite things. Beers, Bratwurst, and Blasting Off Fingers With Illegal Fireworks. It also means that Nero Ninefingers took a month off because of the V3 Magazine’s Big Beautiful Bridal Issue. Some editors believe that a divine ruler with eleven wives and thirty-six consorts should not be relied upon for wedding planning.
First Question.
EMPEROR NERO,
“How would soldiers who fought in WWII respond to people in 2025 cooking Bratwurst, a very German sausage, on the grill to celebrate America’s Birthday?”
— Sampson Oleandre | Darlington School, Class of 2015
DEAR SAMPSON,
If you magically transported 19-year-old soldiers from 1945 to now, I doubt the ethnicity of sausage links would be the
biggest culture shock. Likely, their chief concern would be the pseudo-margarine product, “I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter.” If something as innocent as butter lies to us, is there any truth left in the world?
Me Vexat Pede, — Nero
O GREAT NERO,
“I’m not originally from Rome. Can you explain the local obsession with Best of Rome? I keep seeing ads and Facebook posts encouraging me to vote every day. Is it like the Golden Globes for business or something? Any advice on who to vote for?”
— Tonya Mendoza | My high school is irrelevant to Romans because I grew up in Wilmington, Delaware, Class of 1995
DEAR TONYA,
As the Emperor of Rome, questions from all my citizens matter, even ones from delightfully uniformed Carpetbaggers. The Best of Rome competition is a metaphorical beauty pageant hosted by the Rome News-Tribune. It celebrates the exceptional people, businesses, and organizations in our community that deserve to be celebrated. Like modern presidential elections, you are permitted to vote once a day between June 21st and July 18th.
Mark Suroviec, M.Ed., is the Chief Ambassador of Fun at WorkPlay Solutions, the author of Forever Sisters, and the Vice President of the Children’s Museum of Rome. He hopes you pity laugh at his humor and satire stories, especially the ones that aren’t funny.
Vote Early, Vote Often.
Who should you vote for? In some categories, it's obvious, but in others, it’s a deeply personal matter. It would be unprofessional of the Emperor to use his position of influence to encourage you to vote for any specific person or category. For example, to cast 28 votes for Mark Suroviec as Best Local Author. Almost as unethical as using Google Workspace to create FIFTY different email aliases, should you feel compelled to vote 1400 times for WorkPlay Solutions as the Best Event Planning Service.*
Me Vexat Pede, — Nero
DEAR NEMESIS
“I’m surprised, after all your shameless Best of Rome promotion earlier, you didn’t mention the release of your next book, too.”
— Dr. Humbert R. Tuffleson, Ph.D. | Associate Professor of Ancient History at Georgia Highlands College
DR TUFFLESON,
Thanks for the reminder. Fun Lies (Again): The Ambassador’s Unauthorized Sequel That No One Asked For by Mark Suroviec, M.Ed., comes out Fall 2025.
Me Vexat Pede, — Nero
DEAR EMPEROR,
“You said there were overrepresented and underrepresented categories in Best of Rome? Can you give some examples?
— Sarah Darah | Rome High School, Class of 2022
DEAR SARAH,
You are correct, Sarah. Some voting categories are completely oversaturated, like that lying tub of margarine. For example, the Law industry has eleven different categories for lawyers and law firms. Do we really need to vote for all of the following in Best of Rome?
• Best Lawyer
• Best Law Firm
• Best Tax Attorney
• Best Divorce Attorney
• Best Lawyer Who Didn’t Graduate From Law School In the United States
• Best Lawyer Who Didn’t Graduate From Law School At All
• Best Lawyer Joke
• Best Law Themed Billboard
• Worst Lawyer
• Second Worst Lawyer, In Case the Worst Lawyer Is On Vacation
• Person Who Watched the Most Episodes of Law and Order: SVU
Or consider the following categories not available in Best of Rome, despite numerous practitioners in Northwest Georgia.
