Wayne County, Tennessee - Chamber of Commerce

The Wayne County Chamber of Commerce is located in the Wayne County Welcome Center just off mile 355 of the Natchez Trace Parkway on Highway 13 in Collinwood, Tennessee.

Our mailing address is:
219 East Broadway
Collinwood TN 38450

Phone 931 724-4337, Fax 931 724-4347

Executive Director: Rena' Bolitho Purdy

Email us at chamber@netease.net

2010 Board of Directors (left to right): Mike Sears, Roger Smith (President), Paul Scheppf, Jim Tanner (Vice President), Joani Daniel, Stephen Milligan, Sheila Holder, Gina Eason (Secretary/ Treasurer) and Gedith Butler.

Joani Daniel- Peoples Bank, Waynesboro- a resident of Collinwood, Joani has lived in Wayne County for 48 years. She has been married to Alan Daniel for 30 years and has two daughters, Alana Sanders who works at the Wayne County Court House for the tax assessor and the trustee, and Lesley Daniel who attends South Carolina Upstate University in Spartanburg, SC. She and Alan are also the proud grandparents of Dyllan and Drake. Joani graduated from Collinwood High School in 1979. During school, she worked at the local coffee shop Melvin’s Dairy Bar. After graduation, she went to work at the Wayne County Board of Education as a secretary. Her second job offer was with First Federal Savings and Loan in Waynesboro working for Mr. Joe W. Butler, Jr. This was the beginning of a rewarding career in the banking industry. She worked for First Federal for 10 yrs when it was taken over by FDIC, during the 80’s when all the Savings and Loans were closing. After First Federal was sold to Wayne County Bank, Joani went to work for Bank of Waynesboro and worked there for another 10 years. In 2000 she moved from banking to insurance and worked for Wayne County Farm Bureau before being offered a position at Peoples Bank. She has now worked for Peoples Bank nine years. " I love the people of Wayne County and hope to someday enjoy retirement life on our farm in south Wayne County."

Gina Eason (Secretary/Treasurer)- employee of Peoples Bank in Clifton. Gina is committed to community service and development as evidenced by her involvement with many civic and charitable organizations in Clifton and Wayne County. She serves on the boards of the Wayne County Chamber of Commerce, the Greater Clifton Area Chamber of Commerce, the Columbia State Foundation Clifton Campus Golf Tournament and is the president of the Clifton Rotary Club. Recent community accomplishments include bringing the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program to Clifton and continuing the program in Wayne County. She is a graduate of Columbia State Community College with an Associate of Applied Science degree in General Business and holds a Bachelor of Professional Studies degree with an emphasis in Management and Accounting from the University in Memphis.

Sheila Holder- employee of Bank of Waynesboro and resident of Wayne County since age 3. Sheila is married to Willie Holder, Jr. and they have two children, Colton, age 15 and Camryn, age 6. Sheila graduated from Wayne County High School in 1989 with honors and attended Middle Tennessee State University. She began working at Emerald’s Restaurant at age 15 and worked there until she began working for The Bank of Waynesboro in 1995. For a short time, 2001-2004, she worked in the flooring industry, but returned to The Bank of Waynesboro in 2004. She has worked in various departments throughout the bank and is currently in the Operations Department. She is looking forward to serving on your Chamber Board of Directors, and would be delighted to be of service to you.

Stephen Milligan- director of Columbia State Community College Clifton campus. Stephen has been employed with CSCC for over 11 years. He is an active member of the community and civic volunteer. Stephen is on the board of directors for several local organizations including Wayne County Chamber of Commerce, Greater Clifton Area Chamber of Commerce, Wayne County Technology Center, Wayne County Economic and Community Development Board, Lifespan Community Health Center, Wayne County 21st Century Community Learning Center, and the Clifton Rotary Club. Stephen's educational background includes a B.S. in Industrial Hygiene, University of North Alabama; M.B.A., University of North Alabama, Ed.S., Middle Tennessee State University; Ed.D. (in-progress), Tennessee State University.

Paul "Lucky" Scheppf- co-owner of HSEC Global, Inc., holding an Engineering degree from the University of Arkansas and maintains three prestigious designations, namely that of Certified Safety Specialist, Registered Environmental Specialist and Certified Anti-Terrorism Specialist while working in the international energy and mining profession. Paul served in the United States Marine Corps. At his leisure, he volunteers at the Wayne County Welcome Center and is active in the community. A native of New Orleans, relocating with his family to Collinwood after hurricane Katrina, he visions the future growth of Wayne County in the area of tourism and is committed to the reality of that vision.

Mike Sears- CEO of Wayne Medical Center. Mike relocated to Tennessee from Florida in 2005 bringing with him thirty years of experience as either a CEO or CFO in various hospitals ranging in size from Wayne Medical Center's 80 bed facility to a 383 bed Florida hospital. He is a graduate of the University of South Florida, holding a degree in Accounting. He is an avid bicyclist, having ridden his bicycle across the United States from Florida to California, prior to his relocating to Tennessee. Mike and his wife Janet have four children and three grandchildren.

Jim Tanner (Vice President) owner of Bonnie Blue Farm, Waynesboro. Born in Covington, Kentucky and raised in Sacramento, California, Jim left home and school at age sixteen to serve in the United States Marine Corps. Before returning to school, his background included motorcycle mechanic and racer, and owner of a vehicle dealership and service facility. Jim obtained his Masters degree in Japanese History from the University of California and attended McGeorge School of Law at the University of the Pacific in Sacramento. After a stint as a securities broker with Merrill Lynch, Jim pursued a career as a general building contractor He has also taught history in California and Tennessee at the college level. In 1999, Jim and his wife, Gayle moved to Waynesboro and began building Bonnie Blue Farm, an award-winning working goat dairy and producers of the finest farmstead cheese in Tennessee.

Rena' Purdy, Wayne County Chamber of Commerce executive director. Prior to employment with the chamber, Rena' was an employ of ATSA (A. Tomlinson/Sims Advertising) , an advertising and public relations firm in Florence Alabama. She is a graduate of Columbia State Community College and The University of North Alabama. Rena' holds an A.S. (General Studies) and a B.S. (Communications) with an emphasis in public relations. As executive director, she plays an active role in the community to keep better informed of issues pertaining to Wayne County and the surrounding area. Areas of involvement include the JECDB, Tennessee River Trails Association, Natchez Trace Compact, and the Wayne County Welcome Center Arts and Organizational committees.

Dorothye McGrath, Wayne County Welcome Center Coordinator. Dorothye moved from Georgia to Collinwood, Tennessee in December 2004. She is the coordinator at the Wayne County Welcome Center and is serving a four year term as a Collinwood City Commissioner. Dorothye, originally from Montana, traveled with her family and lived in many areas of the country. During this time she worked in a variety of business ventures, culminating with her own business, Metro Business Planners, in Atlanta, Georgia from which she retired in 1999. Dorothye has three sons, two grand-daughters and one great grand-daughter.

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