Join Kosta and his guest: Matt Billings, Economic Development and Grants Coordinator for the City of Cookeville.
In this episode: For Millennials and Gen Z there’s been a great effort to advocate on our behalf to participate in public service, run for office and take leadership, but the problem remains that so far not many Baby Boomers and Gen X are ready to let go of these responsibilities. As a Millennial serving our community, what’s your message to older generations on making room for our next generation of local leaders? What do you wish people knew about the importance of local elections? How does it impact your job and our city? If you could give one piece of advice to all the young people listening that are trying to find their way as leader in this community, or just where they belong as a citizen of this community - what would it be?
Better Together with Kosta Yepifantsev is a product of Morgan Franklin Media and recorded in Cookeville, TN.
This episode of Better Together with Kosta Yepifantsev is made possible by our partners at Volunteer State Community College.
Find out more about Volunteer State Community College:
https://www.volstate.edu/campuses/cookeville
Join Kosta and his guest: Matt Billings, Economic Development and Grants Coordinator for the City of Cookeville.
In this episode: For Millennials and Gen Z there’s been a great effort to advocate on our behalf to participate in public service, run for office and take leadership, but the problem remains that so far not many Baby Boomers and Gen X are ready to let go of these responsibilities. As a Millennial serving our community, what’s your message to older generations on making room for our next generation of local leaders? What do you wish people knew about the importance of local elections? How does it impact your job and our city? If you could give one piece of advice to all the young people listening that are trying to find their way as leader in this community, or just where they belong as a citizen of this community - what would it be?
Better Together with Kosta Yepifantsev is a product of Morgan Franklin Media and recorded in Cookeville, TN.
This episode of Better Together with Kosta Yepifantsev is made possible by our partners at Volunteer State Community College.
Find out more about Volunteer State Community College:
https://www.volstate.edu/campuses/cookeville
In 2023, the average college graduate will have $40,000 in student loan debt that will take 20 years to pay off your education that should be the stepping stone to the rest of your life, not the financial burden holding you back. That's why our partners at Vol State Community College have created multiple degree paths for students to seamlessly transfer to universities across the state. With tuition free options like Tennessee Promise and Tennessee Reconnect. Students can focus on their academic goals without worrying about who's picking up the check for more information on financial aid programs and how to apply visit volstate.edu.
Matt Billings:And, you know, honestly, I think it's good to like kind of compare it to like a ship, you know, the way the community is going with the older generation kind of serving is like the ballast, the younger generation kind of be in the sails on that kind of looking at the way you know, the direction that we're headed. So I think all of its important, kind of working together toward the same goals is paramount to a successful future for the community.
Morgan Franklin:Welcome to Better Together with Kosta Yepifantsev, a podcast on parenting, business, and living life intentionally. We're here every week to bring you thoughtful conversation on making your own path to success, challenging the status quo and finding all the ways we're better together. Here's your host Kosta Yepifantsev.
Kosta Yepifantsev:Hey y'all, it's Kosta. Today I'm here with my guest, Matt Billings, Economic Development and Grants Coordinator for the City of Cookeville. Matt, you haven't wasted any time. Over the past three years you've gone from Community Development planner at Upper Cumberland Development District to coordinator of economic development at Highlands economic partnership to economic development and grants for the city of Cookeville. Was it divine intervention or the answer prayers of Melinda Keifer?
Matt Billings:Oh man, well answered prayers and Melinda Keifer might be a bit of an overreach considering how many times I've had to call her over the last year and a half to pick her brain man, we're really lucky to have her in the mix still. And she's she's been great to kind of talk to and consult with as far as you know, what the best steps for me kind of coming into this role. But you know, you had mentioned kind of some of the previous roles that I've been involved with, and honestly, you know, I've been really lucky over the years to have really great mentors, you know, kind of starting with my internship at Tech with Michael Aikens to the development district, he got, you know, Mark Farley, Tommy Lee, and then at the highlands, I've had Amy and Adam to kind of learn from and now James mills and John Ward. So, you know, anything I've seen over this time has kind of been on the shoulders of giants.
