Clarksville Conversations with Charlie Koon

Josh Ward, Executive Director of the IDB, and Chris Self, Director of Workforce Development, join Charlie to talk about incredible opportunities for future of Industry and Commerce for Montgomery County. From updates on the Industrial Park to what type of growth we might see in the next 5 years, find out what the future could look like.

Judge Jill Bartee Ayers joins Charlie to talk about growing up on the farm, her decision to practice law and how she became a Judge. She also talks about her transition from Civil to Criminal Court.

Get to know Clarksville's new Police Chief Ty Burdine on this episode.

Bill Hoy and Brandon Bridges join Charlie Koon to talk about the upcoming Kiwanis Rodeo, an fundraising event that has been taking place since 1985. Hear about the founding of the event, and what you can expect at this year's rodeo May 15th-17th.

Christy Batts from CDE Lightband stops by to talk about some great new features and products coming for customers of the broadband service, including faster speeds.

Kim Wiggins and Brad Averitt from Austin Peay State University stop by to have a chat with Charlie about the upcoming Candlelight Ball fundraiser for APSU.

Chris Lancia, Tom Mattingly, and Chris Lanier join Charlie Koon to talk about a special organization that helps families of fallen members of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, The Night Stalkers Association. Learn about their upcoming Bass Tournament, and why so many Night Stalkers choose to stay in Clarksville, even after they retire.

Gary Linfoot was a pilot with the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment at Fort Campbell. He became paralyzed from the waist down after a helicopter crash in 2008. He and his wife Mari launched "The American Mobility Project" in 2019 with the desire to help those with mobility issues gain access to high tech wheelchairs. They have a yearly fundraiser coming up at the Wilma Rudolph Event Center on February 25th.

The Youth Academy’s goal is to meet the growing necessity for childcare in the community and advocate for the working family.In this week’s episode of Clarksville Conversations, Charlie Koon sits down Hope Patonis Owner, President and CEO of The Youth Academy to discuss her history in childcare and all the programs that the Youth Academy provides.

Clarksville Feeds the World is a new outreach initiative dedicated to packing 500,000 meals to send to those in need around the globe.In this week’s episode of Clarksville Conversations, Charlie Koon sits down with Pastor Mike Burnette to discuss who is involved in Clarksville Feeds the World and how someone can sign up to volunteer.

Mayor Golden gave a recap of the annual Mayors Power Breakfast that took place earlier this week which included a preview of the great projects happening in 2025. Projects including: The completion of the downtown parking garage, public / private partnerships that are making a difference in our community, Greenway expansion, the possibility of a new fairgrounds in the next few years and much more.

George Watson is the owner of A&G Diesel & Fleet Management that opened in Clarksville, TN in 2009 and has been serving the community ever since.In this week’s episode of Clarksville Conversations, Charlie Koon sits down George Watson to discuss not only the history of his business, but also how Clarksville’s growth over the years has had pros and cons.

Retired Command Sgt. Maj. Tood Sims had served in the military for nearly 36 years.In this week’s episode of Clarksville Conversations, Charlie Koon sits down Todd Sims to discuss how he got recruited into the military and what is it like to retire after a long career.

Tennova Healthcare provides treatment for all those in need in Clarksville and works with different hospitals in the surrounding area.In this week’s episode of Clarksville Conversations, Charlie Koon sits down with the CEO of Tennova Healthcare, Drew Emery, to discuss his history working in the medical field and the inner workings on how Tennova operates.

Manna Cafe serves the needy in Montgomery and Stewart Counties with food and shelter, but they do so much more. Manna Cafe Co-Founder Vicki York joins Charlie to share the story behind this incredible organization, and how they plan to grow and serve more in the future.

Paul Turner from AJAX Distributing and Pastor Mike Burnette of Life Point Church join Charlie and Ryan to talk about the 2024 Turkeys for Troops Event coming up Saturday November 23rd at AJAX Distributing on Warfield Blvd in Clarksville.

Dar Place is a retired veteran who has a great passion for both his family and the horses that he owns.In this week’s episode of Clarksville Conversations, Charlie Koon sits down with Dar Place to talk about his history in the military and also discuss the tragic reality that some veteran’s like him struggled with suicide and how his love and understanding of horses able to help him improve his mental health.

