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The boy who met Reggie White

August 12, 2026 by Tammy Cheek

“Today really is a full-circle moment,” University of Tennessee play-by-play “Voice of the Vols” announcer Mike Keith told Farragut West

Knox Chamber of Commerce members and guests at the Chamber’s Speaker Series in Jewelry Television, 9600 Parkside Drive, Tuesday morning, Aug. 4.

“Today is what they call Media Day at the University of Tennessee,” he said. “All the media will come over, they will get interviewed with the head coach Josh Heupel and they will go to the stadium and everyone will take pictures of the team.”

For Keith, the event evokes a memory of his youth when in 1980 he was 12 and was invited to be a runner at Media Day.

“That was, back in the day, when they had stations and [runners] would guide players from station to station to station,” he said. “I came over. I was all fired up about doing it, and they said ‘we’re going to assign you to a player and you are going to take him around from station to station to station. [The player is] a freshman; he’s a big deal; he’s a very big individual, so you’re going to have to tell him [to which media station he will go] … you’re coming with me.’

“That freshman’s name was Reggie White,” Keith said. At that time, White was 6 feet, 5 inches, 235 pounds.

“He would grow to be 335 pounds later and he would become the minister of defense, Hall of Fame player, one of the greatest in Tennessee history,” Keith said of White.

Big Frog, big community

August 12, 2026 by Tammy Cheek

Ken and Kierceton Medley, owners of Big Frog T-Shirts & More, are customizing apparel and more to individualize for the customers.

“We are really proud to have Ken and Kierceton as part of our business community and also part of our greater community,” Farragut West Knox Chamber of Commerce president/CEO Julie Blaylock said as she welcomed the business as new members of the Chamber during a ribbon cutting at the store, 10670 Parkside Drive, Wednesday, July 22.

“We are eternally grateful to be part of such a wonderful, supportive community,” Ken said. “This is new for us. We opened in mid-December [2025].

“When we were deciding to open this business, we both empathized how important it was to be active in the community and support others,” he said. “That means a lot to us, and it always will. We really value that.

“We always intend to stay involved in the community,” Ken said. At Big Frog, “we strive to be Knoxville’s go-to resource for corporate-branded merchandise, custom apparel and swag.

“Our main competitive advantages we have are, first and foremost, no minimums,” he said. “If you want one shirt decorated, we can do that.

business briefs

August 12, 2026 by

• Priority Ambulance recently announced the appointment of Reginald James as regional president. With more than four decades of EMS leadership spanning frontline clinical care through executive operations, James will focus on leading Priority’s continued growth and standardization of behavioral health transport, expanding access to safe, timely and appropriate care for patients and communities nationwide.

James brings more than 40 years of emergency medical services experience, having served as an EMT, cardiac technician, paramedic, field training officer, supervisor, manager, director and executive. Most recently, he served as a senior executive with one of the country’s most innovative EMS providers with a focus on mobile integrated healthcare and community paramedicine.