Kosta Yepifantsev:All Star Team. Yeah, that is great. Yeah, haven't haven't
Matt Billings:all of them, you know, and still working with them, you know, kind of toward the same goal of regional and community Betterment as it's been an honor to kind of be in the mix of them. So divine intervention maybe in the sense of I guess Right Place Right Time kind of moving you know, through these roles, but definitely working with them has been a really great part of that.
Kosta Yepifantsev:And what did you majored in tech English? Okay. Interesting. And did you have a minor?
Matt Billings:Not really no, just kind of took what I liked. So
Kosta Yepifantsev:you majored in English, I'm assuming you like to, like read books and things like that.
Matt Billings:Yeah. Reading, writing, learning, but you know, yeah, I enjoy it.
Kosta Yepifantsev:What type of books? Do you read fiction or nonfiction?
Matt Billings:Yeah, like a lot of like, early 20th century kind of fiction writers, you know, timing ways, Faulkner's of the world. Yeah. Those are my go twos. I like that. I like it all, you know, so
Kosta Yepifantsev:how do you take this English background, this English major, and decide that you want to invest in the community with your time, your efforts and your energy?
Matt Billings:So again, you know, kind of going back to that right place, right time, my focus was on professional and technical communication. So in that we had a lot of, you know, technical writing, grant writing, things of that nature kind of come together. And my advisor in school hooked me up with Michael Aikens, whenever rural reimagined was getting kicked off. So I was able to work with him and kind of get a glimpse into the world of you know, rural development and regional service and some about me really, a really fell in love with it. And from there, it kind of turned into to get in on at the development district. And then I kind of discovered that I can put, you know, some of those things that I learned in school writing writing skills to work, and, you know, use it for the betterment of the region. So that's, that was really cool. And so
Kosta Yepifantsev:one more question about grants and writing grants for you to consider your position successful. So like, at the end of the year, if you get to December 31, when you get to December 31. Sorry, right. And you reflect back, how many grants do you feel like you can write in a year? And do you expect those grants to be funded? Or is this like a in 2024? I'm going to write a grant. And it's going to take two or three years for it to get funded and come to fruition for us to start implementation. Yes. So
Matt Billings:you know, throughout the year with all the State Departments, so you know, Tennessee economic and community development, Appalachian Regional Commission, that's a federal stream, there's, you know, kind of the regular rounds, so there'll be there'll be several opportunities for funding each year. And you know, some of them whenever Your community's awarded a project usually takes, you know, a couple of years to get that through. So whenever those windows open up, you know, really kind of focusing in on telling your community story, the best you can to expect it to get funded. And kind of, you know, displaying that is important. So, you know, kind of going with the general flow of the state grants,
Kosta Yepifantsev:I want to ask you one more question about grants. Are we talking about like $100,000 grants or like, a million dollar or $10 million$100? million? Like, what size are these grants that you're writing for? It's a whole
Matt Billings:range, you know, some of them are a little bit smaller, kind of in like the 10,000 $20,000 range, but they can go all the way up to a million plus, technically, you know, a million is a pretty considered a pretty good amount that
Kosta Yepifantsev:those are the ones you're trying to bag. Let's hope so. All right. I like I like it. And all seriousness, congratulations, we're lucky to have young engaged members of the community, like yourself interested in willing to dig into these roles and continue to strive for excellence in this community? Will you tell us about your current position and what you do for the city of Cookeville? Yes,
Matt Billings:so my official title is economic development and grants coordinator. And in that role, I work closely with the director of community development, so John Ward, and then with the highlands economic partnership, as well to kind of work to identify businesses that we think would be a good fit for the community, and then take the necessary steps to get them here. So there's a lot that goes into that. But you know, kind of what I'm focusing on now is kind of the site development. So making sure that we have a space for them to come. And then making sure that that space is, you know, served by utilities, has roadway access, things like that, to make sure that we kind of provide the most hospitable environment to a business that's looking to come here.