• Best Travel Agent
• Best Business Coach
• Best Chainsaw Artist
• Best Fishing Guide
• Best Animal Husbandry Specialist
• Best Restaurant to Get Hepatitis From Using Their Restroom
• Best Crystal Meth Dispensary
• Best Street to Drop a Taco on, and Still Eat It, According to the Five Second Rule
• Best Long-Lost Descendant of Julius Caesar Who Crowns Himself as the Emperor of Rome, GA, As a Humoristic Plot Device To Avoid Accountability From People Angry With His Irreverent Monthly Satire Column
• Best Local Magazine, Including the Letters “V” and “3”
Nero could think of hundreds more not fit to print in this magazine. Are you not entertained?
Me Vexat Pede,
— Nero
Disclaimer: Emperor Nero Romansky is a satirical character written and created by Mark Suroviec, M.Ed. All people and quotations are fictional, invented by the limited imagination of the author, and do not reflect the opinions of the author, editors, or V3 Magazine. *Hypothetically speaking, of course.
DRIVING HOPE: ADVOCATES FOR RURAL CANCER CARE
When facing cancer, it's a relief to know that the region’s best team of experts is right here, close to where you live, work and play. Every day, Atrium Health Floyd and Harbin Clinic are combining their strengths to bring more technologies, resources and breakthrough treatments to the people of Northwest Georgia and beyond.
Championing access to screening
One example of how Harbin Clinic and Atrium Health Floyd are strengthening local communities is through access to expanded cancer care. Atrium Health Floyd recently opened a new Women’s Imaging Suite at Atrium Health Floyd Cherokee Medical Center in Centre, Alabama, and a new mobile mammography coach will soon be based in Chattooga County.
Kay Chumbler, a Cherokee County resident and chair of the Floyd Cherokee Medical Center board, referred to the new suite as a dream come true.
“As a lifelong resident of this county, I can only say to you that 'grateful' is the operative word for the day," Chumbler said. “In 2018, when Floyd Medical, now Atrium Health Floyd, took over the hospital, it was less than a month from closing. When so many rural hospitals are shutting down, ours is growing, expanding and offering new lines of service. That is another thing to be grateful for."
U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., announced in 2023 that money has been earmarked for the mobile mammography coach at a press conference held at the Harbin Clinic Dr. Tony E. Warren M.D. Cancer Center. The mammography coach will be based at
Aimee Griffin, Vice President of Professional Services at the Cherokee Women’s Center
Atrium Health Floyd’s free-standing emergency department in Chattooga County.
“Providing mammography services in rural areas is so important, and it is one reason we plan to base the coach further north," said Kurt Stuenkel, president of Atrium Health Floyd. “There are likely women in these areas who have undiagnosed breast cancer, and having mobile mammography readily available will make it easier to get a screening mammogram.”
Research also confirms Stuenkel’s assertions. The National Cancer Institute states that barriers to accessing health services, transportation challenges, fewer health care facilities and financial obstacles, contribute significantly to these higher incidence and mortality rates in rural communities. In fact, women in Chattooga County have the third-highest breast cancer mortality rate in Georgia, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Also, the CDC identified mobile mammography as one of the most effective interventions for addressing these barriers.
Whole person care beyond screening
While access to preventative care is a critical first step, comprehensive care also means addressing the full spectrum of patient needs: physical, emotional and social. The oncology team at Harbin Clinic Cancer Center is passionate about making high-quality cancer care accessible to rural communities in partnership with Atrium Health Floyd. From their community interactions to their care philosophies, these providers are invested in each patient’s specific needs and long-term goals.
The Chairman of the Cancer Navigators Board and Harbin Clinic oncologist, Dr. Gregory Harris, shared about joint efforts to address rural food insecurity and cancer care in the local community:
“A surprising number of our cancer patients struggle with severe food insecurity. Today, about 225 active cancer patients utilize the Northwest Georgia Hunger Ministries food bank each month and have access to hours to reduce their risk of infection. Cancer Navigators is working towards having nutritionists onsite to help patients select the best foods available for healing."
Similarly, Harbin Clinic oncologist Dr. Melissa Dilmon, who works with the National Cancer Institute’s Community Oncology Research Program (NCORP), emphasized the importance of ensuring patients in rural areas have access to the same resources as those in urban centers. Describing her desire to advocate for the same, high-quality care, she said, “I steadily advocate for these resources to be more available to patients in rural areas."
