Executive Circle & Premier Members Continued

Scott Parrish is Chairman of Miller & Martin, which is Chattanooga’s oldest and largest law firm comprising of approximately 230 employees and attorneys firmwide in four offices across the Southeast. In addition to his Chairman responsibilities, Mr. Parrish, a licensed attorney in Tennessee and Georgia with 30 years of experience, concentrates his individual practice on business litigation, including the areas of trade secrets, class action, professional liability, corporate, securities, contract and product liability litigation. He also provides general counsel and risk management services to several local and regional companies.

Mr. Parrish, who came to the firm upon graduation from the University of Georgia School of Law in 1990, also serves as the chair of the firm's Trade Secrets & Non-Compete Litigation practice group. Named among The Best Lawyers in America© for professional excellence in the area of litigation, he has substantial experience representing clients in federal and state court, mediations and other forms of alternative dispute resolution. Mr. Parrish is married to Laura Parrish and they have 4 children: Lauren, Matt, Lindsey and Sarah.

Mitch Patel founded Vision Hospitality Group, Inc. in 1997 with the goal of creating a company dedicated to excellence with a focus on community and family. Today, Vision holds a growing portfolio of 37 hotels, including the company’s first boutique hotel, The Edwin, and a pipeline of 9 properties affiliated with premier brands such as Hilton Worldwide and Marriott International.

Mitch has led Vision to be the recipient of many awards, as well as industry media recognition in the fields of development, community service, design and achievement. Most recently, Vision received the Marriott International Development Partner of the Year Award- Full Service, Marriott International Partnership Circle Award, Marriott International Developer of the Year Award- Select Service, Marriott International Serve 360 Award, the Developer of the Year Award for the Hampton Brand by Hilton Worldwide, and the Multi-Brand Developer of the Year Award by Hilton Worldwide.

Mitch serves on the Marriott International Franchise Advisory Council and the Hilton Worldwide Owner’s Advisory Council. Mitch maintains his presence on boards of local organizations that support education and economic development in Vision’s hometown of Chattanooga, TN, and he is an advocate for ending human trafficking in the hospitality industry. His efforts have earned him nationwide recognition, which includes his most recent honor of receiving the NSDAR Americanism Award.

Mitch holds a Bachelor’s degree and a Master’s degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Tennessee.

Roger is president of MurMaid Mattress, Inc, the company his step-father and mother, Elmer and Joy Murray started in 1979. Since joining the family business in 1989, MurMaid has grown from a single location factory direct mattress manufacturer on Lee Hwy to this area’s largest mattress retailer with 1 factory and 12 retail locations.

Roger received his degree in marketing from UT Knoxville. He currently serves on the Cleveland Associated Industries executive committee, is a board member of the non-profit Karis Dental, advisory board member of the Better Business Bureau, and board member of Southern Heritage Bank (a division of First Citizens National Bank), a past Board Chairman of the Cleveland-Bradley Chamber of Commerce, and a former Advisory Board member for People for Care and Learning and United Way’s Center for Social Impact. 

Amanda Plecas, APR: Head of Communications at Volkswagen of America, Chattanooga Operation.

Amanda Plecas, APR leads the communications team at Volkswagen of America, Chattanooga Operations. With more than a decade of public relations experience, she has developed award-winning communications programs in the areas of community relations, multimedia, reputation and brand management, video and media relations.

Her success in strategic communications was recognized by PR News in 2016, where she was a top-five global finalist for Corporate PR Professional of the Year. She holds an Accreditation in Public Relations, is a certified Public Information Officer and certified in Organizational Compliance/Ethics.

Outside of Volkswagen, Amanda is a part-time faculty member at Lee University in Cleveland, Tennessee, where she teaches public relations writing and crisis communication courses.

Prior to joining Volkswagen, Amanda held a leadership role at a global chemical company’s manufacturing facility where she developed startup strategic communications, government relations, crisis communications, media relations, internal communications and community relations programs. She is the former vice president of Waterhouse Public Relations. Amanda earned a master’s degree in rhetoric and composition and an undergraduate degree in writing from the University of Tennessee. She is a graduate of Leadership Chattanooga.

Todd Ricke has been with Sinclair Broadcast Group since 1999.  He in the General Manager of the ABC, FOX, and CW stations in Chattanooga. Before he took on the role as GM at the station group in Chattanooga, he served as Director of Sales for the CBS and Telemundo television Stations in Austin, TX.  Before his sales career he was the IT Director for CBS Austin.  Todd also served in the Unites States Air Force.

Since August of 2019, Barry Ruffalo has served as Chief Executive Officer and President of ASTEC. Prior to joining Astec Industries, Mr. Ruffalo was employed by Valmont Industries, a global producer of highly-engineered fabricated metal products, where he had increasingly progressive roles in the areas of Operational Excellence, Energy & Mining and most recently as Group President of Global Engineered Support Structures.  Preceding his career at Valmont Industries, Mr. Ruffalo served terms as President of the Irrigation and of the Infrastructure divisions of Lindsay Corporation, a global leader in proprietary water management and road infrastructure products and services.  Mr. Ruffalo received his Bachelor of Science in Biomechanics from the University of Wisconsin – Madison in 1993 and his Master of Science in Industrial Engineering in 1995.