Kosta Yepifantsev:Did you get this strategy from Melinda Kiefer? Oh, absolutely. Yeah, she's the first one that really is like, we can't do anything unless we worry about the details. The infrastructure,
Matt Billings:yeah, she is kind of the Economic Development Jedi of your community. You know, she knows the way of the force. Exactly. I'm trying to learn that a little bit.
Kosta Yepifantsev:Yeah, she's a wonderful example. And a great mentor. Yeah, so that's kind of the
Matt Billings:economic development side of it. And then there's the community development side as well. So that's kind of going back to the grants conversation. So what we were talking about, like, you know, if T dot t and ACD, getting monies awarded, you know, to implement these community livability and and Betterment projects, as well
Kosta Yepifantsev:say the community needed a mental health hospital, would you be researching and applying for grants? Or would that happen through use Edd, and the triple ID?
Matt Billings:You know, it kind of I guess depends on what the context of it was. I know, you see, DD focuses a lot on things like that as well. But you know, we all work pretty well as a team. So that that would be something that would be interested in learning more about honestly. Yeah,
Kosta Yepifantsev:I mean, that's it's a huge need when tenBroek closed at CRMC. There's really nowhere for certain people to go except for there's a place in Livingston. And I've just been, it's been on my mind, because I've been encountering more like people in crisis. And so I was wondering, I'm like, you know, Putnam County could probably use a big mental health facility for people in crisis. Right. All right. So I want to talk to you about a term that I recently heard that I thought is appropriate for this next question. And so like, you know, there's influencers? Yeah, well, we're gonna talk about old influencers. Okay. Okay. Because apparently, that's a real big deal in Cookeville. nowadays. So for millennials and Gen Z, there's been a great effort to advocate on our behalf to participate in public service run for office and take leadership. But the problem remains that so far, not many baby boomers, and Gen Xers are ready to let go of these responsibilities. As a young person serving our community, what's your message to older generations on making room for our next generation of local leaders?
Matt Billings:Okay, my chance to speak to an entire generation, right?
Kosta Yepifantsev:Two of them, actually, yeah,
Matt Billings:yeah, there we go. You know, I would say, I've been really lucky to have the opportunity to work kind of across generations, with people, you know, of all ages, from all walks of life. And that's been I found it very rewarding. There's a lot to learn there. So, whenever it comes to, you know, some of the baby boomers that are kind of getting ready to think about phasing out of their careers, I would like to stress, you know, the importance of taking on kind of those mentorship roles to the younger generation, and, you know, showing them the ropes, because there's a lot that goes into it. You know, and listening back at a previous episode of this podcast, Melinda Keefer, was talking about staying the course in the in the development of the community. And I think that's important as well. And you know, honestly, I think it's good to like, kind of compare it to like a ship, you know, the way that communities going with the older generation kind of serving is like the ballast, the younger generation kind of be in the sails on that right kind of looking at the way you know, the direction that we're headed. So I think all of its important and kind of working together toward the same goals is paramount to a successful future for the community. Do
Kosta Yepifantsev:you ever feel like there are certain positions that are closed off to you because of your age?
Matt Billings:So far? Not really. I mean, you know, I've experienced good at accommodating During reception and trying to learn and just having an open mind to taking in as much knowledge as you can,
Kosta Yepifantsev:do you believe that the roles that you've served in and the organizations that you've been a part of value, the meritocracy, meaning like your merit speaks for itself, you
Matt Billings:know, I think that it's been pretty open as far as like welcoming dialog, new voices, you know, taking in kind of fresh takes, right, younger people entering the scene, and
Kosta Yepifantsev:all they expect from us to do your job, do it, well execute well, and you'll continue to move up the career ladder.
Matt Billings:That's the goal. And that's what I you know, expect for myself as well, I hope for myself good, good.