Radiation oncologist Dr. Matthew Mumber, well-known for his patient-centered philosophy and certified by the American Board of Holistic Medicine, said he pays special attention to broader needs in rural settings where access to care can be more pronounced.
“I take a multifaceted approach to oncology and try to focus on treating all levels of a person. Whether it’s improving access or providing education and counseling, I have always been passionate about getting patients the care they need,” said Dr. Mumber
Summarizing the heart behind their higher standard of care, Harbin Clinic oncologist Dr. Dilawar Khan said, “I am excited about the growth of our cancer service line and the expansion of our support services. These changes will help us provide even better patient-focused care that meets the changing needs of those we serve. I am proud to be part of this journey and dedicated to making sure every patient receives the best care possible, today and in the years ahead."
A tradition of transformative care
Driven by a shared vision of innovation, especially in rural areas, Harbin Clinic and Atrium Health Floyd continue to set the standard in cancer care, empathy and clinical excellence. From prevention and early detection to advanced treatments, genetic insights and rural access, they offer a truly comprehensive approach to healing.
Dr. J.C. Abdou, Radiation Oncologist
It Really IS Everywhere!
Nina Lovel has finally set out to understand Artificial Intelligence, and has created a concise introduction to it, complete with examples.
Here and Now with Nina Lovel
If you’ve read my column before you’ll know that I write little lightweight lifestyle essays. I try to make you smile, or to nod in agreement with some truism I’ve pegged. But this month, my goal is to have you think and grow smarter. Keep reading while I share some things I’ve recently learned; this one’s a primer on Artificial Intelligence (AI).
One would think that since I write code to build database apps, I would be at least conversant in AI, but it’s such a vast body of information I’d never made the effort to study it.
I knew it was everywhere–Siri had it, my TV remote had it, and I liked asking Alexa to turn herself off so much, I started looking for a lamp that Alexa could turn off too. Not long ago, I went cold turkey on input from the news and Substack because it was keeping my britches in a bundle. I needed something new to learn. It was time to become AI-conversant.
First, a Definition
“AI is the field of computer science focused on creating systems or machines that can perform tasks that require human intelligence.” (ChatGPT, 2025) AI systems must ‘learn’ in order to deliver. They do this by exposure to vast amounts of data: books, photos, academic papers, movies, songs…anything in digital format can be taught to an AI agent.
How is AI Used?
Talk about an exhaustive list–it exhausts me to think about it! But the book that’s helped me get my head around AI, “AI Snake Oil What Artificial Intelligence Can Do, What it Can’t, and How to Tell the Difference”2 is a mind-settling book that does not give doomsday predictions but rather presents instances of AI success and instances in which humans should be wary and vigilant of AI.
The book describes three main categories of current AI use: Predictive, Generative, and Content Moderation. (Narayanan, 2024)
1. Predictive AI
“Predictive AI uses historical data and machine learning to forecast future outcomes.” (ChatGPT, 2025) Do you use WAZE or another smartphone mapping app to get to where you’re going? I don’t know how I ever got anywhere without it! If you use it, do you marvel at how good it is at predicting your arrival time? This is predictive AI in action, and WAZE is a great application. Salesforce Einstein uses past sales data to predict future sales. Your suggested viewing on Amazon Prime and Netflix? Predictive AI. Credit scoring and credit risk are just a few more ways that predictive AI is used all around us, all the time.
But it doesn’t get everything right. It has been used to predict which kidney transplant patients would survive longest, the likelihood of hospital readmissions, and to predict which criminals were least likely to bolt if they were let out on bond, with bad or damaging results. What makes these results less accurate? It’s simple: they all involve human behavior, and that cannot be predicted (yet, anyway).
AI is so hot that most companies want to employ it right now, and applications can cost in the millions. If you are considering a purchase like this, be sure to verify the company’s claims and ask for documentation of trial studies.
2. Generative AI
This is where all the fun meets all the controversy. Generative AI does actually generate output, and the output is based on things it has learned (machine learning) from its developers. ChatGPT, the most widely used AI right now, will generate all kinds of text and answer all kinds of questions, and yes, I’ve started using ChatGPT to write some code. ChatGPT will write papers, emails, reports, summaries, blog posts, drafts, resumes, cover letters, meeting notes, product descriptions and ad copy, to name just a few.