Aaron Smith has served many roles over the past 14 years while at S&S Auto Repair. Since 2013, he has directed the corporation as Operation Manager. Now as a third-generation business owner in the Chattanooga community, he is proud to continue his family’s legacy in the automotive industry.

He is an active and participating member of several national automotive organizations that concentrate on fostering the development of small, independently-owned automotive businesses. Smith has recently published opinion articles concerning business operations for national automotive magazines, such as Ratchet &Wrench. 

Timothy (Tim) Stees, CPA, is the member-in-charge of the KraftCPAs Chattanooga office. Reared in a small farming community in Illinois, Tim has called Chattanooga home since 1984 when he joined KMG Main Hurdman (later KPMG Peat Marwick) and met his future business partner of 24 years Bill Matheney.

Tim became a member in KraftCPAs PLLC – one of Tennessee’s largest CPA firms – in 2020 when Kraft acquired his firm -- Matheney Stees & Associates. Tim provides tax and financial advisory services for a diversified client base of businesses, not-for-profits and individuals, and is responsible for Chattanooga office operations.

In addition to 29 years in public accounting, Tim had a seven-year stint as the controller and vice president of finance for Alpha Medical, Inc.– a management company for home healthcare providers. There Tim established a solid foundation in healthcare financial management and tax. He also gained extensive experience in transaction advisory services, helping home health providers sell to hospitals.

Tim has put this expertise to work for many healthcare clients and for Siskin Hospital where he previously served as a board member and on the finance and audit committees. He has also helped numerous clients start, build and transfer business interests.

A member of the American Institute, Tennessee Society and Georgia Society of CPAs, Tim is also on the Estate Planning Council of Chattanooga where he previously served as president. He is currently treasurer of Life Gate Baptist Church, a board member of Wolf Mountain Christian Camp in Grass Valley, California, and a member of the Bob Jones University Alumni Association.

He and his wife, Linda, have been married 40 years. They have two daughters and two granddaughters.

Tim enjoys travel, golf, hiking and even yardwork!  He’s an avid reader and U.S. history buff.

Mark Stewart is the Senior Relationship Manager in Commercial Banking for the Greater Chattanooga Market of Bank of America Merrill Lynch.  Mark works closely with a professional team of experienced bankers to deliver customers comprehensive financial solutions including lending, treasury management, merchant and equipment financing.  Mark is a 30+ year veteran commercial banker and has been working in the Chattanooga Market for the past 22 years. 

In addition to working with the Chattanooga Chamber, Mark has been an active member of the United Way and other civic organizations.   Mark is an alum of the 1998 Class of Leadership Chattanooga.  Mark holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Commerce and Business Administration (cum laude) from the University of Alabama.  Mark and his wife, Gloria, are residents of Signal Mountain and have two adult sons, John Michael and Justin.  Mark is an avid runner and frustrated golfer.      

Matthew S. Stovall, ASLA, PLA, LEED AP is a Senior Vice President and Director of Landscape Architecture and Planning with Barge Design Solutions, Inc (Barge). He began his career at Barge’s Oak Ridge office in 1993. In 2001, he and his wife, Vickie and their two children, Maggie and Sam, moved to Chattanooga. Matt led the startup and growth of the downtown Barge office, which has grown from an initial staff of four to over 20 staff members.

Barge’s Chattanooga office has been involved with several significant local projects, including- Enterprise South Industrial Park, South Chickamauga Creek Greenway, The Summit of Softball complex, recruitment and site design for Volkswagen’s Chattanooga plant, and the most recent phases of the Tennessee Riverpark.

Mr. Stovall served on Barge‘s Board of Directors from 2009-2021. He is a graduate of Leadership Chattanooga and the Barge Leadership Institute. He is a member of the downtown Rotary Club and has served on the local Advisory Council of Catholic Charities of East Tennessee. 

Matt earned a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture in Ornamental Horticulture and Landscape Design from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville (1981) and a Master of Landscape Architecture from Louisiana State University (1988). He is a licensed Landscape Architect in five states.

His two children, Maggie and Sam, have grown and developed into Division I student athletes. Maggie attended Marshall University and was a member of the varsity swim team and is now attending graduate school at Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge. Sam attends Northwestern University where he received an athletic scholarship to play football. Matt spends his free doing outdoor activities such as camping, hiking, gardening, etc.

Jim currently serves as the Chattanooga Market President for Truist. Jim joined SunTrust in 2013 as the East TN Region President.  In this role, Jim leads the commercial team responsible for delivering the full suite of commercial bank products and services, as well as coordinating the delivery of investment banking and capital markets capabilities offered by SunTrust Robinson Humphrey in a tailored way to meet the needs of the commercial banking clients of SunTrust.