Kosta Yepifantsev:And the reason that I bring that up is because I believe personally, that the United States, one of its greatest tenants, is the fact that it does have meritocracy. And you are judged, not by how much money you have, or you know what family you're from, but you can access the same thing, whether you're poor or wealthy, as long as you're willing to put the work in and you're judged by essentially your merit. And I'm glad to hear that because you've served in three different community organizations. So to see that we are still staying true to working hard and executing well as the number one goal and 10 out of somebody's position is very endearing for me, you're a new parent with another baby on the way right, you see Cookeville, from a unique vantage point of not only what it's provided to you, but what it will be for you, your family and your children. Right now, what do you see as our greatest opportunity? And what is our most complex challenge?
Matt Billings:You know, one of the things that's really cool about kind of coming up in this time and our community and Cookeville is that I feel like it's kind of grown up with me growing up with our generation, you know, as I've kind of come through school and decided that I want to stay here and you know, kind of have have my family be here, there's been a lot of cool opportunities open up and new things are coming still. So there's a lot of opportunity and being kind of a growing community that people take interest in. And there's a real quality of place here. So as far as our greatest opportunity, I mean, there's stuff going on, all around that just that makes this place great to be in. But when it comes to challenges, you know, we see kind of in a post COVID world that there's a lot of kind of us acclimating to the way things are in the rest of the country. So you know, there's, there's maybe a little bit of a bit of a challenge there, when it comes to people coming in that are, you know, have different housing market price points and things like that, you know, kind of trying to get your footing and start out seems to be a bit of a challenge. And that's, you know, that's all over I feel like they're experiencing that everywhere else in the country as well. It's interesting, just kind of seeing the way that that things will play
Kosta Yepifantsev:out. Sure. So affordable housing is an issue, of course, yeah, it's not just here, right? And but it's more pronounced in Tennessee, but I would venture to say it's even more pronounced in small towns in Tennessee. So I was having a discussion with a friend of mine, who's a contractor in Jamestown. And he's done some work for me over the years. And he used to work with me at home caregivers. And as we were talking, he was asking me about what I thought about the housing market. I told him, I said, Look, you know, the housing market may fluctuate in other areas of the country, but for the state of Tennessee, and specifically Cookeville, it's probably going to remain strong. And that's because so many people are moving to this state. But it brought up another really interesting point. Think about Oracle, they're bringing 1000s of jobs that are going to pay$150,000 a year plus in Nashville. Well, I grew up in Atlanta, and my dad commuted to work every single day for an hour and a half. And so did everybody else that lived in our neighborhood, okay, in our subdivision. So it's not outside of the realm of possibility that people are going to live in Cookeville. And drive an hour and 15 minutes into Nashville every single day and make 150k Plus, while they're living in Cookeville, with a very low cost of living, right. The issue that I foresee is similar, it goes back to the point that you were making, how do you get those young people to be able to have an opportunity to start their lives to buy a starter home to be able to, you know, work in this community as opposed to commuting somewhere else with higher paying jobs? You're absolutely right. That is the biggest issue that I see when I come into contact with young adults. They just they can't find a job that's going to be commensurate with how high everything costs right now. It's really expensive to live in Cookeville right now.
Matt Billings:That's true. Yeah, it seems expensive to be anywhere. But yeah, you know, in my experience, yeah, it's true.
Kosta Yepifantsev:Yeah. One last thing and then we'll move on talking to a friend, you know, the houses that are over off of walnut that used to be the old housing projects, yes. On the way to nhc. Do you know like, I know that property was purchased. Are they going to convert that property into rentals or are they going to sell each individual house Was there fixing them up? I don't know if you know what they're gonna do there, I see that there's
Matt Billings:gonna be some development there. But honestly, I'm not entirely sure what the I would assume that it's going to be for sale. But you know, I'm speaking. Yeah, really just speculation. Yeah,
Kosta Yepifantsev:cool. We love to talk about the workforce of the upper Cumberland, love might not be a strong enough word. Since you started working in economic development in 2020. What are the biggest changes you've seen in our workforce? And what is the workforce of tomorrow look like?
