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\u201cI still have a corner of land there. It goes back to my great-grandfather,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Potter is the president and CEO of Tullahoma Utilities Authority and vice president of the Tullahoma Area Chamber of Commerce, with plans to step into the presidency next year. He is the newest member of the Civic Leader Program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Wheeler was told about the opportunity by Hope Nunley, the chamber\u2019s executive director in 2024, and started in January 2025. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Potter came on board eight months ago, nominated by Kim Uselton and Mike Dent to fill a vacancy. The two already knew each other through chamber work, which Potter said made the transition easier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI was more comfortable joining the program having someone I know and trusted to lean on,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Arnold Air Force Base generates economic activity across eight surrounding counties and expects significant growth in the coming years.\u201cMy opinion is that half of Tullahoma wouldn\u2019t be here if it weren\u2019t for that base,\u201d Wheeler said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cArnold is crucial to the Tullahoma economy, and we\u2019re fortunate that it\u2019s here,\u201d Potter added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When the government shutdown hit and Arnold\u2019s contractor workforce \u2014 which constitutes 80% of base employees \u2014 found themselves without pay or promise of back pay once the government reopened, Potter acted quickly through TUA. His team set up flexible payment plans and refused to disconnect services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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\u201cWe waived the fiber internet fee altogether and just gave them the service for free,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Wheeler\u2019s contributions have recently been focused on the region\u2019s child care shortage, estimated at about 500 slots. Working alongside Anne Hosea-Majors of the Coffee County Industrial Development Board, Tennessee College of Applied Technology Manchester, and local legislative contacts, he is pursuing available land near the base for a future facility and requesting road improvements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThey have a congestion problem right outside the main gate where Miller\u2019s Crossroad comes in. I\u2019m advocating to get those crossroads relocated into the stoplight so that you don\u2019t have conflicting interchanges just 200 feet apart. We want a childcare facility large enough to help not only the workforce at the base, but also the industrial park close by,\u201d Wheeler said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He has also devoted considerable time to improving veterans\u2019 access to medical care since joining the Civic Leader Program, so that older veterans do not have to make a long drive to Murfreesboro or Nashville for care they have earned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Terri Carter, a medically retired veteran, said this advocacy is needed and appreciated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDon has taken me in like a little sister ever since I retired from the military in 2004. I think it is great what he does with this program,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Both men recently traveled to the AFMC Senior Leadership Conference at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio, and Wheeler has spent time on Capitol Hill meeting with congressional offices on childcare funding and veterans affairs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI don\u2019t work alone,\u201d Wheeler said. \u201cIt takes all these partners from the community to come in and be a part of what I do.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Potter agreed, saying that working with the CLP has created opportunities for networking and getting in front of the right people to create positive change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt gives me hope for what\u2019s going on in our country and even outside our country with our airmen and our military members,\u201d he said. GN<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" TULLAHOMA AND the surrounding area have nearly 3,000 employees at Arnold Air Force Base, and the base generates over $1 billion in economic impact. Yet, many locals do not know much about what they do in and for our city. Much of the daily work, research, and testing cannot be shared with the public, as […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":38,"featured_media":25299,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":"","_members_access_role":[],"_members_access_error":""},"categories":[6,73],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-25296","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-feature","category-tullahoma"],"yoast_head":"\n