KELLI RILEY is a busy person. Whether it is bringing new industry to Franklin County as the director for the Industrial Development Board, coordinating with the high schools to facilitate a smooth transition for students entering into local industry, or working with the chamber of commerce, Riley wears many hats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To add to her duties, Riley is the secretary of nine committees and boards in Franklin County. She also sits on the Community Tennessee Rehabilitation Center (CTRC) Winchester Advisory Board in addition to being an assistant in the Franklin County Mayor\u2019s Office.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
An Indiana native, Riley moved to the area in 2002 after visiting a friend who lived in the area. She would then move back to her home state in 2007, only to return permanently in 2010 where she would find herself taking on a role she would have never dreamed of.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A stay-at-home mom for the majority of her two children\u2019s lives, Riley began to volunteer at the local Salvation Army upon her return to Winchester.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI was volunteering for the Salvation Army,\u201d she said. \u201cThe pantry there needed work. So on the days they weren\u2019t open I would take my kids to school and go over and work on the pantry. The mayor at the time, [Richard Stewart], came over one day and asked if I was looking for a job.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Riley explained that she had taken a position as a custodian, filling in for an employee who was out temporarily. Not long after she took the position, she learned of an open position in industrial development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI thought I was going to be a secretary, I didn\u2019t know I was going to learn about water, wastewater, and powerlines,\u201d said Riley.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Riley said she was quickly taken under the wing of Gene Seaton, who was the director at the time. Seaton passed in 2021. She said in Seaton she found a wealth of knowledge about the position and the history of the county.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMy predecessor was a wonderful teacher,\u201d she said. \u201cI could not have learned from anyone better. I did not know anything, but Gene encouraged me to work hard and to use my resources. He was very knowledgeable and he knew his history, especially about Franklin County.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She explained that Richard Stewart was the mayor at that time and when he retired Seaton retired with him, leaving Riley. Riley was then appointed to Seaton\u2019s position.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019ve been in the role now for almost four years, as director and recruiter. I\u2019ve been with industrial development for six years,\u201d Riley said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Since taking over in 2018, Riley has worked tirelessly to create opportunities for industry in the county. She has also strived to make connections across the county with entities such as the chamber of commerce.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhen Richard and Gene retired, so did the chamber executive,\u201d explained Riley. \u201cKayla [Doney] was doing an interim there. I told her I wanted to build a bridge of communication back, and she agreed. We\u2019ve been working hand in hand ever since.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Doney said that Riley has worked diligently to grow industry in the county.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cShe is a hard worker that always has the county\u2019s industries\u2019 best interest at heart,\u201d she explained. \u201cShe does a great job at communicating with the manufacturers on a weekly basis and continues to put forth so much effort to grow our industrial park. We have a program called the Franklin County Manufacturer\u2019s Roundtable in which we partner together with Nissan. We meet monthly, and Kelli takes great initiative to grow and lead that [meeting], as director of industrial development.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Riley also works closely with both Franklin County High School and Huntland High School to create opportunities for students to get involved with local industry. Through these opportunities, students are able to get real-life experience in jobs or careers that they can pursue after graduation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The county\u2019s career and technical education director, Suzanne Mitchell, said Riley works hard to bring everyone together to enable success and to maximize success in the county.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cShe strives to bring all stakeholders to the table to discuss issues at hand, reaching from education to industry,\u201d explained Mitchell. \u201cShe collaborates with the local chamber of commerce, industries, TNECD [Tennessee Economic and Community Development], and TVA [Tennessee Valley Authority]. Kelli partners with secondary and post-secondary education to facilitate communication with industry to ensure students are prepared to meet industry needs. Kelli supports Franklin County by promoting industries which will offer high-skill and high-wage jobs to the residents of Franklin County.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Riley said that she is glad for the relationships she has made and looks forward to seeing what success can be created through these partnerships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI can\u2019t just stick with industrial development,\u201d explained Riley. \u201cI want to help out wherever I can. I feel like as a county employee that is what we are supposed to be doing. Everything is falling into place and working so well. We are all working towards the same goal; to make Franklin County great, now and for the future.\u201d GN<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
KELLI RILEY is a busy person. Whether it is bringing new industry to Franklin County as the director for the Industrial Development Board, coordinating with the high schools to facilitate a smooth transition for students entering into local industry, or working with the chamber of commerce, Riley wears many hats. To add to her duties, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":11631,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11616","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-stories"],"yoast_head":"\n