Matt Billings:So I was really lucky, you know, through my time at the highlands economic partnership to work closely alongside workforce development efforts in the region. And it's really interesting to kind of see the way things tick. From that perspective. I think one thing you know, that's, that's really important to workforce development around here is working closely alongside our K 12 partners and making sure that we are bolstering that workforce pipeline to get the next generation ready to kind of come in and hit the ground running, if they want into the workforce right out of high school, I think you're seeing a real push toward that lately. And you know, we're really lucky around here to have the T cats involved states and CTE programs and our K 12 schools like we have. So I think, you know, seeing the shift toward that is really valuable for kind of, you know, our target markets and industry sectors that we want to recruit. So that's really cool to kind of see, you know, efforts underway, and really, everybody working as a team toward that shared goal of getting our workforce ready for it. I think that that's really cool. Yeah, you know, as far as changes go, I guess there's a whole kind of shift toward integrating a little bit more with automation and AI and things like that. So integrating technology into that shift as well is going to be a you know, in some ways a challenge to overcome or growing pain. But um, I think that we got the right tools kind of in place, and the right people kind of moving the dials to help with that kind of transition.
Kosta Yepifantsev:One of the most intimidating parts of going back to college as a non-traditional student was trying to figure out which degree I was going to get - and more importantly how I could actually use it. At Vol State Community College they’ve taken the guesswork out of which degrees will actually help students prepare and land jobs in our community. With 5 specialized AAs programs, including Computer Information Technology, Mechatronics, Nursing, Vol State has designed their courses around the jobs hiring in the Upper Cumberland. Whether you’re looking for your next career, or you just want to level up in your current field, Vol State has customized options for full-time workers, parents, and students of all ages. For more information on financial aid, classes, and how to enroll, visit volstate.edu So you talked about, you know, T Kads, and kind of helping young adults, and you had your own set of mentors that have developed you into the person that you are today. What about those people that don't want to go to college? Right, and they are thinking about what they're going to do with their career? What are their options in this economy in this local economy to get to middle class, comfortable lifestyle and build a family and a career? Sure,
Matt Billings:well, you know, it seems like to me that there's a lot of ways to kind of, you know, get yourself set up for success in that way, like you're talking about with tea cats, and with industries, you know, like we want coming to the area, you know, there's there's ample opportunity and things like let's say, aerospace manufacturing, or something, something cool like that, you know, that there's a lot of kind of technical vo Ed's sort of, sort of a bent toward, and a lot of them, you know, kind of produce really well paying jobs, and they're pretty attainable. So it's cool to see a different, you know, kind of shift toward emphasis on that to the kids coming up through the K 12 system that might want to go, they call it a non traditional path, but you know, it's definitely necessary and, and, you know, in the past has been more traditional. So it's, it's cool to see some of that kind of come around. And, and there's a lot of value and emphasis on that. I
Kosta Yepifantsev:mean, I know some people that work in HVAC that makes six figures, you know what I'm saying?
Matt Billings:Same thing with like plumbers or electricians, and they say the average age of these careers is like, you know, people that are in their 50s and 60s are going to be phasing out. So seeing, you know, more more young people take interest in that, I think is a really good kind of a third path to success.
Kosta Yepifantsev:Well, I mean, it's so expensive to get any repairs done. I mean, if you call an electrician, they're not leaving your house for less than$300. Right. So I mean, obviously, to get more people in that industry is going to create to be more competitive, which is going to drive the prices down. So I mean, it serves the community as well as serving the individuals that are going to be getting that trade. Right. Let's talk about the election. before anyone gets too excited. I want to talk about our local election here in Putnam County, not only will we be voting for the President, but also our congressional delegate and state representatives. What do you wish people knew about the importance of these local elections and how does it impact Do your job and our city. So
Matt Billings:I guess starting out with how it impacts my job, you know, we were talking about, you know, grant funding earlier, everything that we get, as far as, you know, awards to our community to fund things, there's a match involved, so the city has to put up some money of their own to implement the project. So all of that has to be, you know, pass through our local elected bodies. So, you know, that's obviously very important to the things that our department does over the city. But also, you know, to me, I think that it's very important to participate in all things, you know, local, civic processes, and things like that. Because to me, you know, problems that local government face, you know, are related to things like, where's the trash going? Or, you know, where would a sidewalk be the most beneficial to help people, you know, get to the grocery store that might not have other means of transportation. So kind of focusing on these, like, these local things that affect us all, and that we can all agree on, I think is where local politics is really important. And it's important to participate and kind of learn these processes. You know, in addition to all the city council meetings, there's also, you know, the the board of zoning appeals and Planning Commission and things like that that's important to kind of stay involved with, I think, for all civic minded citizens of the community.