Clarksville residents Leo Millan and Jeff Truitt had quite the adventure in Florida recently, not only did they have to flee a Hurricane, the survived a plane crash. They share their incredible story with Charlie on this episode of the podcast.

Josh Romaker started brewing beer at home when he was in the 5th Special Forces Group. The hobby turned into a career when he retired and now his Star Spangled Brewing is growing. He joins Charlie Koon for a fun conversation about brewing beer, lessons learned in starting his own business, and what he is distilling for the future.

Sherry Nicholson with YaiPak Outreach joins Charlie Koon to share how Clarksville can help those affected by Hurricane Helene, and what she has witnessed while bringing hope to those who lost so much.

On this special episode Charlie grabs the mic and heads down to the F&M Bank Arena to chat with some very special guests. Barry Trotz, Predators General Manager, Retired General Clayton Hutmacher, and Preds Center Colton Sissons talk about the upcoming Predators Gold Star Showcase that benefits the Special Operations Warrior Foundation.

Anthony Daley is the pastor of Mosaic Church and Mike Burnette is the pastor of Life Point Church.In this week’s episode of Clarksville Conversion, Charlie Koon sits down with both Anthony and Mike to discuss their own personal relationship with Christianity, and how both of their churches provide support for the community.

The Red River Spartans is a local hockey team that has recently relocated from Nolensville to Clarksville.In this week’s episode, Charlie Koon sits down with the owners, Jon Tuggle, Charlie Saunier and Marty Wilson about the history of The Red River Spartans and their decision to go from the Nashville Spartans to the Red River Spartans.

Bikers Who Care is a group of motorcycle enthusiasts in Clarksville, Tennessee who support children with special needs.In this week’s Clarksville Conversation, Charle Koon sits down with Billy Hughes and Keith Rogers to go over their history with Bikers Who Care, but also their relationship and continued support for organizations like Camp Rainbow.

Freddie D. Montgomery, Jr. is the Fire Chief of Clarksville Fire Rescue whose main mission is to provide the highest level of protection of life and property by investing in professional development and public education while providing customer service excellence to the community.This week on Clarksville Conversation, Mr. Montgomery sits down with Charlie Koon to discuss how he and Clarksville Fire Rescue helps and improves the community of Clarksville and also dive in to not only his growth as a fire fighter, but also how the department has grown over the years.

Roland Fanning is the head coach of the APSU baseball team who just recently agreed to a contract extension through 2028 for Austin Peay. This week on Clarksville Conversion, Roland Fanning sits down with Charlie Koon to discuss the recruiting process for the Austin Peay baseball ball team, his history as a coach and also the lessons and the highlights from the most recent baseball season.

VK Integrated Systems develops and manufactures cutting-edge situational awareness systems, weapon systems and energetics in Clarksville, TN. This week on Clarksville Conversations, the owners Vasili and Matt sat down with Charlie Koon to explain in detail how they first developed their technology for handheld weapons systems and how they started their business 10 years ago.

Johnny’s Big Burger has been a staple for Clarksville as one of Clarksville’s best local burger places that is independently owned.In this week’s episode, the former owner, Johnny Meeks and the current owner, Justin Meeks will sit down with Charle Koon and share how Johnny’s Big Burger first started in 1965. Also, the ins and outs of running a local restaurant and even go into the story of their famous honey bun with ice cream.

Charlie Koon had a chance to sit down with the head coach of Austin Peay basketball, Corey Gipson and assistant coach Jordan Harmon.In this week’s episode the coaches go over the process and the details of NIL for college basketball players and how those effects them when it comes to recruiting players. They will also go over the basketball program and all the benefits and opportunities that the players are presented with.

Jeff Vaughn, Terry Ray, and Michael Long are three golfers in Montgomery Country. This week on Clarksville Conversion, they will go into their own personal thoughts and feelings on the situation on turning Mason Rudolph golf course into a muti use park. Also, they will go over their own personal stories on how they got interested in golf and how it is not only important to Montgomery Country, but how golf is a great way for people to learn life lessons and form new relationships.

Bill Langford is the owner of the "hole in the wall" Poor Man's Country Club and a longtime leader with the Bikers Who Care. This week, he shares some stories about these Clarksville institutions and what has kept them going for all these years.