Prior to joining SunTrust Jim served as East TN Region Banking Sales Executive at Regions Bank, where he leads the execution of strategy and delivering the full suite of commercial banking products and services. While at Regions he served as SBA Corporate Operations Manager from 2012-2013 and previously served as Business Banking Sales Executive. Jim started his banking career at Bank of America as a management trainee and advanced into multiple executive roles including Agriculture, Special Assets, Retail, Premier Banking and SBA. He served as Chattanooga Market President 2006-2009 as well as a Credit Solution Executive

Jim is a graduate from University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN B.S. and M.S. Agriculture. He is a graduate of Graduate School of Banking at Louisiana State University.

Jim is active in the Chattanooga community, currently serving as Chairman of the Chattanooga Chamber of Commerce and leading the 2040 Economic Development Campaign with a 15mm 5 year goal. He is presently serves on the boards of Hunter Museum, University of Chattanooga College of Engineering and Computer Science and United Way. In 2016 he served as Chairman of Hunter Museum Campaign executing a new concept in fundraising and raised an all-time amount of $350,000. In 2018 he served as the chairman of Cherokee Council Boy Scouts Campaign exceeding $500,000 campaign goal.

Roy Vaughn is senior vice president and chief communications officer for BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee, responsible for all strategic communications functions, including public affairs and media relations, executive and internal communications, marketing, member and provider communications, brand advertising, and digital and social media.

Health care has been his single career focus, creating a depth of expertise in responding to the industry’s unique needs. He is a member of the Public Relations Society of America, the Arthur W. Page Society, and past chair of the Counselors Academy of PRSA. He has been recognized by the Nashville chapter of PRSA with the Hercules Award for his career achievement and service to the public relations profession.

In addition, Roy serves as Executive Director of the BlueCross Foundation, as a board member of the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce and its Foundation, and the University of Chattanooga Foundation. He’s also served as a member of the board of trustees for the Middle Tennessee State University College of Media & Entertainment, where he earned his degree.

David Wade, President and CEO, EPB of Chattanooga.

As EPB’s Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, David Wade led the company to build one of the country’s most sophisticated smart electric distribution systems.

David holds a Bachelor of Science in Engineering from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and has 30 years of experience in the electrical industry ranging from hands-on construction to engineering.  He currently serves as Chairman of Tennessee Valley Public Power Association (TVPPA).

Using a 100% fiber optic network as its backbone, EPB constructed a

“Smart Grid,” next-generation electric system that includes communication capabilities designed to reduce the impact of power outages, improve response time and allow customers greater control of their electric power usage.

This exclusive capability has attracted worldwide attention and earned Chattanooga, TN the nickname “Gig City."

Gena Weldon joined Chattanooga Goodwill Industries, Inc. in 2008, and has been instrumental in advancing the organization’s mission, vision and values. Promoted five times, Gena now serves as the President and CEO where she leads more than 300 people across a 23-county territory in Southeast Tennessee and Northwest Georgia.

Guided by the belief that every person, regardless of ability, situation or background, has the right to reach their fullest potential, Gena leads her team to improve operations so that more can be invested in the organization’s workforce development mission.

Under her direction, Chattanooga Goodwill has successfully implemented comprehensive change management, technology modernization, and workforce development programs that have reduced costs, improved efficiencies, and established scalability for future growth.

Recognized for her leadership and innovation, Gena was selected for Goodwill Industry International’s prestigious Executive Development Program. She holds a Bachelor of Science, Business Administration with a Major in Accounting from Tennessee Wesleyan University. She resides in North Alabama with her husband Kent and four sons, and she’s looking forward to being more actively involved and engaged in the greater Chattanooga area.

Todd Womack is the president and CEO of Bridge Public Affairs, where he leads a team of senior level problem solvers with expertise in government relations, strategic and crisis communications, business development, coalition management, and political consulting, among other issues. At Bridge, Todd is focused on helping clients navigate the nexus of policy, politics and strategy in successfully achieving their state, national and international business objectives.

Prior to starting Bridge in January 2019, Todd built a distinguished reputation as a key advisor to Bob Corker, serving from 2001-2005 as communications director for the City of Chattanooga under then-Mayor Corker, and later serving for 12 years as chief of staff during Corker’s tenure in the Senate. He is Corker’s longest serving aide and remains a principal advisor.

Todd began his career as a public relations specialist at Erlanger before serving as director of public relations and employee communication at Unum Corporation. He is actively involved in the Chattanooga community, serving on the UC Foundation’s Board of Trustees, UTC’s Honor’s College Advisory Board, and as a member of the Chattanooga Downtown Rotary Club. He previously was selected to be a member of the inaugural class of Leadership Tennessee, a statewide leadership education program, and is a Visiting Fellow at George Mason University’s National Security Institute at the Antonin Scalia Law School.

A native of Chattanooga, Todd graduated from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. He and his wife Katie have four children, Laura Kate, Rebekah, John and Andrew.