Kosta Yepifantsev:I agree. I agree. And more importantly, I think we should call to action that we shouldn't get wrapped up in those big federal national issues. Because those issues are a macro level issue. They're not going to be successfully decided on a local level, but getting a sidewalk on Broad Street, of course, I mean, I'm all the way up on that. Right, if I can get a bike lane somewhere, I'm all the way up on that, too. You know, we're finishing the rails for trails to get it to Monterey and to Baxter. Sounds fantastic. That's
Matt Billings:right. And all that stuff is really important to me personally. Yeah. And it's important to advancing the community livability, right, Cookeville. And I think that's great to kind of focus on those things.
Kosta Yepifantsev:If you could pinpoint it, though, and I hate to put you on the spot. But if you could pinpoint it, what do you think is the biggest issue in Cookeville? From an economic development side, or just just something that we need, whether it's like, hey, if we had this one thing in infrastructure, or if we had this one business, or if we had this one industry, it would change the game?
Matt Billings:Well, you know, I have, I've not got it all figured out. Of course, I'm kind of, you know, still new in my career and everything that I'm learning and doing. But I think, honestly, you know, some of our greatest assets present some of the greatest challenges as well. We're really strategically located between three major metropolitan areas in the state, we're right on i 40, we're really we're poised for growth, we're poised for success. And keeping up with that sometimes it's hard kind of leveraging it against, you know, the way that like a Nashville or Chattanooga is growing. So keeping up with that it can present a challenge. But I think getting behind it in a way that benefits the most people is very important. So it's really a double edged sword when it comes to development, but I think generally spearheading it in a way that promotes positive growth. It's a noble challenge to undertake. So it's not a target.
Kosta Yepifantsev:Here's the thing, I have an idea, okay, I think an ice rink would be phenomenal for the community. I'm being facetious, of course, because I know there's things that are much more pressing than an ice rink. I just really want to go skate and I have to drive all the way to Nashville to do it. Even Rosie Rosie was talking the other day. She wants to go skating. So we get rollerblades on. We throw the hockey net out front, we skate around, shoot the puck, stuff like that. But we don't have an ice rink. And we were so close. We were like this close. And I wasn't even involved when we were this close. So I mean, I think if we had this conversation come up again. I know I could get Rich Froning on my side, we play roller hockey together. And we can push this bad boy over the hill and get ourselves a nice ring. Change the game right for Goku?
Matt Billings:Sure. Well, you know what pasta, let me run some traps on my end.
Kosta Yepifantsev:Talk to James see what he says. I listen, in all seriousness, I resonate with what you're saying. I think we're gonna get to a point in the very near future where we're going to have to develop an identity. And I'm going to go back to my example in Atlanta. So Kennesaw, and Woodstock, okay, that area that wasn't going to ever be Alpharetta or Atlanta, they had to develop their own identity. And the identity that they started with was a feeder, meaning they built a ton of subdivisions all over Woodstock and Kennesaw, and they were feeding the commercial for people that had jobs in the city. And I believe that Cookeville may very well be on a similar path and I might be totally off base, but I think that we are going to be where people live. And we may not always be exactly where people work, right. So that's kind of my my two cents on it. Well, I
Matt Billings:think you know, Cookeville has done a really good job over the last, let's say 1015 years of establishing you know, a locale kind of a local feel a local color. You can see it present you know, just going down on the west side and or, you know, to dogwood park or any of these places, we've really done a good job of kind of establishing who we are and kind of getting that feel kind of where it's at today, I think it's really good to continue to establish that emphasis on, you know, our great local businesses and things like that, making it again, quality of place, and letting it flourish. Because it's, it's really, I think it's headed in a great direction right now,
Kosta Yepifantsev:ice rink, for
Matt Billings:sure ice rink,
Kosta Yepifantsev:if you could give one piece of advice to all the young people listening, that are trying to find their way, as a leader in this community, or just where they belong as a citizen of this community, what would it be?