When you’re ready for more than text, DALL-E or Midjourney will paint you a picture from a descriptive prompt you give it: “Paint an aquarium with fish of ten different colors in it.” And have you ever used a stock photograph for a presentation? It used to be that real people took those pictures, but now the photography sites are bursting with AI-generated images. Sometimes it’s easy to spot that it’s AI (a finger may be missing, or a hand separated from its arm), but AI is constantly learning, and gets better at all this, every day.
One group of troubling generative AI products are deepfakes. “A deepfake is a media file, typically video or audio, that has been manipulated using artificial intelligence (AI) to convincingly replace a person's likeness or voice with someone else's.” (Google search, 2025) This absolutely terrifies me. Deepfakes have been posted to social media of the Pentagon blowing up (tanked the stock market for a minute), and of President Zelenskyy telling his troops to surrender. Fear of having AI replicate their voices and images was one contributor to the Hollywood actors’ strike in 2023.
Sound and voice can be replicated so perfectly that you may be sure that it's your granddaughter on the phone asking for some money, but it really is not. Call her actual phone back to make sure. Google “Morgan Freeman AI video” and find out for yourself.
3. Content Moderation
Do you remember when Mark Zuckerberg was in the congressional hot seat a few years back? He was being grilled on Facebook’s content moderation policies. This is the process of removing offensive posts from the platform. It has always been a traumatic job performed by low-wage workers who look at each post for mere seconds to make their decisions. This would be a good place for AI to relieve some workers; it does a passable job of recognizing hate language, pornography, and fake accounts, but again, because we humans are capable of nuances that cannot be taught to a machine, it will not completely replace human moderators anytime soon. How could it know that this post, “I can’t wait to see you after school tomorrow!”, is actually a threat because the parties were fighting earlier today?
How Do You Recognize AI?
Well, it’s simply everywhere! Your closest example is your smartphone that unlocks when it recognizes your face. It uses AI to let you change the lighting in that photo you just took, and it will even help you make yourself look like a plastic surgery nightmare. When autocorrect steps in, it’s AI (more proof it’s not always correct). DoorDash, Uber, that scale in the bathroom that sends your weight to an app on your phone… all AI. These are just everyday uses that you may be curious about, but there’s one field in which there is a truly urgent need to identify AI right now: Education.
Educators have long had their ways of detecting plagiarism in students’ writing, from noting a change in a student’s writing style or suddenly acquired expertise outside the scope of the work (pre-digital age), to pasting a sample into a search engine to find a document that might be online (digital age). Today, they’re looking for AI-generated *and* plagiarized text. AI detectors exist, but again, they’re not always accurate. You’d think they would recognize their own work, but that’s not always the case. Teachers walk a thin line, needing to both (a) detect AI-generated work in student submissions and (b) actually teach the students how to use AI to their advantage in learning and future employment.
All of this comes with a warning. At the bottom of the ChatGPT screen appear these words: “ChatGPT can make mistakes. Check important info.” There are horror stories about students being expelled because AI flagged something as AI-generated when it was actually written by the student. Some of the students could prove they had written it themselves. Can you spell l-a-w-s-u-i-t?
Speaking of lawsuits, there’s a flip side to this issue: one student is suing their university for an $8000 refund they paid for a class in which the professor used a preponderance of AI-generated learning materials. (Mosley, 2025)
Should We be Afraid?
It depends on how you define “afraid”. While AI continues to evolve, it remains at its core a technology that is really good at complex pattern recognition, data analysis and repetitive tasks. It can work really fast, thanks to those big data centers that are popping up like mushrooms after the rain. But it can also deliver bias and discrimination in its results. And yes, it’s true that AI is replacing entry-level programmers in many companies; however, this is not unlike what happened with robotic arms in manufacturing, selfcheckout in retail, ATMs, and customer service representatives (don’t you love those little AI chatbots?) If you work in a field that might be affected, prepare for that day if you can. Stay vigilant and be well-read on all topics AI; there are a zillion options out there. I say don’t be afraid; be aware.
