Community

FWKCC: ‘You have to have healthy conflict’

Blaylock, Chamber president/CEO, recalls Mayor Leonard interaction during her address to RCF; sponsored Japan trip

Saying she’s “been privileged to serve our Chamber for now almost 14 years” and upon becoming Farragut West Knox Chamber of Commerce’s president/CEO in 2017 discovered “it is the best job I never knew I wanted,” Julie Blaylock addressed Rotary Club of Farragut.

Among FWKCC’s “five pillars” of integrity, excellence, stewardship and enterprising also is “inclusion.”

“We welcome dissent,” said Blaylock, herself an RCF member for several years who addressed the club during its regular noon, Wednesday meeting in Fox Den Country Club June 11. “Now, who here likes to argue? … I don’t really like to argue; conflict is not my favorite thing, but you have to have healthy conflict, differences of opinions, voiced in a professional way to make forward progress, and we welcome that. That’s inclusion for us.

“And then, of course, enterprising: sometimes we have to be creative,” she said. “Sometimes we have to be resourceful. Small businesses have to be resourceful and very creative a lot of the time.”

History

About seven years after Town of Farragut was founded (1980), “there were several local business owners and there were municipal officials” interested in forming a Chamber, “including Mayor Bob Leonard, who I did have the pleasure of meeting in 2012 before he passed away,” Blaylock said about Farragut’s first mayor.

“And my favorite thing about meeting Mayor Bob was I was very new in the Chamber, and I was told to call him to invite him to the grand opening of Costco,” she added. “And it started at 7 in the morning. And my one interaction with Mayor Bob was, I said, ‘Mayor, I’m Julie and I work at your Chamber and I want to invite you to Costco’s grand opening.’

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A look back at Spring fundraisers

STAR’s 2025 Bridles & Blue Jeans ‘Leave Your Legacy’

Shangri-La Therapeutic Academy of Riding held its annual Bridles & Blue Jeans 2025 “Leave Your Legacy” fundraiser earlier this spring at its 11800 U.S. Highway 11 location between Farragut and Lenoir City.

In addition to lots of interaction among those who support STAR and its mission came both a silent and live auction.

Lots of tasty food awaited after a handful of attendees made friends with some of STAR’s horses.

The evening’s highlight was paying tribute to STAR founder Lynn Klimas Petr.

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