Matt Billings:You know, I love this question, I feel like this is one of the ones I can speak to most just having, you know, gone through it, going through it, experiencing it now, I would say just, you know, get involved as much as you can. And it's really important to keep an open mind and learn as much as you can along the way. We're talking about, you know, these different groups and bodies that meet, you know, with the idea of, you know, civic engagement, I think that that's very important. But you know, along with that kind of knowledge of it, and, you know, understanding the way the processes work, remembering why we all live here, you know, we there's something about Cookeville that all of us like that keeps us here, so kind of having that, that heart toward it as well, is very important. And another thing I would say that's been really beneficial to me is just, you know, getting out and traveling, you know, Cook was obviously not going to be a Chicago anytime soon, but going to other places that kind of seem like what you could envision Cookeville as in the next few years. And, you know, what do I like about this community? What could be better about it, you know, experiencing that in other places, I think there's a lot of benefit in you know, just learning a little bit more. And then we were talking a little bit about it earlier. But as far as advice goes, you know, if you want to press forward with that English degree, do it, you can put it to work if you really, if you really want to,
Kosta Yepifantsev:I mean, listen, I'm not taking shots or anything like that. But James, if you're listening, most grant writers make about 100 to$150,000 a year, especially if they can bring home the bacon. So if Matt over here starts pulling in a couple million dollar grants, might have to put some kind of commission structure in place, you know, I'm saying, Can I put a bow on what you just said, of course, when you know, everything's going crazy, and you're super busy, you want to be in Cookeville? Because it just it feels like home no matter where you are.
Matt Billings:Yeah, I couldn't agree with you more. You know, I've lived here my whole life. And the older I get, the more I realized that was for good reason. I'm really I'm really happy to be here.
Kosta Yepifantsev:So we always like to end the show on a high note. Who is someone that makes you better when you're together?
Matt Billings:Well, You know, I would be remiss not to mention my two year old son, Theo, he is right at that perfect age right now where he's a lot of feeling and a lot of personality and just a lot of fun. You know, he's running around and throwing things and defying our orders but he's got about the biggest heart of anybody I've ever met. And you know, with the other one on the way she'll be joining the herd as well. So, you know, it's definitely got to be family for me.
Kosta Yepifantsev:Thank you to our partners at Vol State Community College for presenting this episode of Vol State is a public comprehensive community college offering associate's degrees and certificates as well as general education classes. With tuition free options like Tennessee Promise and Tennessee Reconnect, students can pursue a variety of associate's degrees and certificates at no cost. To enroll. Find out more about financial aid, or schedule a tour visit volstate.edu
Morgan Franklin:Thank you for joining us on this episode of Better Together with Kosta Yepifantsev. If you've enjoyed listening and you want to hear more, make sure you subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you find your podcasts. Leave us a review or better yet, share this episode with a friend. Today's episode was written and produced by Morgan Franklin post production mixing and editing by Mike Franklin. Want to know more about Kosta visit us at kostayepifantsev.com. We're better together. We'd like to remind our listeners that the views and opinions expressed during this episode are those of the individual speakers and do not necessarily represent or reflect the official policy or position of this show its producers or any related entities or advertisers. While our discussions may touch on various topics of interest, please note that the content is intended to inspire thought provoking dialogue and should not be used for a substitute for professional advice.Specifically, nothing heard on this podcast should be construed as financial, legal, medical or any other kind of professional advice. We encourage our listeners to consult with a professional in these areas for guidance tailored to their specific circumstances.