My greatest concern is that my fellow human beings might think up more ways to use AI that cause harm out of incompetence. That app that predicted kidney recipients? It didn’t take long for humans to figure out how to game
the system. That hospital readmission thing? Patients were being sent home long before even the hospitals would have routinely discharged them. And they discharge people fast. And how can it possibly be accurately predicted which criminals will flee and which ones won’t? Sure, you can use some statistics, but we’re talking human behavior here. UNpredictable.
It’s time to put this little lightweight lifestyle column to bed; I hope you feel better informed (and not better confused) for having read it. I do recommend that you give ChatGPT a spin (www.chatgpt.com); it’s pretty cool. Be aware that while you can normally delete the input you’ve asked of ChatGPT, right now they are retaining *all* user input due to a court order. If you’re interested in knowing more about AI, all you have to do is look around you; just like AI itself, books, articles, and opinions are everywhere. Stay vigilant, treasured readers!
SOURCES
OpenAI. (2025). ChatGPT (Version 4o) [Large language model]. https:// chat.openai.com/chat
Narayanan, A., & Kapoor, S. (2024). AI Snake Oil: What Artificial Intelligence Can Do, What It Can't, and How to Tell the Difference (1st ed.). Princeton University Press.
Mosley, T. (Host). (2025, May 21). What Happens when artificial intelligence quietly reshapes our lives? [Radio broadcast transcript]. In Fresh Air. GPB Atlanta. https://www.npr.org/transcripts/nx-s1-5405608
A House That Welcomes You Home
Whether it’s for relaxing or entertaining, 2 Palmer Drive has everything a family could want, all in one spacious property.
The home sitting at the curve of 2 Palmer Drive in Rome, Georgia, seems to open its arms to you before you even step inside. It’s a big home — five bedrooms, five and a half bathrooms, and 6,420 square feet — but what’s most striking is how it feels: spacious without being showy, generous without trying too hard. It’s just welcoming.
Kristen and Mark, the current owners, weren’t even planning to look at this home when they were planning their move to Rome. “We really didn’t think we needed that much space as a new family,” Kristen said. “But then we looked at it and just fell in love.”
It was one of those things that seems to unfold the way it’s meant to. The couple had both gone to Berry College in the early 2000s, and after years of school and training across the southeast, a job offer at Harbin
text CURRY TEEMS | photo KELLY MOORE
Clinic brought them back to Rome. When a cousin encouraged them to at least give this house a look, they did — and that’s when the picture began to form.
“It’s a big house in terms of square footage, but it’s not like they packed a bunch of tiny rooms in. Each one is just comfortable and spacious in a way that makes sense,” said Kristen. That sense of ease flows through the entire home — especially the open-concept kitchen and living area that Kristen and Mark renovated just a few years ago. “The original kitchen was pretty small, considering the size of the house,” she said. “Apparently the couple who built it weren’t big cooks. So, we opened it up and added more cabinets, made it into a space that made more sense for how we live.”
The updates are thoughtful and beautiful — marble countertops, custom cabinetry, and a view straight into a cozy den area — a space made for morning coffee and quiet togetherness. The same group that transformed the kitchen also helped redo the primary bathroom, adding heated floors, a soaking tub, and fresh tile to make it feel more like a retreat than a routine.
As most people know, the real stories live in the everyday spaces. There’s the bonus room above the garage — a space the current owners didn’t expect to need, but quickly grew into. “I was going to be a stay-at-home mom for the first time, which was a little scary,” Kristen says. “That big room became the playroom. We had baseball games with foam balls, bats, and bases in there, toys spread out everywhere. We made a lot of memories in that space.” Alongside the
memories, what helps tie all of these spaces together is the Sonos sound system that runs through the house.
But if the heart of the home lives inside, its soul stretches out into the backyard. The outdoor space has something for every season — a spacious pool for summer, a hot tub for chilly nights, a fire pit and gazebo with a mounted screen that’s perfect for fall football. “It’s probably one of the best features of the house,” Kristen says. “We’ve always loved being out there. It’s a space where you can relax or host a full-on pool party — and we’ve done a lot of both.”