Divina Mims, the Regional Public Relations Manager for Amazon, and Josh Ward from the Clarksville Montgomery County Industrial Development Board, stop by to talk about the new Amazon Distribution center in Clarksville and their big plans for the future.

Jeff Tyndall is the Director of the Montgomery County Regional Planning Commission, he joins Charlie to talk about the new census numbers for Clarksville and Montgomery County, and what they mean for the future of the area.

Legendary NFL Coach Jeff Fisher chats with Charlie about his involvement with the new Arena Football League and the Nashville Kats. The Kats have an upcoming home game at the F&M Bank Arena in Clarksville.

Wes Parsons joins Charlie to share his journey from playing baseball at Clarksville High School, to playing in the MLB. Wes is currently on roster for the Cleveland Guardian's Triple A team.

Janeen Lalik is the new Executive Vice President of SS&E. She joins Charlie to talk about her new role managing the day-to-day operations of SS&E including APSU athletics, the F&M Bank Arena, and the Ford Ice Centers around Middle Tennessee.

From Clarksville High School to American Idol, to Record deals and recording studios, Haven Madison has had a huge year! As she is getting ready to release new music she joins Charlie to catch up and provide and update on all of the new things she is working on.

The Fighting Pride of Clarksville Nate "The Train" Landwehr joins Charlie to talk about music, Fighting in the UFC and Fatherhood. This fun and far-reaching conversation will have you rooting for one of Clarksville's rising stars.

What started as a backyard wine-making hobby became a vineyard in 1986, and it has since grown to a major Clarksville attraction, producing 10,000 cases of wine a year. Wilson Cooke and Abigail Scurlock join Charlie Koon to talk about what's new at Beachaven Vineyard and Winery, including wine flights, the downtown location, live music events, and even wine slushies.

There's a lot happening in downtown Clarksville, from parking garages to hotels. This week, Janet Wilson and Buck Dellinger join Charlie Koon on Clarksville Conversations to talk about economic growth downtown and how it improves the entire community.

Local real estate business owners Leo and Lillie Millan have spent years helping nonprofits with a variety of projects. Now, they're making things formal by establishing the Millan Foundation, connecting nonprofits and helping them reach their goals. Also, Leo gives an update the Millan Center, which broke ground this week.

After announcing that he would not run for re-election, Congressman Mark Green had a change of heart, and has decided to run again. He joins Charlie on this episode to talk about why he wants to continue to serve the people of Middle Tennessee in Congress, important issues facing the Nation, and his thoughts on the State of the Union.

Cleve Guinn, owner of Stinky Pinky, was born and raised in Clarksville. This week, he talks to Charlie about his family, learning to play golf from his father, and how he came to own the distinctive septic and trash service.

Angie Brady is the new executive director of Visit Clarksville, the agency that draws people here for tournaments, pageants and fun. This week, she talks to Charlie about some of the tools she uses to promote Clarksville, from APSU to Old Glory, and she shares some upcoming fun, including a fishing tournament and Miss Tennessee USA.

Dr. Brad Moser and Erin Yow of Clarksville Christian school stop by to have a conversation with Charlie about the future of the school, including it's new campus being built in the Marcelina residential project off of Rossview Rd.

The beloved Austin Peay mascot "The Gov" recently won the National Mascot Championship in Orlando. AJ and Brandon are two of the Govs "Mascot Support" staff, and they play a huge part in the Gov's success. Charlie gets the inside scoop into winning the Championship, and what it's like being a big part of a Clarksville Icon.

Charlie sits down with Senator Bill Powers to talk about some recently announced road improvement projects, including Trenton Road and the widening of I-24. Senator Powers also sheds some light on why some of these road improvement projects take longer than others.

Jimmy Terry Jr. is a Clarksville Firefighter and Realtor, he is also the son of legendary Clarksville Pastor Jimmy Terry Sr. This week he joins Ryan and Charlie to talk about growing up with a larger than life father, why he decided to come back home to Clarksville, and building a faith of his own.

Colonel Christopher Midberry is the new Garrison Commander of Fort Campbell. This week he joins me, Ryan Ploeckelman and Charlie Koon to share his story of growing up as a Navy Brat, going to West Point with his brother, the advantages of being in a military family, and what exactly a Garrison Commander does day to day. Clarksville’s Conversation is powered by F&M Bank.

Get all the details for this year's Turkeys For Troops event on November 18th 2023.