The tradition that turned this house into the unofficial center of the neighborhood was Halloween. “One of the moms in the area wanted to host a safer trick-or-treating event for the littler kids,” Kristen said. “We started doing it at our house because of the big front yard and where it’s located. For about eight
years, Halloween started here — potlucks, costumes, neighbors everywhere. It brought people together in the best way.” Although anyone who buys this house wouldn’t have to continue that tradition, I’m sure they would be welcome to carry the torch.
That’s the kind of place 2 Palmer Drive has been — not just a house, but a home meant for gathering. For welcoming. For being the kind of place where people bring their friends, and stay just a little longer than they meant to.
Now, as Kristen and her family head toward a new adventure in Florida, the door is open for someone else to make it theirs. If you’re interested in welcoming your own friends and family into this kind of home, you can contact Michele Rikard at: michelerikard@hardyrealty.com for more information.
You can also visit: HardyRealty.com to view the listing.
Photos: Ivan Felipe
Lighting the Way Through Rome
Austin Matthews founded Matthews Lighting and Electric after discovering his passion for the electrical industry and the sense of accomplishment it came with. Over the years, he and his team have developed a business model that funnels that sense of accomplishment into customer care.
Text: Lauren Bachman
Electrical issues often spark from things we can’t expect, but finding the right electrician can help you fix the problem before you know it’s there.
Matthews Lighting and Electric is dedicated to providing their customers with reliable solutions and informed preventative measures to keep your house feeling like a home.
Austin Matthews established Matthews in 2020 with the goal of providing “life-changing service” to the residents of the greater Rome area. In the five years that they’ve been running, they have already been voted the Best of Rome Electrician twice, in 2023 and 2024.
The idea for the business originally came to Austin at seventeen on his first job: an electrician site. Although he was still new to the line of work, he quickly found a sense of accomplishment in “working with others… seeing something come out of the dirt from nothing to a finished product” and knew he wanted to open his own electrical company.
Two college degrees later, Austin opened the doors to Matthews. He spent the first two years taking on a little bit of everything, a mix of all he had learned from his work and studies. But by year three, he and his team had accumulated a variety of jobs and noticed that what Rome and the surrounding areas wanted most was reliable residential electrician service.
Austin notes that “it was a really underserved market.” Today, Matthews prides themselves on their ability to provide “basic residential service solves” with “the level of service that we want in our home.”
Matthews takes great care to keep their customers’ homes a low-stress environment while they work by keeping the customer involved and informed every step of the way. Matthews assigns a member of their team uniquely-suited to each job, and with them, cost-effective and long-lasting solutions to help customers make the most of their work. Their electricians will also provide detailed explanations of what they’re doing and how the customer can maintain new installments.
Not only does Matthews provide reliable service—they also post articles and videos on electrical safety, including the Lightbulb Moments series developed by Austin Matthews and V3’s Ian Griffin, Lightbulb Moments, along with some of Matthews's social media posts, give homeowners insightful methods of care for their home appliances, ways to use them safely, and signs they need to be fixed.
Matthews is ready and eager to help their customers where needed, but they also believe in teaching preventative methods so customers don’t have to worry about unexpected damage to their home.
Roughly “60% of our calls are either repeat customers or customer referrals,” a testament to the positive impact they’ve had on their customers’ lives, which Austin maintains as a pillar of their success. “The customer experience is our number one priority: making sure all of our customers are happy, ensuring we treat their home with the utmost level of respect possible, really supporting our customers how they’ve supported us.”
Backed by an industrious team and loyal clientele, Matthews continues to light up Rome. This year marks their fifth anniversary, and they invite all of their customers, friends, and advocates to celebrate with them this fall (more details to come). For Matthews, 2025 is a year to express gratitude to everyone who has supported them as they continue providing “life-changing service” to Rome.
If you’d like to make an appointment with Matthews, call (706)-584-2177 or email them at service@matthewselectricpros.com.
For more information or to see some of their guides on electrical safety, visit https://www.matthewselectricpros.com/ or find them on Facebook @MatthewsElectricLLC.
